Reformer Pilates delivers the kind of deep, stabilising core strength that improves everything from how you stand to how you train, but misconceptions about this form of exercise often prevents gym members from experiencing its benefits.
Geraldine Anderson, Head of Group Training at Planet Fitness, busts some of the common myths so you can build the core strength that radiates outward, shaping how your body moves, balances, and performs.
Myth 1: It’s just stretching or an easy workout
Truth: It’s deceptively demanding strength training.
“If you think it’s easy, you’re probably doing it wrong,” Anderson says. “If you’re doing it right, you’re pushing or pulling, resisting, returning to the starting position with precision, and staying aligned the whole time.
“By the end of the class, you’re shaking because those deep stabiliser muscles have worked hard.”
Myth 2: It doesn’t build real strength
Truth: It builds strength that spills over into real life.
Lifting weights typically builds strength in a single direction. The reformer challenges your muscles as they lengthen and contract under tension, engaging multiple muscle groups at once. The result is the kind of functional strength you use every day. Getting out of the car, carrying groceries, stabilising yourself after stepping on a Lego. It all comes back to control.
Myth 3: It’s only for women, dancers, or flexible people
Truth: It’s for anyone who wants to move better.
Many assume reformer Pilates is only for a certain type of person. In reality, it strengthens areas that many workouts miss.
From athletes looking to improve performance to older adults wanting better balance and mobility, to those who can lift seriously heavy weights but can’t control a basic movement, it exposes the gaps. And then it fixes them.
Myth 4: The machine is scary
Truth: It’s actually designed to support your body.
The reformer might look complicated, but it’s built to help, not harm. The springs take the load off your body, so you can train without putting pressure on your joints.
At Planet Fitness, this support extends beyond the machine itself. “We break everything down. How to set up the machine, where to place your hands and feet, how to move. It’s like learning to drive. It feels impossible until you figure out what each part does. Then it just clicks, like your seatbelt,” Anderson explains.
Myth 5: You need to be fit or flexible to start
Truth: Beginners often see the biggest gains.
You don’t need strength, flexibility, or prior experience to get started. The adjustable springs allow you to modify movements to your level, making it one of the most accessible strength workouts available. This supportive setup is also why reformer Pilates is widely used in injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Myth 6: It won’t help with weight loss
Truth: It plays a powerful supporting role in fat loss.
Reformer Pilates might not torch calories like high-intensity interval training does, but it builds lean muscle, and muscle is metabolically active. The more you build, the more energy your body uses at rest.
Myth 7: The results are subtle
Truth: The transformation can be surprising.
Perhaps the most telling results are the ones you don’t expect. Anderson says she’s had clients come in with chronic back pain and who couldn’t bend properly and, a few weeks later, they’re moving freely again.
“Sometimes, people who are otherwise strong can’t balance on one leg, important for putting your pants on later in life, or put their shoulders through a full range of motion, which is crucial for golfers and padel players. But then suddenly, they can. That’s the shift.”
And it all circles back to the core. Not just as a set of muscles, but as the foundation for how you move through the world.
“Once your core is doing its job properly, everything else starts to fall into place,” Anderson says. “That’s when training changes. It’s not just about what you can lift, it’s about how well you can move.”
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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