The Pilates Reformer - Training For Core Excellence

If you have ever watched any of the old horror movies, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Pilates Reformer fitness machine actually appeared in some of them. Far from being a bit part player in a horror movie, the Pilates Reformer is an star performer in many fitness gyms around the world.

Explaining what the Pilates Reformer actually does wouldn't make a lot of sense without actually explaining what Pilates is and how it is intended to work.

The aim of a Pilates workout is to improve your core strength, rather than just your external appearance. It pays particular attention to the stomach muscles (abdominals) and the back muscles, which quite honestly are key to any serious workout anyway.

Pilates has developed some key principals around which the exercises have been developed. In order to understand Pilates, and thus the Pilates Reformer, you must understand these principles. So, it would make sense to discuss them first, namely centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow.

When talking about centering, we are really talking about where the Pilates exercises are aimed, namely in the centre of the body, specifically in an area between the pubic bone and the lower ribs.

Concentration is as the name implies. Focusing 100% attention to the job in hand. It goes without saying that if you can do that, you can get excellent results from Pilates.

Control means undertaking the exercises in a controlled manner and not flinging yourself into them willy nilly.

Precision means carrying out the exercises exactly as outlined by the instructors without any deviation.

Breath is referring to a coordinated breathing during the exercises.

The flow means how you carry out the exercises. The requirement is for a smooth motion rather than any short or jerky movements.

In order to get the maximum benefit from your Pilates workout, it is imperative that you keep these six basic principles in mind at all times.

Now that we have an understanding the basic principles and core strength philosophy of Pilates, we can better understand how the Pilates Reformer can help us with our Pilates workout. Here is a video of a Pilates Reformer in action, which best helps to illustrate what we are taking about.

It has been designed to make each of the principals as easy to carry out as possible, with its fine tuned resistance and smooth operation. Used properly, the Pilates Reformer can dramatically improve your core strength, which is after all, what Pilates is all about!