The Pilates Reformer: History, Function & Why It’s So Effective
If you’ve ever taken a Pilates class on the Reformer, you already know—this is no ordinary piece of exercise equipment. With its gliding carriage, adjustable springs, pulleys, and footbar, the Reformer can look a bit intimidating at first. But once you’re on it, it becomes one of the most powerful and intuitive tools for building strength, flexibility, and body awareness.
What many people don’t know is that the Reformer has a fascinating origin story—one that reflects Joseph Pilates’ ingenuity, compassion, and belief in the body’s ability to heal and transform.
The Invention of the Reformer
Joseph Pilates created the first version of the Reformer in the early 20th century. During World War I, while interned in England, he began working with fellow detainees who were injured or bedridden. Joe attached springs and straps to hospital beds so patients could exercise and rebuild strength while lying down.
This early apparatus evolved into what we now know as the Universal Reformer—a name that reflects Joe’s belief that the equipment could “reform” the whole body.
When Joe and his wife Clara opened their studio in New York in the 1920s, dancers, athletes, and actors began flocking to the Reformer for injury prevention, recovery, and performance enhancement. And for good reason: the machine provided a way to move with resistance, support, and precision, no matter your level of ability.
There’s Something About the Reformer
What makes the Reformer so effective isn’t just its springs or moving parts—it’s the way it teaches your body to move intelligently and intentionally.
The Reformer’s spring resistance system is uniquely adjustable. This allows for finely tuned support or challenge, depending on the needs of your body in that moment. Whether you're rehabilitating from injury or training for strength and power, the Reformer meets you where you are.
Because you're moving against spring tension rather than gravity alone, you can build muscle strength with less joint strain. This makes the Reformer an ideal option for those with injuries, chronic pain, or mobility limitations.
It also supports joint mobility and flexibility. The gliding carriage encourages smooth, continuous movement through a fuller range of motion than most mat-based exercises, while the springs gently resist and support, helping the body explore new movement territory safely and confidently.
Range of Motion, Strength, Balance, and Beyond
On the Reformer, your body isn’t just working harder—it’s working smarter. Every movement requires control, coordination, and awareness. This builds proprioception, or your body’s ability to sense where it is in space. Over time, this deepens your sense of alignment and improves how you move both inside and outside the studio.
Because the machine is slightly unstable, it naturally challenges your balance—even in exercises that happen lying down. As you adapt to the shifting carriage, you begin to engage the stabilizing muscles around your joints, particularly in the hips, knees, shoulders, and spine.
The springs also require eccentric muscle control—meaning you don’t just push through movement, you resist it as you return. This builds strength while also increasing control and resilience in the joints and connective tissues.
More Than Just Equipment
At SOMA, we see the Reformer as more than just a machine. It’s a moving classroom, an apparatus, where you learn how your body works, how to move from your center, and how to build strength without tension.
Whether you're recovering from an injury, building core strength, or simply trying to move with more ease, the Reformer is one of the most versatile and effective tools in the Pilates method. And with proper instruction, it becomes a place not only of transformation—but of discovery, confidence, and joy.