Pilates is nothing without its equipment, from the simple mat to the intricate trapeze, the Pilates equipment is an integral part of the program itself. The Pilate team is what produces the resistance that your muscles overcome, and these resistances are what strengthen your core. Here is an overview of basic Pilates equipment

Reform.

The reformer is probably the most popular piece of Pilates equipment; It is used by many Pilates practitioners and can be seen in almost every Pilates studio in the world. It’s basically a slider car that has foot bars, jump boards, leg pulleys, and arm pulleys. These features allow the user to work on different parts of the body with the same machine.

There are two types of reformers, spring reformers and gravity reformers. A spring Pilates equipment reformer, makes use of springs for resistance, is usually used lying on your back and pulling with your arms or pushing with your legs. The Gravity Reformer has the same push and pull concept, but instead of springs, it uses the person’s own weight. The person is in a diagonal position so that gravity pulls down on them, creating the necessary resistance for the exercise.

Cadillac

The second type of Pilates equipment is the Cadillac or trapeze table. This Pilates equipment looks like a cage, but without the bars, just the frames, and along the bars are springs, straps, and additional bars used for various types of exercises. For example, for legs, you can lie down facing away from the strap you’re going to use, and then putting the strap around your leg, pull it down and the resistance through your thighs and calves. Another way to use a Cadillac is to sit down, this time in front of the strap you are going to use, and then hold the strap in your hands, pull on it while lying down simultaneously, then sit back down, this works on your abdomen.

wunda chair

Another piece of Pilates equipment is the Wunda chair, which looks like a bench only slightly higher; it has two bars on each side with a spring attached. One exercise that can be done is to push up on the bars while standing or sitting on the bench, or standing or sitting on the floor.

masts

Pilates has a number of mat exercises that improve certain parts of the body, therefore the Pilates mat is definitely a must-have equipment for Pilates. Mat exercises are usually taught in groups. These exercises focus primarily on the trunk and hips for strength, and the spine and hips again for flexibility. The mat, is probably the least expensive of the Pilates pieces of equipment, and is also the most limited, the amt is basically for back protection and doesn’t offer any resistance to the user, but still mat exercises are Very good, especially for those on a budget.

These are just some of the most common exercise equipment you might see in a Pilates studio, however there is other equipment you could use at home such as barrels, Pilates balls, and Pilates rings, however these are not part of the original Pilates equipment that Joseph Pilates initially designed, but rather a derivation and application of the different Pilates techniques from other types of exercises.