Decisions, decisions...mat or reformer?

I often get asked which is best - mat or reformer? The truth is that both are excellent ways to exercise and both will help you to achieve a stronger, more flexible body. 

The reformer is a fantastic teaching tool that gives support and feedback to improve your technique, so that you can achieve things you never thought possible. The resistance training element means that it also offers more opportunity for strengthening the arms and legs.

The 100 exercise performed on the mat and on the reformer

The mat is where you can put what you have learned on the reformer into practice. Because you don't have the support of the springs, some exercises will work your core harder (so much harder, in fact, that we usually have to modify the work to make it accessible!). It's also an affordable option that will teach you the skills to establish an independent practice that you can take anywhere with you. 

The ideal recipe for Pilates success is to take one mat and one reformer class every week (plus the occasional private lesson where we have even more choice of apparatus to help to refine your movement), but all movement is better than no movement, and I always say that the best exercise is the one that you actually do. Try them out, see which you enjoy the most and fits best into your life and stick to it, and you'll soon find that you are getting fitter, stronger and more flexible!