Reformer or mat: how to choose
Both teach the same ideas. Here is how they differ in feel, in price and in what each suits.
What to expect at your first reformer class
Springs, straps and a moving carriage: what happens in the first fifty minutes, and why you will not be lost.
A reformer looks like a strange bed with ropes. It is a sliding carriage on wheels, held back by springs of different strengths, with a footbar at one end and straps at the other. Everything you do on it is either pushing the carriage away or pulling it back in, slowly, against those springs.
In your first foundations class, your instructor will help you set the springs before you lie down. They will show you where to put your feet on the bar, how to place your head and shoulders, and how to step on and off without the carriage rolling away. Nobody expects you to know any of it.
The class itself starts with footwork: lying on your back and pressing the carriage out and in with your feet in different positions. Then bridging, arm work with the straps, a short sequence on your side and some gentle stretches. The pace is slow, with pauses to explain. Your legs may shake a little. That is the springs doing their job, not you doing it wrong.
Come 15 minutes early on the first day so we can show you round and talk about any injuries your doctor knows about. Wear fitted clothes and grip socks. Afterwards you may feel muscles you had forgotten for a day or two. Most people book the next class before they leave.
