Joseph Pilates created and developed a diverse selection of exercise equipment, but the reformer is the most versatile machine. As the Pilates method evolved, so did the reformer. Manufacturers developed reformers for physical therapy, home use...
A spring-controlled gliding carriage, a pulley system and a foot bar comprise the Pilates Reformer. This versatile apparatus enhances strength, core stability, coordination and flexibility. While once exclusively in the private Pilates studio...
Joseph Pilates built his first Reformer, the "bednasium," out of mattress springs, pulleys, ropes, and a bed frame. The materials have changed since World War I when Pilates developed his workout system, but the basic use for the Reformer has...
The Pilates method of exercise dates back to the early 20th century. Its creator, a man named Joseph Pilates, lived in Germany and developed the method as a means of overcoming his many physical limitations. The technique, in its original form,...
The Pilates reformer is one of the earliest, and most common, pieces of Pilates equipment. The machine, which provides a full-body strength and flexibility workout, features a gliding carriage, an upper- and lower-body cable pulley system and a...
A Pilates reformer is a piece of exercise equipment designed to provide a full-body workout that emphasizes core strength, spinal alignment and flexibility. While Pilates reformers may vary in their construction, a reformer generally consists of a...
Joseph Pilates developed his signature method of exercise in Germany in the early 20th century. He was living in England during the outbreak of World War I, and was placed in an internment camp because of his German citizenship. It was here that...
Pilates exercises can be performed on a floor mat or using a machine such as the Proform Reformer. While a person uses her own body as the resistance when doing mat pilates, the springs and pulleys create resistance on the Reformer.
The Pilates reformer has a fascinating history. Its creator, Joseph Pilates, was raised in Germany. His childhood was plagued by a number of physical illnesses, which he overcame by developing an extensive exercise program. He was living in...
Joseph Pilates brought his exercise to the United States in the early 1900s after World War I. As a young man in his native Germany, Pilates suffered with health problems. These exercises were developed to restore his health and an attractive...
Joseph Pilates developed his body-conditioning method in Germany in the early 20th century. The technique fell out of favor in the 1980s, and returned with a vengeance in the late 1990s. Pilates is now a household word, and dozens of Pilates...
Joseph Pilates, who created his exercise method in early 20th-century Germany, once said that he was 50 years ahead of his time. He was off by a few decades. Pilates became an international exercise trend in the 1990s. Unlike other exercise...
Joseph Pilates created his "contrology" workout during World War I. While imprisoned in a camp, he used the materials available to create an exercise apparatus from bed-frames, mattress springs, ropes and pulleys. His "bednasium" was ideal for...
Pilates is a mind-body exercise methodology that incorporates floor and apparatus workouts. Originally named “Contrology” in the early 20th century by its creator, Joseph Pilates, the method emphasizes muscular control, precision,...
The Pilates reformer facilitates hundreds of exercises for every part of the body. This complex machine consists of a gliding carriage, a set of springs and cable, a foot bar and a shoulder rest. Some companies make optional add-on devices, such...
The Pilates Reformer offers an assortment of exercises that range from beginner to advanced movements, and is one of the most popular pieces of Pilates equipment. Hundreds of exercise variations challenge your core by pitting your arms and legs...
When gymnast Joseph Pilates began to develop the exercise regimen that would become his namesake, he also developed the tools. The techniques of Pilates, which in its purest form is done on a mat similar to one used in yoga, are difficult for a...
The Pilates reformer is a complex piece of equipment that was inspired by a simple idea. Joseph Pilates, the German who created the method, was living in England during World War I. He was sent to an internment camp, where he developed an exercise...
To the uninformed, it may look like a torture device from the Middle Ages. But ask any Pilates devotee to name their most effective workout, and it's likely the reformer exercise machine will top their list.
Knowing that resistance training would...
Working out in a Pilates Reformer class or with a private instructor calls for a basic set of protocols to be used by the student, the teacher and the studio. Pilates is typically practiced under close supervision by qualified instructors who...
The Pilates Reformer, a piece of exercise equipment created by Joseph Pilates, first appear in patented form in the 1920s. A German-born physical trainer, Joe Pilates helped rehabilitate soldiers during his time in an internment camp in World War...
Joseph Pilates developed hundreds of exercises and many pieces of Pilates equipment over the course of his career. Today, you can find his reformer machines in Pilates studios, gyms, community centers and homes around the world. There are...
Beginning Pilates students perform a "footwork" exercise series to stretch and strengthen feet, legs, hips and core, according to master Pilates teacher Romana Kryzanowska. Keep your spine stable throughout this series to send the work to the...
Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates, a German performer and boxer who studied yoga and classic Greek and Roman workouts, during World War I. He created the reformer to help patients at an internment camp have a better rehabilitative...
Pilates is a method of fitness training that can be applied to body-weight exercises on a mat or done on specialized equipment. High-quality Pilates equipment manufacturers include Gratz, Peak, Balanced Body and Stott. Each of these companies...
When you are new to Pilates exercise, you probably learn the movements as you perform them on a mat. As you advance in your Pilates practice, you may use a piece of equipment known as a reformer. The reformer combines a gliding platform and a...
When you do Pilates on a Reformer, you can position your body to work the deep lower abdominals. You can lie, stand or kneel on the Reformer platform carriage, pulling it forward and back using ropes and pulleys. Springs generate resistance and...
Joseph Pilates' universal reformer is the most popular piece of Pilates equipment, according to master Pilates teacher Romana Kryzanowska. As of 2010, the American Council on Exercise lists more than 50 reformer certification courses ranging from...
Pilates is a body conditioning method made up of a set of stretching and strengthening exercises developed by Joseph H. Pilates. The exercises are sometimes performed on a Reformer, a piece of exercise equipment that can accommodate over 200...
Trying to find Pilates equipment? Learn how to use a Pilates ball, mat and more in this Pilates video lesson about exercise equipment.
Strengthen your core muscles with Pilates. Learn how to build your core muscles in your exercise routine with this Pilates video lesson.