The Old Dairy Journal

A Pilates stability chair in the studio, one half of the perfect pairing with the reformer
Why the Pilates chair and reformer are the perfect pair
People often ask us whether they should train on the reformer or the chair. Our honest answer: the magic is in using both. The reformer and the Pilates chair are... Read more...
Client lying back over a spine corrector on the reformer as the instructor supports a fascia-releasing stretch
Fascia: the hidden tissue behind stiffness and tension — and how reformer Pilates helps
Fascia is the body-wide web of connective tissue that shapes how you move and feel. Here's what it is, why it stiffens, and how reformer Pilates helps keep it supple. Read more...
Instructor helping a client into a supported side stretch, complementing osteopathy with reformer Pilates
Osteopathy and reformer Pilates: how they work hand in hand
We work hand in hand with local osteopaths — because hands-on treatment and movement genuinely amplify each other. Here's how the two work together, and why it means better, longer-lasting... Read more...
Instructor welcoming a client during a reformer Pilates session, showing what to expect in a first class
What to expect from reformer Pilates: your first weeks, and beyond
Wondering what reformer Pilates will actually do — and how quickly? Here's an honest week-by-week picture of how your body changes, and how you'll progress with us. Read more...
Close-up of a client's feet in the reformer straps, working the foot and calf to help plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis: why your feet hurt — and how reformer Pilates can help
That sharp first-step-in-the-morning heel pain is usually plantar fasciitis. Here's what it is, why it happens, and how reformer Pilates helps rebuild strong, healthy feet. Read more...
Instructor guiding a client through a gentle, joint-friendly reformer exercise with a soft ball for osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis and movement: how reformer Pilates can support achy joints
With osteoarthritis, resting often feels safer — but movement is one of the best things you can do. Here's how gentle, supported reformer Pilates can help. Read more...
Client in a gently supported side-lying position on the reformer, suitable for managing fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia and gentle movement: how reformer Pilates can help
When pain and fatigue make exercise feel daunting, gentle graded movement can still help. Here's how a supported, go-at-your-pace approach to reformer Pilates can work with fibromyalgia. Read more...
Instructor guiding a client's shoulder and arm mobility on the reformer to support rotator cuff rehab
Rotator cuff problems: how reformer Pilates can help your shoulders
Reaching, lifting or sleeping on it hurts? Rotator cuff issues are common and very treatable. Here's how the gentle, precise loading of reformer Pilates can help your shoulders. Read more...
Client lying calmly with legs resting on the Cardio-Tramp, using reformer Pilates to lower stress and cortisol
Does Pilates lower cortisol? How reformer Pilates helps you de-stress
Cortisol is your stress hormone — helpful in bursts, draining when it's always switched on. Here's how the breath, focus and flow of reformer Pilates help you wind it down. Read more...
Instructor supporting a client's bridge on the reformer to build back strength and ease back pain
Pilates for back pain: how the reformer can help
Back pain is one of the most common reasons people first walk through our door. The good news: for a lot of the everyday, niggling and long-standing back pain we... Read more...
Two women in the studio discussing reformer Pilates, a joint-friendly option for seniors comparing Pilates and yoga
Pilates or yoga for seniors? An honest comparison
Both are wonderful, low-impact and adaptable — so which suits you? An honest look at Pilates versus yoga for older adults, and why the reformer is so senior-friendly. Read more...
Client building strength and bone health with a supported extension on the reformer during menopause
Reformer Pilates in menopause: strength, bones and mood
Menopause changes a lot, sometimes all at once. Alongside the well-known symptoms, this is also the stage when we naturally start to lose muscle and bone density, when balance can... Read more...
Instructor supporting a client in a safe quadruped position on the reformer during pregnancy and postnatal Pilates
Pregnancy and postnatal reformer Pilates: what's safe, and when
Few things ask more of a body than growing a baby and recovering afterwards. Done safely and with the right guidance, reformer Pilates is one of the kindest, most supportive... Read more...
Instructor guiding a client's controlled leg and pelvic-floor work on the reformer
Pelvic floor and reformer Pilates: rebuilding gently
The pelvic floor does a quiet, enormous job, and when it is not working as it should, the effects reach into everyday life: leaks when you laugh or run, a... Read more...
Client seated on the reformer pulling the roll-up bar, showing the spring resistance that sets it apart from mat Pilates
Reformer vs mat Pilates: which is right for you?
If you are new to Pilates, one of the first questions is usually: reformer or mat? Both are wonderful, and both are 'real' Pilates, they simply work in different ways.... Read more...
Instructor guiding a beginner through their first reformer Pilates session at The Old Dairy Pilates
Reformer Pilates for beginners: an honest first-timer's guide
Walking into a reformer studio for the first time can feel a little daunting, all those straps and springs. The truth is, reformer Pilates is one of the most beginner-friendly... Read more...
Instructor leading a small reformer and Cardio-Tramp class, showing a regular weekly Pilates routine
How often should you do reformer Pilates?
It is one of the most common questions we hear: how many times a week should I do reformer Pilates to actually see a difference? The honest answer is that... Read more...
Woman using the reformer with the box, working a full-body toning exercise at The Old Dairy Pilates
Does reformer Pilates really tone and change your body?
You have probably seen the before-and-afters and the bold claims. So, does reformer Pilates actually change your body? The honest answer is yes, though perhaps not in the way the... Read more...
Client working on the Pilates chair with instructor support, highlighting the difference from the reformer
Wunda chair vs reformer: what's the difference?
If you have started to explore the wider world of Pilates apparatus, you will have met two very different machines: the reformer and the Wunda (or Pilates) chair. They look... Read more...
Runner building leg strength and mobility with a dynamic bridge on the reformer Cardio-Tramp
Pilates for runners: strength, mobility and injury prevention
Runners are brilliant at running, and often less good at everything that keeps running possible: strength, mobility and control. That is exactly the gap reformer Pilates fills, which is why... Read more...
Client in a deep lunge on the reformer, opening the hip flexors that cycling keeps shortened
Reformer Pilates for cyclists: open hips, strong back, more power
Hours folded over the bars build fitness — and a very particular set of problems. Here's how the reformer opens what cycling closes, and why a stronger trunk means more... Read more...
Instructor giving precise hands-on guidance, the kind of feedback that helps hypermobile clients find control
Hypermobility and Pilates: strength for bendy bodies
If you're the bendy one — party-trick joints, endless aches, tired of being told to stretch — this is for you. Hypermobile bodies don't need more range. They need control... Read more...
Instructor demonstrating a standing rotation exercise of the kind that builds a golfer's turn
Pilates for golfers: rotation, balance and a stronger swing
Every golfer wants more turn and a back that lasts the round. Both are built in the same place: a mobile mid-back over a stable base. Here's how the reformer... Read more...
Client releasing the shoulder muscles against the wall with a spikey massage ball
Frozen shoulder and reformer Pilates: gentle mobility that helps
Few conditions test patience like a frozen shoulder. Here's how gentle, supported reformer work helps you keep what movement you have — and rebuild what the thaw gives back. Read more...
Male client working through a prone extension on the Pilates chair at The Old Dairy
Is reformer Pilates good for men? Yes — here's why
Joseph Pilates was a boxer who built his method for strength and control. So why did it get labelled as not for men? A short, honest answer — and what... Read more...
Instructor's hands checking a client's knee alignment during reformer footwork
Knee pain and reformer Pilates: strength without impact
Knees rarely hurt because they're overworked — they hurt because they're under-supported. Here's how the reformer strengthens everything around the knee without pounding it. Read more...
The Pilates Cadillac trapeze table in the studio at The Old Dairy, Lamport
What is a Pilates Cadillac? Inside our trapeze table
Part four-poster bed, part climbing frame, all Pilates: the Cadillac is the most eye-catching piece of equipment in the studio — and one of the most versatile. Here's what it... Read more...
Instructor supporting a client's standing balance work at the Pilates chair
Balance and falls prevention: why over-60s love the reformer
Balance isn't something you simply lose with age — it's something that fades when it stops being practised. Here's how we train it back, safely, on the reformer. Read more...
Client doing arm slides against the wall with a foam roller, opening the shoulders after a day at a desk
Pilates for desk workers: undoing a day at the screen
Rounded shoulders, a poked-forward chin, a lower back that complains by Thursday. Your desk isn't going anywhere — but here's how an hour on the reformer pushes back. Read more...
Clients working with the roll-up bar at the tower, upright resistance work of the kind used when training with low bone density
Osteoporosis and reformer Pilates: building bone safely
A diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia often comes with a frightening message: be careful. Here's the more useful message: be strong — and how we load bone safely on the... Read more...
Instructor cueing a client's standing alignment, the kind of postural work that carries straight into the saddle
Reformer Pilates for horse riders: seat, symmetry and core
Every rider knows the instructions: sit tall, soften your hands, stop collapsing your left side. Here's why the reformer is one of the best places to actually build those changes. Read more...
Instructor guiding a client's footwork during a one-to-one reformer session at The Old Dairy Pilates
One-to-one vs group reformer classes: which is right for you?
Private session or class? With a maximum of four people per class, the honest answer at The Old Dairy is: the gap is smaller than you might think. Here's how... Read more...
Client with legs supported in the reformer straps, a gentle position often used when working around sciatica
Sciatica and reformer Pilates: easing nerve pain with support
That burning, shooting pain down the back of your leg has a way of taking over everything. Here's how the reformer lets you move and strengthen without provoking it. Read more...