'The at-home Pilates Reformer I use daily is in the Amazon Prime Sale'
If you're as obsessed with reformer Pilates as I am, you'll know that classes don't come cheap. But given we've taken to lifting and spinning (hello, Peloton) in our own homes in the pursuit of cheaper, more convenient fitness, why not get a good shake sesh on an at-home reformer too? That's where the nexace Pilates Reformer comes in.
I've been using mine for about three months and it's safe to say that besides my long-term partner, this is the most important relationship I've ever been in. And the best news? It's discounted in the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale.
Before you scoff at the thought of having a reformer bed (with, let's be honest, slight torture device looks) permanently laid out in your living room, hear this: this baby folds away. Yep, with a few simple tweaks you can fold this up neatly into a 110 x 56 cm package for storage behind a door or under a piece of furniture.
We should also address the price. Even discounted at £399 (its lowest ever price, according to Amazon price tracker camelcamelcamel) it's still a fair investment. But when you take the cost of reformer Pilates classes — around £25-35 each — into consideration, it actually starts to look incredibly reasonable. For the cost of between 11 and 16 classes, you could buy this instead any enjoy those blissful leg circles anytime you like.
Keep reading for exactly why I think the nexace Pilates Reformer is such a sound investment.
nexace Pilates Reformer: Set up
I'll admit it, before this arrived I had my reservations. Amazon can be a bit of a wild west when it comes to fitness equipment, but on opening the box I was pleasantly surprised. Everything was neat, clean and orderly and it looked like a decent, sturdy bit of kit. The carriage is generously padded in wipe-clean faux leather, while the metal structure seems solid and well put together.
In the box, along with the carriage, you'll find all the classic reformer paraphernalia (straps, shoulder pads, springs, pulley rods, footbar, headrest), an allen key to aid set-up, an instruction manual, workout guides, and, if you're lucky like me, some bonus metal springs along with the rubber cord versions that come as standard.
Putting the reformer together is pretty straightforward, although some prior knowledge of what goes where is an advantage. While the instructions are illustrated they are a little sparse in places, for example, ‘assemble the foot bar with the tool included,’ so I'd advise watching this assembly video as well.
I'll admit there were a couple of moments that felt a bit too reminiscent of putting together dodgy IKEA furniture (why do the holes never fully align?!) but it took me, a 5'4" woman with very little upper body strength no more than 15 minutes to put it all together.
Pro tip: make sure you have enough space before assembling the reformer — I foolishly didn't and had to do some last-minute rearranging in my garage.
nexace Pilates Reformer: Performance
Immediately on lying down on the nexace Pilates Reformer, it does feel a little more compact than your typical studio model, and I had to shuffle myself down a bit to nestle my shoulders under the pads. But honestly, that's where the negatives end.
The carriage movement is smooth, it's very comfortable to use and I surprise myself in absolutely loving the rubber springs as my hair never gets caught in them during child's pose (if you know, you know — ouch).
In terms of adjustments, you can fiddle with the footbar position, height of the pulley rods and length of your ropes (they start off a little short, so I'd recommend this — you can alter them underneath the reformer bed), as well as the resistance via the rubber springs. Speaking of, the springs — both rubber and metal — carry around 5kg resistance each, so you can stack up or reduce the load easily, depending on the type of work you're doing.
You do of course need a fair amount of space each side to really get into some of the classic reformer moves like leg circles and side-on lunges, which my cramped garage doesn't really allow for (time to bring it indoors I guess!). But no matter what exercise I do on this thing, I always feel totally supported and stable. At no point do I feel I can't put my full weight or any extra pressure on the machine, and I have no worries performing all the moves I normally would during a reformer class — including some more advanced stuff.
nexace Pilates Reformer: The verdict
It should come as no shocker that I'm slightly in love with the nexace Pilates Reformer. Being able to indulge in a spot of reformer whenever I fancy is an absolute game-changer, and I've already more than made my money back in class fees.
Is it a looker? Not exactly, but I can't say I care, and because it folds away this is a minor niggle. (The brand does make a fancier-looking wooden version if you're so inclined.) It also performs so exceptionally well that the vague torture-rack aesthetic is forgiven.
It is worth noting that this might not suit those on the taller side — I did find myself occasionally hitting the limit with the foot straps during leg circles when my feet were piked downwards — although to be frank, all this did was prevent me from overextending my lower back (a no-no in Pilates and my weakness), so I'm painting that as a positive.
I would also advise that complete beginners should attend reformer Pilates classes before getting on a machine by themselves, but once you're au fait with the machine and safety measures, there are plenty of brilliant reformer classes on YouTube — I particularly like the Align Pilates channel.
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