Pilates Reformer to gently sculpt your body

For an elongated and toned silhouette, Pilates is the ideal method. But do you know Pilates Reformer? Under the air of an instrument of torture, this machine makes our deep muscles work in a fun way and lengthens the silhouette. Shall we get started?

Very popular, the Pilates method is ideal for those who want to build muscle deeply and gently. If it is often practiced on a carpet, on the ground, Pilates was practiced on machines from the origin of its creation by Joseph Pilates. Very well known in the US, but a little less in France, the Pilates Re-form therefore returns to the basics of the discipline. A fun, playful but also more technical approach to work differently and go further in your practice without ever being bored!

Cassandre Mugnier, Pilates teacher and founder of the famous Reformation Pilates studio in Paris, tells us all about Pilates Reformer.

What is Pilates Reformer?

Founded in 1920 by Joseph Pilates in New York the Pilates method is acclaimed worldwide today. This German, based in England, passionate about anatomy, imagined a wide repertoire of movements in order to work the posture, the muscles and the mobility smoothly. From the start of its creation, the discipline took shape under the name of "Contrology" and was practiced on devices: the Reformer, the Cadillac, the Wunda Chair, etc.

This is how Pilates Reformer was born, which then developed widely in the United States. This machine for working muscle building consists of a sliding bench called a cart, equipped with springs, bars and straps.

What are the differences between Pilates and Pilates Reformer?

Pilates Reformer is different from traditional Pilates only the machine. "What the Reformer brings is above all the work of resistance of the springs which will make it possible to guide the movement, to correct any imbalances in the body and, depending on the exercises, to reinforce the difficulty (by creating movement and instability by example) or on the contrary to help (by supporting the movement). We can therefore modulate the intensity more easily. The advantage of the springs is also to be able to strengthen the muscles by lengthening them, suddenly no inflator! " explains Cassandre Mugnier.

The Pilates method is a so-called gentle gym but you shouldn't trust appearances! The Reformation Pilates teacher ensures: "We often tend to confuse" soft "sport with" soft "sport. Pilates is soft in the sense that it does not traumatize the body but for all that it makes intensely work. Try to do abs slowly: outside it actually looks "soft" but from the inside it is incredibly effective and it will burn a lot more than going fast! "

What are the benefits of Pilates reforming on the body?

Like classic Pilates, Pilates on reforming machines allows you to strengthen all the muscles and gain support. By favoring the quality of movements over their quantity, the discipline solicits the deep muscles, essential for the good health of our back and our posture. The Pilates teacher says: "The interest in working the deep muscles is multiple: health reasons (back pain for example) or aesthetic reasons (the transverse is THE muscle responsible for the flat stomach). For athletes or people practicing other sports, strengthen deep muscles can also improve performance. For a climber for example, the sheathing will be really useful for progress. Ditto for a runner with the awareness set up in Pilates to 'hang the legs in the center'. "

The deep muscles, often overlooked, guarantee our tone and our pace. The transverse which serves as a "natural sheath" allows to have a flat stomach, serving as a working base for the superficial muscles. So in the Pilates class, the work favors the engagement of the "center" by contracting the muscles of the perineum and the transverse. This limits intra-abdominal pressures. The exercises focus on self-enlargement of the spine, posture, protection of the lower back and awareness of the body as a whole.

"Pilates makes it possible to make the body as a whole work harmoniously and to know how to use it the best. We move better, we live better. We have many customers who tell us how much Pilates had an impact on their quality of life by reducing their back pain or recovering faster after a pregnancy. From a silhouette point of view, it is the ideal sport for a toned and slender silhouette. The work of the elastic of the machine will allow lengthen the muscles millimeter by millimeter while toning the whole body"adds Cassandre.



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How is a typical Reformer session?

Pilates Reformer lessons are limited to 11 people maximum at Reformation Pilates so that everyone can benefit from special attention and personalized corrections. Cassandre explains the course to us: "We offer courses by level so that everyone can feel comfortable and progress at their own pace. A Newbie course (beginner) will therefore be very different from an Intense course (advanced). That said, there is always a warm-up then a complete work of the whole body. We often identify Pilates with the abdominal strap (and it is true that it works hard!) but we pay particular attention to each zone: arms, legs, back to really create a silhouette We always end with stretching to finish lengthening the muscles. "



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Contraindications

No contraindication since Pilates adapts to both beginners and advanced. Nevertheless, it is better to have a medical opinion to resume sport after an injury and to have completed your perineum rehabilitation for pregnant women. According to Cassandre Mugnier, "The advantage of Pilates is that there is no impact so we do not traumatize the joints, we can therefore adapt to all levels and support beginners as a challenger to advanced clients".

Where to practice it?

Pilates Reformation
175 rue du Temple, 75003 Paris

Qee
Paris 2, Paris 9 and Paris 17

Ritual Studio
16 rue de la Grande Chaumière, 75006 Paris

Pilates Studio 16
111 Rue de Longchamp, 75016 Paris

For those who do not live in the capital, many studios offer Pilates classes on machines:

  • In Marseille and Aix-en-Provence

Pilates Studio Marseille
25 rue Francis Davso, 13001 Marseille

Joël Form 'Pilates
13 avenue Fernandel, 13012 Marseille

Qee
19, avenue des Belges, 13100 Aix-en-Provence

Tiger Yoga
7 Grand Cloître – Grand Hôtel Dieu, 69002 Lyon

Pilates workshop
27 Rue Sainte-Hélène, 69002 Lyon

See also: 8 Pilates exercises

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