Today, I will introduce you to a good friend of Pilates - the Reformer core bed. I believe that friends who are interested in Pilates must have seen this mysterious big machine, but do you really know it?
Reformer, also known as core bed, body shaping machine, restructuring training bed, etc., is one of the major machines invented by Mr. Joseph Pilates based on Pilates mat training.
1 hour Pilates core bed = 1 hour aerobic + 1 hour machine
The Reformer core bed combines mat exercise and strength training, using modern sports science and rehabilitation principles to improve the individual's proprioception during training, strengthen deep muscle training, improve flexibility, and enhance control. It can also help people "restore their original nature and poetic movements."
We can see that the Reformer core bed has several different components:
First, the largest part is called the Carriage skateboard (slide), which is a sliding part. Most of the movements will be performed on the skateboard. Because the skateboard will move, it has high requirements for the stability of the individual. Sometimes you need to keep the skateboard from moving to do the action, which adds to the challenge.
Secondly, we can find that there are 5 springs of different colors connecting the skateboard, red, yellow and blue, which represent different weights. Red is the heaviest, blue is 1/2 of the weight of red, and yellow is 1/2 of blue. Different weights have different focuses. We can adjust the resistance of our pulley by adjusting different spring combinations. Heavy springs can assist movements, and light springs give you more challenges. Springs are one of the most important components of our core bed.
Looking up along the spring, this is the footbar of the core bed. The height of the bar can be adjusted according to height and different movements. Different heights can produce different changes.
There is a set of shoulder rest & head rest above the skateboard, which can play a role of support and space prompts to avoid excessive neck tension and shrugging.
Looking forward is the Strap knot and rope belt, which usually have two circles, one large and one small. We can put our hands into the small circle and put our feet into the large circle. This design can make the original movements on the mat more diverse and controllable, reduce the difficulty of mat exercises, and make it easier for practitioners to master the accuracy of the movements.
In addition to these parts of the Reformer core bed, it also has many accessories. The most common accessory is the Long Box box, which can be used with the core bed or alone. It is a very diverse prop. The box has different placement methods and can also be used as a support in variations.
The second very common accessory is the Jumping Board, which can be used to complete more jumping movements and help enrich the various forms of Pilates exercises.
Today's introduction to the Reformer core bed ends here. I hope that all of you can try it yourself and feel the charm of Pilates. If you have any questions, you can contact us for consultation~