Recently, reformer pilates has gone viral on social media, with it becoming one of the fastest-growing fitness trends worldwide. Many fitness enthusiasts are turning to reformer pilates for its low-impact yet highly effective alternative option to traditional gym workouts.
Jenni Walters, a reformer pilates instructor from Stourbridge revealed how she first got into the exercise.
“I used to do ariel silks and ariel hoop, and I did that for around 10 years where I competed, performed and taught.
“I then went on to have twins, and I had lots of injuries from weightlifting and doing ariel, so I found reformer after starting it to try and fix my core strength after having the twins, and I just fell in love with it! I then went on to do my qualification and then started teaching!”
Pilates initially began on a mat; however, reformer provides added resistance through the springs and allows for a wider range of movement.
Reformer provides many benefits as Jenni said, “One of the main benefits of doing Reformer Pilates is definitely that it improves your core strength, as obviously your core helps support your skeleton, your posture, and the way you walk.”
Not only having physical health benefits, Reformer Pilates also has many mental health benefits, one of them being: “A lot of reformer consists of your breathing technique. We tell you to inhale through the nose and exhale out the mouth, so that in turn naturally restores the balance within the brain.”
Despite its many benefits, people can be hesitant to try reformer pilates due to one of the biggest misconceptions being the ‘Pilates Princess’ stereotype.
“I’d say the biggest misconception when it comes to reformer would be the whole ‘Pilates Princess’ thing, the matcha’s and matching sets and all those things.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can put some people off, they feel a bit intimidated by it. The studios I work in welcome everyone and any ability so there shouldn’t be any reason to not come!”
When asked about her teaching, Jenni highlighted the rewarding nature of guiding people through their Pilates journey.
“I have always enjoyed movement myself; it has always just been a part of me.
“I danced when I was little and then moved onto Ariel, but building relationships with your students is so rewarding and it feels great seeing their progression and seeing how happy they are when they can do things that they couldn’t do when they first started out.”
The rise of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram has helped bring reformer pilates to a much wider audience.
“Well, I suppose it’s got its exposure from social media, but it has been growing for over a number of years now.
“It’s a fairly new exercise so social media has gained the exposure for it, but also people have seen the benefits to it.
So they come and give it a go, they enjoy it, and they keep coming back. A few of the girls also like to post and share their stories online too!”
