Tried Reformer Pilates for the first time

I love traveling by myself because I get to try new things I wouldn't necessarily try at home. When I am at home, I'm too cheap to try new things. Travelling tends to free up my wallet some.

Flex Pilates Studio in Chicago

I've been travelling to Chicago a lot recently to deal with family issues, and I have been having a great time discovering workouts that are popular there.  Unlike Mountain View, the Gold Coast area in Chicago has Cross-fit gyms, Yoga studios and Pilates studio on every corner.  The classes are more expensive but there are a greater variety on offer. Many of these studios require logging in and paying for a spot before even stepping foot inside. This seems like a rather high barrier for trying a new class, but somehow this scheme works in Chicago.

One of my favorite studios in Chicago, which I first discovered in June, is Indigo Studio (http://theindigostudio.com). They offer a lot of dance classes with creative names like "Boot Camp Ballerina", and "Thrill from Brazil".  You can read my Yelp review of Indigo Studio here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/indigo-studio-chicago-2.

This week, I decided to branch out and tried Reformer Pilates for the first time. For those of you who are not familiar with Pilates, it's an exercise that emphasizes toning the "core" or abdominal, back and hip muscles. It's popular with dancers, and Hollywood actresses because it purports to give you long, lean muscles. There are two major types of Pilates, (1) Mat Pilates - performed on a yoga mat on the floor, and (2) Pilates requiring Intimidating Equipment that look like torture devices.  One of the most popular types of equipment used is the Reformer, which looks like a Medieval rack. 

I used to do Mat Pilates because it was offered free at my company.  Mat Pilates is also offered at a lot of gyms like 24 Hour Fitness. Even if you have to pay for a Mat Pilates class, it is usually fairly affordable starting for as low as $12-$20 for a class. Reformer Pilates, on the other hand, starts at $40 per session for small group classes  and as much as $75 for a private session.  Class prices are more expensive to adjust for the smaller class sizes and to recoup the cost of the $2000+ equipment. I think the expensive price is why I never bothered to try Reformer Pilates.

I decided that since I was travelling, I would try Reformer Pilates, even though it would lighten up my wallet.  Flex Pilates in Chicago (http://www.flexpilateschicago.com) has rave reviews on Yelp with reviewers reporting that the workouts were very intense and made them sore. Anyways, I tried it, and every muscle in my body was trembling. Not only did my core become sore, but also my back, my butt, my hamstrings, and my arms. I loved it. I think that Reformer Pilates can be a better all over workout than Mat Pilates because your body rests on a frictionless platform and thus you have to work harder to stabilize your body. In addition, whereas in Mat Pilates, you rely on your body weight to create resistance, Reformer Pilates relies on body weight AND springs, so you get more resistance.  

The internet has opposing opinions on whether a beginner should start with Reformer Pilates or Mat Pilates.  Pilates is one of those exercises where if you are not performing it correctly, it won't be as hard, nor give you the same benefits. For example, one of the core principles of Pilates is to suck your belly in and to keep the small of your back imprinting down at all times. This is more challenging because it forces you to engage the deeper Transverse Abdominus muscles rather than the superficial Rectus Abdomens muscles, or "6-pack" muscles.  This encourages a leaner, less bulky look. So, If you do a crunch without using the correct form, I.e. Without sucking your belly in, you would bulk up instead of lean out. I think it might be easier as a beginner to learn correct form on the Reformer than with Mat Pilates due to the greater resistance offered. The greater resistance allows you to better feel the correct muscle engagement.  Also the smaller group sizes or Reformer classes translates into more one on one time with an instructor, which would help the beginner.

All in all, I'm not sure I would shell out $40 on a regular basis to do Reformer Pilates.  I suppose if I were a billionaire, or if I made my living off of my appearance, my opinion might change.  However, I really enjoyed it, and if I ever come across discounted Reformer Pilates on Groupon or whatever, I would definitely jump on the opportunity.