Why you should take advantage of your complimentary one-on-one Pilates session
Pilates is notorious for benefits including strengthening the entire body and core, improving posture, increasing flexibility, and engaging small muscles throughout the body that are often neglected. Pilates gives you an increased sense of body awareness, helping you move more efficiently and provide balance in the body. It’s no wonder celebrities and athletes alike swear by the practice for keeping their bodies in shape and to help prevent injury.
If you’ve ever been to a Pilates class—whether a mat class or one that uses the reformer or other pieces of Pilates equipment—you know that it can take a few repeat visits to really feel like you know what you’re doing. While Pilates is a hell of a workout, it’s more complicated than some other types of classes, like cycling or yoga. Many of the moves are small and while you’ll definitely feel the engagement, it can be hard to know exactly what to do just by watching the instructor and, in a class setting, the instructor isn’t always able to give each person individual attention to help improve their form.
That’s where taking a one-on-one session with an experienced Pilates instructor is a tool that can level up your Pilates workout in a big way. Our studios are equipped with several pieces of Pilates equipment, including the Pilates reformer. During your comp session, you'll get to experience 2-3 different pieces of equipment.
Reformer Pilates versus Mat Pilates
At the Club, you can take a mat Pilates class or a private session using a reformer. “The idea is the same for Pilates on a mat and Pilates on a Reformer: to strengthen and mobilize your body with control from your ‘powerhouse,’ aka the core of your body,” says Carrie Samper, Equinox’s Director of Pilates Education.
If you’re unfamiliar with a reformer, it’s essentially a machine with a pulley system. “A reformer is a machine made up of a carriage that moves in and out against the resistance of spring tension,” Samper says, adding that it also has straps in a pulley system which move the carriage as well. “It is built to provide alignment feedback for your body as well as give you a workout with resistance,” she adds.
Samper explains that on the mat, you control your body weight on your own without any outside support. There’s also no outside resistance. This is different from Pilates on a reformer, where there is support from the machine’s equipment to help move the body. She says that reformer Pilates is more challenging than mat Pilates because the springs on the reformer create resistance, which you must work harder to move against.
How a Private Pilates Session Can Maximize Your Results
Both mat Pilates and Pilates sessions with equipment can transform and strengthen the body, but as Samper explained, using equipment like a reformer offers more of a challenge (and therefore even more noticeable results). But a reformer is a complicated machine, which is why it’s helpful to work one-on-one with an experienced instructor. “The reformer is not always intuitive and Pilates exercises need to be done properly to get the most out of them,” Samper says.
When you first start working with an instructor, Samper says you can expect them to ask you questions about your goals, what is going on in your body, and what movement experience you currently have. Then, she says you’ll lie down on the reformer to connect to your abdominals with the assistance of gravity. “The exercises will then progress in intensity to address your needs and goals,” she says. “You may sit up, lie on your stomach, or stand on the reformer. You will feel like your whole body has been worked in a balanced way, and you will feel more mobile everywhere.”
Not only will working one-on-one with an instructor ensure that you stay safe and are doing each move correctly, Samper says the instructor can also offer modifications to make the moves easier or harder, depending on your fitness level. The session is often tailored to fit your health goals and needs. For example, if you sit at a computer all day, Samper says the instructor can spend time specifically focusing on the shoulders and upper back to correct alignment. “Since Pilates mobilizes tight joints and strengthens muscles that are weak, it naturally brings you back to better posture and a stronger, more lithe body,” she says. Or if you’re a runner, your instructor may focus on moves that will help with tight hips.
To really notice a difference in how you feel and look, Samper recommends doing Pilates two to three times a week. “If you are consistent, you will notice a change in a few weeks,” she says. “You will see that you seem taller and slimmer since you are holding yourself in better posture and strengthening your core muscles. As you continue, you will notice your whole body start to tone up and get stronger, and you will be able to do everything else in your life with greater ease.”
These benefits will carry over when you go to a group mat Pilates class too. You’ll feel so confident in your moves that you just might claim a mat in the front instead of the back of the studio.
Ready to give it a try? Book your complimentary private Studio Pilates session here.