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 two very different pieces of apparatus, and it is precisely those differences that make them such a powerful pair.

Two machines, two jobs

The reformer is the heart of our studio: a long, sliding carriage that supports your whole body while smooth spring resistance works your muscles through a full, generous range of movement. Because you are lying, sitting or kneeling on a moving bed, it is wonderfully supportive, which is why it suits everyone from first-timers to people rebuilding after injury.

The Pilates chair (you might hear it called the Wunda chair) is the opposite in almost every way. It is compact, upright and unforgiving in the best sense. With a single spring-loaded pedal and a small, stable base, it asks you to control the movement yourself, with far less support than the reformer offers. Where the reformer gives, the chair challenges.

Why they work so well together

Great movement is not just about strength; it is about strength you can control, in every position. The reformer builds that strength through length and range. The chair then teaches you to own it, upright and unsupported, much closer to how you actually move through your day.

• Range meets stability. The reformer opens up mobility and full-range strength; the chair sharpens the stability and control to hold it.
• Horizontal meets vertical. Most reformer work happens lying or sitting; the chair brings you upright, training standing balance, single-leg strength and posture.
• Support meets challenge. The reformer supports you as you learn a movement; the chair strips that support away once you are ready, so your progress is real and measurable.
• Symmetry meets single-side work. The chair is brilliant for one-arm and one-leg exercises, ironing out the small imbalances a two-sided reformer routine can hide.

How we use both at The Old Dairy

In our small classes (never more than four), your instructor draws from the whole studio, choosing the right piece of apparatus for your body and your goals on the day. That might mean building range on the reformer, then moving to the chair to test your control and balance, all within the same session. You do not need to be advanced to use the chair, and you never age out of the reformer. Whatever your level, you get to use it all, just in different ways.

That combination is what makes reformer Pilates at The Old Dairy so effective, and so hard to plateau on. Just as your body starts to master a movement with support, there is a way to make it more honest, more upright and more functional.

Curious to feel the difference?

The best way to understand how the reformer and chair complement each other is to try them. Every journey with us starts with a one-to-one introductory session, where we see how you move and set you up for classes that fit you. Come and feel what the perfect pair can do.