I Tried a Pilates Reformer Workout And Now Everything Hurts
I think the instructor had a personal vendetta against me. Pilates babes always have killer butts and I admit I was slightly terrified to be the one in class who didn’t know any of the moves. What else is new? It looks relatively easy at first glance, but by the way my arms were shaking and how much I was sweating during the workout I now know otherwise.
I had been interested in Pilates for a hot minute, but I never made the leap into an actual class until recently. A friend of mine invited me, she’s great at trying new classes. We like to walk together to the gym and talk a bit, which just adds to the whole experience.
Beginner Pilates
Upon arriving to the Pilates studio we were greeted and I discovered I needed to purchase a cute pair of non-slip socks to wear during the workout. I quite liked them, but will probably misplace them and end up purchasing a new pair each time I go to a Pilates studio. That’s the harsh reality of life.
One thing I noticed about the class was everyone was very serious. It was as if everyone were pretending they were in a private class, completely ignoring each other. That tends to be a very common experience where I live, but it’s still strange when you notice it taking place.
Anyways, the instructor was a no-nonsense blonde who got straight to the point. She barked orders at us as we navigated the reformer machine. I vaguely remember her telling us to “scramble eggs” which sent my friend and into a laughing fit because we had no idea what she meant.
Pilates Reformer Workout
Apparently the move called “scrambled eggs” targets the obliques in such a way that you cannot mimic it on another machine. While working your core, you also target secondary muscles like your glutes, hamstrings, and the stabilizing muscles along your spine. You end up working your entire body just holding the position and keeping proper form.
Luckily all of the walls were mirrored so I could see exactly how poorly I was stretching my leg into the air compared to everyone else. I also realized in that moment why everyone wears leggings and not Lululemon running shorts to do this: because the overhead lighting isn’t very forgiving when it comes to hiding your cellulite. Luckily everyone was too busy staring at themselves in the mirror to notice my antics.
There was a lot of changing positions and switching the springs to different difficulty levels too. At one point I stepped into the open spring area of the reformer and accidentally got pinched by one of the springs — that definitely left a mark. I guess that’s a pretty common rookie mistake though.
You would think that using just your body weight to hold poses and such wouldn’t be too hard, but you would be poorly mistaken! My body was shaking and muscles I hadn’t used in a while were activated.
I remember feeling like I was doing something positive for my body, and wanting to try another class in the future. As the session wrapped up everyone gathered their items and avoided each other like the plague, I felt proud of myself for trying something new and for finishing the workout.
Benefits of Pilates
I 100% believe that if you stay consistent with this sort of class you will experience a complete transformation in terms of body fat and muscle composition. I imagine building a perky butt wouldn’t be too difficult, and flattening the stomach area while toning your arms and back would be noticeable quite quickly.
- Pilates improves your flexibility. Pilates moves are designed to help you (safely) increase the length and stretchability of your muscles.
- Pilates makes you stronger.
- Pilates improves your posture.
- Pilates increases your energy levels.
- Pilates promotes weight loss.
If you’ve never stepped out of your comfort zone and tried a class such as this, I highly suggest it. If you do, please report back to me if anyone in the class communicates with you, I am dying to find out.