Why do Pilates on different pieces of equipment?

The short answer is because Pilates is a system. Each piece of equipment offers an opportunity to do exercises that will help you in others. Pilates on a variety of equipment also allows you to vary your workout and progress as proficiency increases; thus, gaining strength and efficiency of movement. And isn't this always at least a part of our goal with exercise - to move better and feel better in life?

Pilates equipment, or apparatus, provides resistance, support, and assistance to help achieve proper alignment and engage specific muscle groups. While the Reformer, Cadillac, and Wunda Chair are more familiar, there are other types of apparatus with unique purposes.

What if I only have a mat? Or only have access to a reformer? Well, by all means, keep doing what you’re doing. SOME Pilates is always better than NO Pilates. But if you really want to progress and experience the full breadth of the Pilates system seek out a studio where you can practice on a variety of equipment under the instruction of a highly qualified teacher who has experience and training on the full Pilates method.

Why study with a comprehensively trained and certified teacher? Someone who has been comprehensively certified has gone through a rigorous training program including hundreds of in-person, hands-on hours doing the movement, observing experienced teachers and practice teaching. What sets them apart is not only the diversity of exercises in their repertoire and the variety of equipment they are trained on, but their understanding of the principles of Joseph Pilates. They have the unique ability to see what an individual needs and adapt and customize exercises to suit someone’s individual needs. It’s way more than going through the motions of the choreography.

What will I get out of working on those other, perhaps lesser known, pieces of equipment? Well, think about an exercise that you struggle with or one that doesn’t seem possible. Yet. Let’s use overhead on the reformer as an example. Maybe you just can’t imagine getting your legs and seat overhead and being able to control the roll down to the carriage. Do you just keep doing overhead over and over again? Maybe. Will you one day be successful? Again, maybe. Or, perhaps you think about Pilates as a system and then, really, really work the system.

You could start with revisiting breathing on the Cadillac – think how you lift from your center and seat and find that arm back connection

How about arm springs on the Cadillac – hi upper back again.

What about swan on the Wunda chair – there’s that back working against a light spring.

Long stretch on the reformer – back and center and oh the legs!

Leg series on a small barrel – Yeah! All of it again. Coordination on the reformer – putting allllll of the above together – for a strong arm back connection, leg seat connection and of course strong center. I could keep going…rolling like a ball, rollover, jackknife on the mat, etc., etc.

And back you go to overhead - Perhaps not the next day or even a week or month later…but sometime in the future, you do it and – AHHHHHHH, success! There it is. Thanks to working the system as a whole and really exploring exercises in other places once again the impossible is possible.