Dynamic Reformer Pilates

The Pilates method is a holistic exercise system devised by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s, drawing inspiration from gymnastics, yoga, martial arts, Zen meditation, and ballet, amongst others.

It can be performed with or without specialist Pilates equipment, and provides a balanced, whole-body exercise programme designed to:

• stretch, and strengthen the musculoskeletal system
• restore the body to a more natural balance
• improve postural alignment
• strengthen the abdominals and stabilise the pelvis, spine and shoulder girdle
• improve balance and increase muscular flexibility and joint mobility

Quite simply Reformer Pilates is Pilates performed on a Reformer machine. One of the most adaptable and effective pieces of exercise equipment available, the Pilates Reformer allows a greater number of exercises than is possible just using a mat. The Pilates Reformer is essentially a low frame, with a sliding platform (or carriage) on which you lie, sit, kneel or stand to perform different routines. The carriage is connected to the Reformer frame by a series of springs that can be adjusted to provide more support, and thus make an exercise easier, or to increase resistance and/or instability to increase the difficulty and challenge of the routine.

Pilates is one of the best all-round forms of exercise available. There are too many advantages to list them all but here are 10 key benefits:

1. It’s a great, highly effective and time-efficient full body workout.
2. It strengthens the core – the muscles that support the hips, spine and neck - really important for anyone who spends hours a day at a desk, or hunched over a laptop or a screen because it improves spinal alignment and reduces the risk of posture-related pain or injury.
3. It improves muscle strength, endurance and tone – particularly around the abdominals, lower back, hips and glutes.
4. It improves posture, flexibility and balance – essential for our physical wellbeing, but too often lost thanks to today’s sedentary lifestyles.
5. It’s prehabilitative – meaning that it doesn’t just make you stronger and fitter, it also helps prevent injury.
6. It’s mindful and immersive - a valuable time-out from the pressures of work and day-to-day life. Promoting focus, presence and concentration, it’s a great way to reduce anxiety and stress.
7. It’s low impact, and suitable for people of all ages and abilities.
8. It’s great for improving strength and control of your Pelvic Floor – one of the most important, but most overlooked and under-trained muscle groups in the body.
9. By improving your posture, strengthening, toning and lengthening your muscles, you’ll stand taller and look leaner.
10. You feel and see the benefits fast. As Joseph Pilates said “In 10 sessions, you’ll feel better, in 20 sessions you’ll look better, and in 30 sessions you’ll have a completely new body.”

Wear comfortable clothing that will allow you to move freely (and to sweat). Usually a t-shirt or vest and shorts or leggings. While you should be comfortable, tops should be close-fitting enough for you to be able to monitor and correct your posture and body shape during exercises. At Ten, we also ask you to wear grip socks. You will not need trainers.

If you're new to Reformer Pilates, get your first pair of Ten Grip Socks for just £12. Available in Studio only.

At Ten you must be 18 or over to attend classes. However Pilates can be done by anyone, of almost any age, exercise history or ability. Its many benefits include:

• It’s low impact, so kind to bones and joints.
• It’s prehabilitative, so it doesn’t just make you fitter and stronger, it also helps prevent injury.
• Exercises can be modified to compensate for a client’s injury, areas of weakness and/or reduced mobility.
• Pilates is highly effective for helping mothers-to-be cope better with pregnancy and recover faster after childbirth.
• It’s a great workout for men, because it’s not only an integrated and full-body programme, but also improves posture, flexibility and balance – all areas where men are traditionally weak.
• Pilates is as effective at helping people recover from injury as it is at improving elite athletes’ sporting performance.
• Pilates has even been shown to improve mental and physical wellbeing for menopausal and post-menopausal women.

Dynamic Reformer Pilates is the latest iteration of the traditional Pilates discipline, performed on the Pilates Reformer and updated for the way we live and work now. It offers all the muscle toning, posture-aligning, injury preventing, mobility-enhancing and core strengthening benefits of classical Pilates but goes a step further. As the name suggests, Dynamic Reformer Pilates is more intense and dynamic, Movements are still precise and controlled, but at Ten we link them into a smooth, continuous flow with fewer pauses. We add more ‘functional’ exercises – working the core muscles in combination with additional muscle groups – to increase the intensity of the overall movement and deliver cardiovascular conditioning benefits. We focus on duration of the exercise to create greater muscle fatigue, and use your bodyweight and the Reformer to intensify the movement of the larger muscle groups to create a highly effective and time-efficient full body workout.

1. Expect your instructor to put their hands on you from time to time. It’s the most effective way for them to correct your form or posture and make sure you’re set up to get maximum benefit from your session.
2. If you want to see benefits, frequency is key. If you train 3 times a week you’ll be amazed how fast you progress.
3. Know when to stop. Don’t be tempted to keep going until you can’t do a single more rep. Technique fails before muscles do, and that‘s how injuries happen. Instead, keep going until you can’t do another rep without losing your form or technique. Then shake it out, and if necessary reset, and go again.
4. If you find yourself shaking during a hold. Don’t worry. It’s supposed to happen. That’s what hard-working muscles do.
5. Don’t worry about what the person on the next reformer is doing. The only person you’re in competition with is yourself.

Our blog has all the advice you could want. From essential equipment, to health benefits. From sports specific advice to tips to maximise your workout our blog should be your first port of call for all things reformer pilates.