Move Better. Feel Stronger. Live Better.
Reformer Pilates is a low-impact, highly effective form of exercise designed to strengthen your body, improve mobility and help you move with greater confidence.
Using a specially designed piece of equipment called a Pilates Reformer, each exercise combines controlled movement with adjustable resistance and support.
The result? A workout that can be challenging when you want it to be, supportive when you need it to be, and adapted to suit your individual body.
At Pangbourne Pilates, our Reformer sessions are about much more than exercise. They are about helping you build a stronger, more mobile and resilient body for everyday life.
Whether you are completely new to Pilates, returning to exercise, looking to improve your sporting performance or simply want to feel better in your body, Reformer Pilates can be an excellent place to start.
What is Reformer Pilates?
The Reformer might look slightly intimidating the first time you see one. Do not worry. It is not.
The Reformer has a moving platform called a carriage, which travels along a frame using springs, straps and pulleys. Those springs provide adjustable resistance, while the carriage allows your instructor to guide you through a huge variety of movements.
Unlike a conventional gym machine, the Reformer is not designed to isolate one muscle. It encourages your whole body to work together: your core stabilises, your arms and legs move, your posture adjusts and your breathing becomes part of the exercise.
Because the resistance can be altered, movements can be made easier, harder or simply different depending on your experience, mobility and goals.
Benefits of Reformer Pilates
- Build deep core strength and better stability
- Improve full-body strength without heavy impact
- Increase flexibility, mobility and range of movement
- Develop balance, coordination and body awareness
- Encourage stronger, more natural posture
- Support confident movement and a healthier back
Pricing
Reformer Signature 1st Class
Packages
Drop-in
Who Should Do Reformer Pilates?
Reformer Pilates can work brilliantly for:
- Complete beginners
- People returning to exercise
- People who want to become stronger
- People who sit at a desk all day
- Runners, cyclists and sportspeople
- Older adults
- People who already exercise
- Anyone wanting better mobility and balance
A good Reformer session demands concentration. You need to think about your breathing, posture, muscles and the quality of each movement. For an hour, the endless list of things you need to do tends to become rather less important.
Regular Pilates practice can help relieve stress and tension while encouraging greater awareness of your body. There is also something rather satisfying about noticing that a movement which felt impossible a few weeks ago suddenly feels controlled and natural.
Wellbeing is not simply about burning calories. It is about feeling capable, strong, mobile, confident and comfortable in your own body.
What Can I Expect From Reformer Pilates?
Expect to move. Expect to concentrate. Expect to discover that tiny, controlled movements can occasionally make muscles complain far more loudly than expected.
Most importantly, expect to learn. Our instructors will help you understand how to position your body, control each movement and use the Reformer correctly. As your confidence develops, the exercises can progress with you.
The objective is not simply to complete more repetitions. It is to move better.
Your Body Was Designed to Move
Am I Too Unfit for Reformer Pilates?
No. You do not get fit enough to start Pilates; you start Pilates to become fitter, stronger and more mobile. The Reformer is particularly useful because its resistance and support can be adjusted to suit the person using it. Everyone starts somewhere. Your starting point is simply yours.
Am I Too Old for Reformer Pilates?
Again, no. Maintaining muscle strength, mobility, balance and confidence becomes increasingly valuable as we get older. The important consideration is not the number on your birthday cake; it is choosing exercise appropriate to your current health, mobility and ability.
If you have a medical condition, existing injury, are pregnant, have recently given birth or have recently undergone surgery, please speak to us before booking so we can help determine the most appropriate option.