🤔 Everyone’s talking about Reformer Pilates, the world has gone crazy about it, but we’re NOT here for it!
Anyone who knows authentic Pilates knows that the Reformer is not a type of Pilates; it’s a piece of apparatus—one part of a much bigger Pilates jigsaw puzzle. Training to be a Pilates teacher takes 1-2 years just to get started and covers the full comprehensive work across all the apparatus, the mat, the method to put it together and how it’s meant to be taught, and the traditional apparatus—and it’s simply fantastic!
But this Reformer Pilates has gone to crazy new, darker, and greedier cashing-in levels!
😥 The class sizes are huge (12-30 people per class)
😥 The training is low (just a few short weeks without needing to learn the full proper Pilates system)
😥 The fees have gone sky-high fees (up to £500 a session)
😥 The Reformers used are made cheaply – up to 5 times cheaper Reformers – you can only imagine what you’re getting.
😥 Social media has blown up with Instagram-able poses and made-up fitness choreography that has taken Reformer so far away from actual Pilates! There’s even a trend to post
😥 There is a trend associated with the Reformer Pilates craze, weight loss, and the drug Ozempic that feels like we’ve just gone so far backward in body positivity and the body-thin culture.
😥 The injuries are on the rise (the international violinist Maya Meron case had her career end with a fractured left elbow and serious abdominal injuries after safety issues with the Reformer, the teacher’s training, and the way things were looked after.
According to a recent article in The Times, “Reformer Pilates has become not just a workout class or a philosophy, but a means of communicating elitism. The Reformer trend and its spring-loaded machines can be dangerous without proper training — but classes seem to be getting bigger and bigger.
There are growing concerns about unchecked Pilates equipment and underqualified teachers. The industry is unregulated, meaning anyone can open a studio with little knowledge, training and actual certification.
The most exclusive have taken the reformer craze even further. “Pilates in the clouds,” “Suspension Pilates,” a twist on reformer that sees you suspended above the board and not strapped to it, “Stretch and sushi,” and “Goat Reformer” are a thing. There’s even a trend for Pilates combined with HIIT, done on a Reformer in a hot room. I mean, who wants or needs that?!
It’s insane.
We’re sticking to tradition, to ethics and morals and we’re here for anyone else who wants the same. 👋 🤗
Check us out here.