What is reformer pilates, actually? The no-nonsense guide
You've seen the machine all over your feed: something between a rowing bench, a day bed and a piece of gym equipment from 1920. Which, as it turns out, is almost exactly what it is. Here's what reformer pilates actually involves, what the evidence says it does, what it costs in London, and — because nobody else will tell you — who shouldn't bother.
The short answer
Reformer pilates is pilates performed on a machine called a reformer: a flat, cushioned carriage that slides along rails inside a frame, attached to a set of springs. You push, pull and hold your body against that spring resistance using a footbar and straps. The springs work both ways — they can load a movement to make it harder, or assist it to make it easier. That two-way trick is the entire genius of the thing, and it's why the same machine works for a 25-year-old athlete and someone rehabbing a back injury.
It was invented in a hospital, not a boutique studio
Joseph Pilates, a German boxer and circus performer, was interned in Britain during the First World War. Working as a hospital orderly, he rigged springs from hospital beds so that bedridden patients could exercise against resistance before they could stand. That contraption became the reformer, and his method — which he called Contrology — moved with him to New York in 1926, where dancers adopted it for injury recovery. An early wooden reformer sits in the Smithsonian.
The machine your studio charges £40 to use was designed so that people who couldn't get out of bed could train. Remember that the next time an instructor tells you to slow down — assistance, not punishment, is the machine's native language.
What the evidence actually says
More than most fitness trends, reformer pilates has real research behind it — as long as you're honest about what that research shows:
- Core strength: EMG studies measuring muscle activity show high activation of deep core muscles during reformer work, and that adjusting spring resistance meaningfully changes which muscles fire and how hard.
- Flexibility: a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found ten weeks of reformer training improved hamstring flexibility more than a standard stretching programme.
- Pain: systematic reviews consistently support pilates for chronic low back pain — one of the strongest evidence bases in the whole boutique fitness world.
- What it is not: a magic fat-loss machine. A 50-minute class burns modest calories compared with running or a spin class. The body-composition changes people see come from consistency, strength gains and usually eating changes that arrive with a new habit — not from the carriage itself.
What a class looks like (and costs)
Classes run 45–60 minutes: footwork on the bar to warm up, then sequences for legs, core, arms and back using the straps and carriage, finishing with stretch work. Most machines carry colour-coded springs — typically yellow (light), blue (medium), red (heavy) — and here's the counterintuitive part: lighter springs are often harder, because your stabilising muscles get less help.
In London, expect £28–45 for a drop-in depending on postcode, with unlimited memberships at roughly £140–220 a month. The UK pilates and yoga studio market is now worth about £1.1bn, and UK searches for reformer pilates have grown over 57% since late 2024 — which explains both the waiting lists and the prices. (Why it costs that much is a whole article of its own — the machines, the tiny class sizes, the rent. We're writing it.)
Our verdict. Worth it if: you want strength work that's joint-friendly, you have desk-job posture, you're coming back from injury, or mat pilates bores you. Skip it if: your only goal is maximum calorie burn or maximal strength — running and a barbell do those jobs better, for less money.
And our standing promise: nobody paid for this article, and when we haven't tested something ourselves, we say so.
Quick answers
Is reformer pilates good for beginners?
Yes — the machine assists as much as it resists. Springs can make movements easier, not just harder, which is why it was invented for rehabilitation. Book a beginner or intro class, not an open-level one.
Is reformer pilates strength training?
It is resistance training — EMG research shows high core muscle activation, and studies report gains in strength and lean mass. But spring resistance tops out well below a loaded barbell, so if maximal strength is the goal, it complements lifting rather than replaces it.
How many times a week should you do reformer pilates?
Most studies showing measurable results used 2–3 sessions a week for 8–12 weeks. Once a week feels nice; twice a week changes things.
How much does reformer pilates cost in London?
Drop-ins typically run £28–45 depending on postcode, with unlimited memberships around £140–220 a month. Intro offers are usually the cheapest way to try it.
Sources
- Effect of Reformer Spring Resistance Modifications on Core Muscle Activity — PMC / NCBI
- Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2014) — reformer training and hamstring flexibility
- Systematic reviews on pilates and chronic low back pain — NCBI
- IBISWorld — Pilates & Yoga Studios in the UK, 2026 industry report
- UK studio pricing benchmarks 2026 — reformerpilates.com, pilatesstudios.uk
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History — Pilates Universal Reformer