What’s Are All Of These Contraptions?

If you’ve never walked into a Pilates studio before, you’re likely to be a bit shocked the first time you lay eyes on the equipment. The pieces are made of wood and metal and vinyl, and simultaneously look beautiful and like medieval torture devices. There are straps and springs, and bungee cords, and to be honest, we’ve just heard too many people make jokes about it looking like something out of 50 Shades of Gray that we feel the need to explain what everything is!

Pilates is an umbrella term that can incorporate many pieces of equipment. You can practice Pilates on a mat, reformer, chair, tower, trapeze table, arc, ladder barrel, and with many different props. Let’s explore the different types of Pilates equipment you will come across at Momentum.

THE REFORMER

This the mothership. The Pilates reformer is probably the most well-known piece of equipment in a Pilates studio, besides a mat. It consists of a flat, cushioned platform called a carriage that moves on wheels and is attached to springs for resistance. The footbar, straps and shoulder blocks allow for a wide variety of exercises that can target every part of the body.

Aside from mat classes, reformer classes are the most common type of group Pilates classes and can accommodate many fitness levels from beginner to advanced.

At Momentum, we have 3 categories of group reformer classes (OG, Tight, and Strong) and utilize the reformer in private sessions as well. Check out our breakdown of the reformer components before your first group class.

THE TOWER

The Pilates Tower is another versatile piece of equipment that includes a variety of springs, bars, and straps which can be adjusted to provide resistance and support for different exercises. It is often mounted to a wall or attached to the end of a Pilates Reformer (ours attaches to our Allegro 2 reformers.) Unlike the reformer, the tower is a stationary, elevated table/bed that does not slide out and in. The springs can also move in a variety of directions, where as the springs on the chair and reformer can only follow one path.

We typically utilize the tower in private sessions at Momentum. This can be a great place to learn the basics before adding in the instability of the reformer carriage, as well as a good place to build the skills needed for some of the more advanced moves on the reformer and chair.

THE CHAIR

The EXO Chair is a compact piece of equipment with a small seat and a movable pedal. The pedal is attached to springs that provide resistance, and exercises can be performed seated, standing, or lying down, and both your hands and feet can move the pedal.

While every piece of equipment can be adjusted for any fitness level, the chair offers the least support and can be harder to modify with certain injuries. Never fear though, when we use the chair in combination with mat, reformer or tower during private sessions, the chair has a little something for everyone!

ARC/(spine corrector)

The Spine Corrector is a smaller, more portable version of the Ladder Barrel. It features a curved surface called “the barrel” that provides stability to the torso, and “the well” and “the lip” that stabilize the hips. These stabilizing features can make some exercises more challenging to perform, but also help stretch and open up the chest, shoulders, and back. The arc can be a wonderful way to help correct postural imbalances and strengthen the core, and we add it as a prop to every other piece of equipment in both group classes and private sessions.

MAT

The simplest piece of Pilates equipment is the mat! But don’t let that fool you, mat Pilates can be extremely difficult without the assistance of the springs and straps from the other apparatuses. And the alternative can be true, there are exercises you can perform on the mat as a bodyweight exercise, that you can later take to the reformer, tower or chair and make it harder by adding resistance.

Each piece of Pilates equipment has its unique benefits, but they are best when used as system. The exercises you do on one piece help you on all of the others, and there is no perfect order in which to learn them! In an ideal scenario, we would practice a little bit on all of them.

Whether you’re recovering from an injury, looking to increase strength, or simply wanting to challenge your body, there is piece of equipment for you — maybe even 2 or 3. The next time you are in for class, ask how you can incorporate more of the equipment into your routine!