5 Ways Reformer Pilates Improves Health and Performance

Reformer Pilates is an excellent addition to your fitness regime to help improve your performance, whatever your sport or fitness goals. In this series of blog posts, we’ll look at the benefits of Reformer Pilates for specific sports and lifestyles.

Reformer Pilates for General Fitness

First up, is general fitness. Reformer Pilates helps to improve and maintain overall fitness. Practicing regularly contributes to better mobility, strength, balance and flexibility, all of which all improve posture and movement, as well as having positive impact on mental health and wellbeing. We’ve summed this up in 5 points below.

Reformer Pilates

1. Full Body Workout

The difference with a reformer Pilates workout is the springs. They act as resistance and use your own body weight to strengthen the whole body. Rather than just targeting large muscles groups, it activates the smaller muscle groups also. Specific, individualised and controlled movements allow you to focus and correct imbalances, giving you balanced and full body workout.

2. Builds Strength and Improves Muscle Tone

Reformer Pilates is a dynamic form of exercise which allows you to move full range while strengthening muscles. The springs on the machine create resistance, working the muscles equally to create, long, lean and toned muscles., while building overall strength.

3. Low Impact/High Intensity

Reformer Pilates is perfect to aid injury rehabilitation and allow you to continue to move when carrying an injury. The springs and ropes are designed to allow you to work horizontally on the carriage, rather than weight bearing which reduces the load through your body. Low impact allows for movement repetitions which in turn strengthens the injured area to speed up recovery and help to prevent further injury.

Reformer Pilates

4. Improves Core Strength and Posture

Many of the exercises in Reformer Pilates are centred on and target the core, while also incorporating peripheral postural muscles such as the glutes at the same time. Building a strong core is essential for ideal posture.

5. Positive Impact on Mental Health

Naturally, a lot of the focus of reformer Pilates is on increasing muscle strength, toning, improving flexibility and posture. And while all of this is hugely beneficial, the positive impact that reformer Pilates has on mental health and wellbeing is undeniable. From controlling your breath throughout exercises, to stress management and relaxation, as a form of exercise reformer Pilates can reduce stress hormones and increase endorphins to give you a natural mood boost.

Incorporating regular reformer Pilates into your fitness schedule has so many benefits, and before long, you’ll be hooked! We have a huge range of classes across both our studios throughout the week, with varied times and class levels available. To view our class timetable, click here.

Move Better, Feel Better, Live Better. ProPhysioNI