The Pilates Reformer
Exercising with the reformer is possible for anyone, at any level of fitness!
The instability of a rolling carriage and the option to set springs at different levels of resistance provides all kinds of stability challenges that develop core strength and promote better balance. Not only can you increase or decrease spring tension to make the exercise more challenging you could, for example, have less of the body on the carriage meaning more bodyweight has to be supported by the practitioner, and the body and machine has to be controlled even more by the core. Paradoxically, when the springs are in a lighter setting, some exercises are more challenging for the core because it has to work harder to control and stabilize the movement.
A History of Pilates
The story of how, in the first half of the 20th century, Joseph Pilates developed his method, which he fittingly called “Contrology”. Pilates’ series of rehabilitative exercises, designed to create total balance of the body and mind. It was revolutionary and Pilates, a true believer in his own method, knew it.