Combining Mat and Apparatus (Reformer) builds a stronger Pilates practice

I am often asked advise on what is harder or the best option is to book, Mat or Reformer? But what matters more than choosing one, is learning how Mat and the Apparatus (Reformer) complement each other.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Pilates is that Mat is the easier version and Reformer is what you progress to afterwards. It doesn’t really work like that. Rather think of the Mat work and the Reformer (or any other Apparatus) as being part of the same wider Pilates system.

The Reformer gives you springs, straps and the structure of the apparatus. These can challenge you, but they can also assist you and give your body feedback. Take all of that away and on the Mat it is just you and your body.

The Reformer can help teach the body what is required for Mat exercises, while the Mat asks the body to reproduce those connections independently. This is why I think there is so much value in doing both. The way I teach my classes means that what we are learning on the Mat relates to what we are doing on the Reformer and across the other apparatus. You will come across the same Pilates principles, shapes and connections in different places.

Sometimes the Reformer helps you understand something you have been struggling to find on the Mat. Sometimes you discover something on the Mat and suddenly an exercise on the Reformer makes much more sense. If you usually attend Mat classes, trying the Reformer can give you feedback and assistance that may completely change how you understand an exercise. Equally, if you are currently practicing only on the Reformer, I would encourage you to keep building your Foundations on the Reformer and also try adding Mat into your practice when you can.

Having the option to book either the Mat or the Reformer class, gives you flexibility. If you usually attend either a Reformer or a Mat class and cant make it to your usual class on a specific week, you have another way to keep practicing without feeling as though you have stepped away from what you have been learning.

Of course this crossover depends on what and how you are practicing. There are lots of brilliant Pilates inspired, Sculpt, modern Pilates or Barre fusion classes which have a different purpose. They are all fantastic ways to build strength and fitness, but they aren’t necessarily practicing the same Pilates repertoire. In my classes I deliberately teach more traditional Pilates repertoire within an integrated system, so the different parts of your practice are designed to complement one another.

There is no perfect combination and you certainly don’t need to do everything every week, but finding an option which gives you access to the most consistent practice is what I would recommend. And over time you might be surprised by how much one starts helping you with the other.

That's when you begin to move beyond simply doing a set of Pilates exercises and start developing a transformational Pilates practice.