Top 5 Benefits of Pilates Reformer Training
The Pilates Reformer was the masterful invention of the great Joseph Pilates. His work has been growing in popularity and appreciation for the past twenty-five years, with the Reformer now truly taking a leading role. So, what does this spring-loaded superhero of a machine bring to your workout? Here are some of the top benefits:
Core Strengthening
It’s useful to think of core strengthening as core functionality or efficiency. It refers to how effectively the centre of your body (the torso) supports and enables movement.
Visualise your torso as a cylinder, starting at the pelvis and extending up through the waist to the ribcage, wrapping around your front, sides, and back. This structure must act like a supportive spring—bending, flexing, and rotating with control and strength, not buckling or folding.
Our core acts as an anchor and central station for the head, arms, and legs. The Reformer challenges the core from all directions and planes of movement. Whether lying, standing, kneeling, seated, or prone on the Reformer or sitting box, the equipment supports your torso while testing its stability. The ropes provide resistance and instability, while the foot bar offers opposition, enhancing core engagement. The springs also give internal feedback, deepening your core training experience.
Breath Control
Core strength cannot be truly effective without breathwork. Since the core is a cylinder made of the abdominals, waist, and back, it also has a ‘roof’ and a ‘floor’.
The diaphragm (your breathing muscle) is the roof, and the pelvic floor forms the base. These muscles are essential and often neglected—yet they’re critical to both core strength and wellbeing. Imagine a carrier bag full of ripe fruit with a sagging bottom. That’s what a weak pelvic floor can resemble—compromising the strength of your core structure.
The pelvic floor and diaphragm work in partnership. As you inhale, they descend together; as you exhale, they rise. This breath-induced movement strengthens your core. The Reformer’s smooth gliding carriage encourages calm, consistent breathing. You’ll typically inhale in one direction, exhale in the other. This rhythm enhances your core awareness and allows deeper contraction during exhalation. The Reformer helps you build strength from the inside out.
Body Alignment
Alignment was a foundational concept in Joseph Pilates’ method. It supports injury prevention, rehabilitation, and effective movement.
To perform optimally, your body must let forces move freely through it. True core strength isn’t about gripping your centre tightly but enabling force to travel through and out of your body in a controlled way.
For example, in a well-aligned forward lunge, the heel lands cleanly, the hips and knees flex smoothly, and the spine stays stacked. In contrast, poor alignment—such as the knee collapsing inwards—throws off balance and increases injury risk.
The Reformer provides the chance to practise complex movements like lunges while receiving instant feedback from the spring tension. It also allows you to break down alignment joint by joint—foot, ankle, knee, hip, spine—improving proprioception and performance in other activities.
Flexibility
Pilates can be summed up as “stretch with control”. True flexibility involves not just lengthening but also elasticity and the ability to return to baseline with control.
The Reformer eliminates the guesswork in stretching. You’re never left wondering how far is too far. The concentric (contracting) and eccentric (lengthening) actions of muscles, supported by the springs, allow for dynamic, supported flexibility work.
Strength
Thanks to its spring-loaded carriage, Reformer strength training is both efficient and adaptable. Surprisingly, less resistance can sometimes require more control, making it more challenging. You can adjust spring tension quickly and easily, ensuring a time-effective workout.
Reformer exercises are dynamic, targeting not only the prime movers but also stabilisers and opposing muscles. With accessories like the sitting box and risers, and with the ability to adjust angles and positions, the strengthening potential is vast and versatile.
In Summary
The Pilates Reformer offers one of the most flowing, connected, and interactive workouts available. In over 25 years of teaching fitness and Pilates, I’ve found nothing else quite like it. It delivers countless benefits—without strain, stress, or the monotony of conventional gym machines. It’s unique and must be experienced to truly appreciate its magic.
