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Pilates Mat vs. Reformer
What is the difference, and which form suits you best?
Many people think Pilates is one thing. But within Pilates there are clear differences, especially between Mat Pilates and Reformer Pilates. On the mat you work with your own body weight. On the Reformer you work with a training device with adjustable resistance. Both forms are valuable, but they ask for something different and offer different benefits.
MAT PILATES
Working with your own body weight
In Mat Pilates you lie or sit on the floor on a mat. You use your own body weight as resistance. Sometimes a ring, ball or resistance band is added, but the mat is the foundation. You learn the fundamental movements, the breathing and the position of your pelvis and torso.
The beauty of Mat: you can do it anywhere, also at home. You get to know your body well and slowly build strength from your centre.
REFORMER PILATES
Tailor-made on a training apparatus
The Reformer is a training bench with a sliding platform, springs, a foot bar and loops for feet and hands. The resistance can be set individually for every exercise and muscle group. That makes Reformer more specific, more varied and more targeted than Mat.
For those with back, neck or shoulder complaints, or recovering from an injury, the Reformer offers that extra: targeted support and feedback from the apparatus. You learn to move accurately from the correct muscle pattern.
Which one suits you?
In fact they complement each other well. Those who know the basics from Mat will benefit later on the Reformer. And those who learn how muscles work together on the Reformer take that knowledge into every other movement in daily life.
At Pilates Delft I work exclusively with the Reformer, because that is where I can make the difference for people with specific complaints or goals. We always start with a private introduction class in which you get to know the apparatus and we look at how you move.