Obsessed with reformer Pilates? Same. Though the workout itself is about a century old [1], it's risen in popularity [2] in recent years thanks to its transformative capabilities without putting major stresses on the body or mind.
The Pilates reformer is a piece of equipment that typically includes a frame, a platform with springs, a sliding carriage, ropes, and pulleys. In the words of SALT Pilates [3] founder Betsy Blumenfeld, it's "an amazing piece of equipment that enhances and assists the original Pilates mat work." It's why so many enthusiasts have flocked to reformer classes across the globe. "The spring tension [of the machine] adds additional challenge or support to each exercise," she says.
But this isn't an option you can find on the cheap — reformer workouts in Pilates studios are incredibly expensive, with some locations only offering private training for upwards of $100 or more per session, depending on where you live. A good at-home reformer can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over the cost of a Peloton [4], and not everyone has the space.
With that in mind, you don't need a reformer. "Pilates originally began with mat work [5]," Blumenfeld explains, "So it is easy to efficiently and effectively do Pilates without any equipment — but you can always kick things up with certain tools at home to recreate the 'reformer experience.' The options for creative mat work without apparatuses is endless!"
That's the good news. Even better? Pilates instructors have shared many of those tools on social media, making it easy for you to mimic reformer Pilates exercises at home, depending on what you have available. Ahead, eight of those options, so you can feel all the incredible benefits of Pilates, no matter your budget.
Just remember: "Pilates is all about the connection of your body and your brain," Blumenfeld says. "The more controlled and precise you are with your movements, the better they work — with or without props!"
Resistance Bands
If you're just beginning to build your at-home exercise equipment repertoire, resistance bands are an excellent place to start, as they can be used for so many different exercises and therapeutic movements. This includes Pilates exercises, just as Pilates instructor Jody Brouwers demonstrates in this Instagram video [6].
"These bands can be used around your wrists to provide tension, similar to the blue spring on the reformer," Blumenfeld says. "You can do serve-a-tray arms and/or bicep curls with elbows high, bending your hands in toward the shoulders while in a seated, standing, squatted, or kneeling position."
Rowing Machine
If you have a gym membership, consider using a rower for some Pilates-style exercises, as TikTok user @hellooliviablog [7] demos in this clip.
As for doing this at home, if you're not ready to invest in a reformer because you feel limited to one type of workout (or you think you don't have the space), consider a rowing machine [8]. Or, check out the LIT Method Rowing Machine [9], which combines a rower with a resistance band training system, making it like a veritable reformer itself.
"The rowing machine could be cool for lunges," says Blumenfeld. With one front foot on the ground and the other foot or knee on the seat, slide the seat in and out; try lateral [10] and reverse lunges [11]. You can also do slider moves with your back leg on the seat, bending in and out (sometimes called a scooter [12]), as well bicep curls using the rower handle while in a seated position on the rower, with some form of chest expansion," she says.
Skateboard
Like Tanara on TikTok [14] says, "everybody's so creative!" But, truly, this is one of the more creative takes. If you have a skateboard, like Pilates and barre instructor Callie Jardine shows here [15] or an ab dolly (like Body Rock Pilates also shows on Instagram [16]), you can replicate the moving "carriage" of the reformer for certain moves, particularly standing exercises.