With technology continually advancing fitness equipment to enhance your workouts, it can be challenging to determine the best options available. Surprisingly, despite the sophisticated designs of modern workout devices, the most innovative fitness tool was created in the 1920s and has been right under your nose all along: the Pilates Reformer.
More than a century after its inception—and having witnessed countless fitness machines come and go—the Reformer remains a staple. It is utilized not only for its original purpose of rehabilitation but also for athletic strength training and conditioning. Whether your goal is to build a strong core and lengthen your spine through traditional Pilates or to increase strength and muscle size with Athletic Pilates, the Reformer can help you achieve your objectives.
Athletic Reformer training and traditional strength training differ primarily in their use of vertical and horizontal loads. Think of the Reformer as a “horizontal version” of a fitness cable machine, expanding the possibilities for your workouts. These sessions follow traditional strength training principles, incorporating timed durations, repeated sets, targeted muscle groups, and adequate recovery periods.
Typically, traditional Reformer classes utilize low load-bearing spring tension, with a low rep count (three to five) and moderate intensity, which usually prevents the onset of muscle soreness associated with strength training. Significant muscle breakdown requires multiple sets of heavy tension and intensity.
In contrast, Athletic Pilates incorporates increased spring tension, multiple sets, and options for high intensity. To experience muscle burn and next-day soreness, you’ll need to elevate the intensity. Simply performing 10 reps before moving to the next exercise won’t suffice.
If you’re looking to feel sore, follow my guidance. High-intensity, load-bearing exercises create tiny, microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, which are crucial for rebuilding and developing stronger muscles. Your body responds to this process with increased inflammation, leading to what is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Using a Reformer with heavy spring tension, along with extended durations and repeated sets targeting specific muscle groups, will induce muscle soreness and promote growth.
If your goal is to achieve a slim, narrow waist without the bulk often associated with heavy strength training, you’re in luck. A thick waist typically results from a combination of high-volume core work and consistent heavy vertical loads, leading to overdeveloped rectus abdominis and obliques.
In traditional strength training, the loads are predominantly vertical, while Athletic Pilates shares both vertical and horizontal loads. Constant vertical loading strengthens the abdominals in relation to the force applied to the spine. In Athletic Pilates, the balance between vertical and horizontal loads allows for more even abdominal development.
Spine compression is a common drawback of vertically loaded bodybuilding techniques. If you were to measure the distance between the ribcage and pelvis of a 45-year-old bodybuilder, you would likely find a noticeable reduction. This is another reason why Athletic Pilates offers long-term benefits for spinal health.
Take the time to explore new Reformer exercises designed for strength. Avoid overdoing it, and always remember that hard training requires adequate recovery time for muscle groups. After a spinal injury forced me to give up the gym, I have safely rebuilt my strength and size through Athletic Reformer exercises. The advantage of Reformer training is that you have the benefits of an entire gym floor and a Pilates studio at your fingertips.