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 my nexace — a home reformer Pilates machine — 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. It’s slotted into my fitness routine seamlessly and I use it daily — either for a full workout or some deep assisted stretching.
nexace Pilates Reformer Machine
| Max user weight | 135kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (assembled) | 212 x 72 x 50 cm |
| Dimensions (folded) | 110 x 56 x 37 cm |
| Included in the box | Reformer carriage, straps, shoulder pads, springs, pulley rods, footbar, headrest, allen key, instruction manual, workout guides |
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, in a cupboard or under a piece of furniture.
We should also address the price. There’s no denying that at £499 it’s 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 14 and 20 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, plus the benefits of reformer Pilates, and what to look for when shopping for a home reformer.
The benefits of reformer Pilates
Before we dive in; a quick refresher on the benefits of reformer Pilates. Look around any reformer class and the benefits speak for themselves — these people are toned. Reformer is an incredible way to strengthen the body and learn to move correctly (there’s a reason so many people in injury rehab seek out reformer).
According to Natalie France, reformer Pilates teacher at Reformcore, reformer Pilates comes with the following perks:
- A greater sense of the mind body connection, especially when aligning the breath to the movement
- Learning how to move from and strengthen the core
- Increasing the overall range in flexibility
- Improving posture and alignment of the spine
- Helping to move more freely in the joints with better mobility
- Developing an ability to balance and creating stability in the body
- Injury prevention and rehabilitation
What should I look for when buying a home Pilates reformer?
Whichever model you opt for, a hefty bit of kit like this comes with a price tag to match, so you want to make sure you’re spending your money wisely.
Check your components
First up, check your reformer has all the basic parts. ‘A standard reformer will normally have the following components,’ says France:
- Five springs
- Carriage
- Footbar
- Platform (with platform strap)
- Shoulder rests
- Head rest
- Hand/foot straps
Plus you might benefit from ‘extra props, such as a long/short box, pole, Pilates ring and Pilates ball,’ adds France.
While most parts are self-explanatory, it’s worth understanding how the springs and carriage work together on a reformer. The springs on most, though not all, reformer beds comes in varying tensions. You add or take away springs to adjust the level of resistance on the reformer. ‘The most common spring tensions are yellow (quarter spring), blue (half spring) and red (full spring),’ says France.
The carriage, complete with shoulder rests and head rest, sits atop runners and can be connected to one end of the reformer frame (beneath the footbar) with the springs. ‘The carriage moves back and forth, utilising the spring tension to change how the movement is felt and how it works the body.’
‘The reformer spring tension is used to create resistance on the reformer carriage,’ explains France. ‘It’s important to note that we don’t always necessarily use heavier or more spring tension to make an exercise harder. Sometimes the lighter spring tension creates a harder challenge where the exercise is based on balance, stability and control. You can therefore never assume the heavier springs or lots of springs on is appropriate to increase the difficulty level.’
Space and storage
A key consideration with any fitness equipment purchase; make sure you have room not only for the footprint of your reformer, but also enough space around it to exercise effectively.
‘One of your main concerns regarding purchasing a reformer is going to be space,’ says France. ‘Can you fit a reformer inside a room where it stays put? It’s important to check the measurements on the make and model of the reformer that interests you, ensuring you have space to both position and walk freely around the reformer.
‘You may need to consider a foldable reformer that can be stored away when not in use. If thinking about a foldable reformer, do you also realistically have space to set it up each time with ease, or are you going to be constantly moving furniture around as and when you want to use it?’
Quality and value
If space isn’t an issue, France recommends opting for a tried and tested reformer you can trust. ‘Stick to what you know,’ she says. ‘You’re probably used to a particular make and model if you take classes regularly. You’ll be familiar with that reformer in terms of how to use all of the specific parts. This can make you feel more confident in your at-home experience.’
It can also be tempting — particularly when Amazon is awash with products at wildly different price points — to opt for the cheapest model available. ‘Reframe the idea of affordable,’ says France. ‘Sometimes cheaper means poor quality and a reformer isn’t a piece of equipment you want to cut pennies on. Pay for quality overall when choosing to invest in such equipment. Safety is key and you want to know your getting the very best for your money. ‘
nexace Pilates Reformer Machine
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.
The standard rubber springs
The brand often sends out bonus metal springs
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: Features
- Five 5 kg cords/springs, totalling 25 kg resistance
- Optional ergonomic headrest
- Adjustable footbar — choose from six positions
- Thick, durable ropes with foot and hand loops
- Optional carriage stopper — I recommend using this for a softer carriage return
- Adjustable pulley rods
- Comfortable, wipe-clean faux leather carriage
- Raised off the ground — not the case for all home Pilates reformers
- Folds away for easy storage
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.
The nexace Pilates Reformer has both long and short loops
An adjustable footbar allows for a versatile approach
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
nexace Pilates Reformer Machine
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.
nexace Pilates Reformer Machine
Reformer Pilates essentials
nexace also makes a Pilates box to make your reformer go further. Plus you can boost your workout with these Pilates buys.
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Hattie Parish is the Health and Fitness Ecommerce Editor for Women’s Health, Men’s Health and Runner’s World, covering the best gym wear, latest fitness tech and wellness launches worth investing in, plus the best deals during Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. As well as clocking up the miles in myriad running socks, pummelling her muscles with massage guns, testing out fitness mirrors and donning dry robes every other weekend, Hattie consults leading experts in the health and fitness industry to help readers make informed decisions when shopping online. Brought up by two medics, Hattie worked in health clinics before completing a BA in English at King’s College London. She qualified as a journalist in 2015 and has since written for titles such as Healthy magazine, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Red, as well as worked commercially with health and wellness clients such as Holland & Barrett, Lloyds Pharmacy and Superdrug. Hattie is passionate about arming readers with honest, unbiased product reviews and has a particular interest in the role of technology in our wellbeing, as well as gender-based inequalities in healthcare. When she’s not putting gym wear through its paces on the Pilates reformer or kitting out her home gym (garage) with the latest equipment, she’s attempting to make progress on her teetering pile of bedside books, cycling round South East London or sampling wellness retreats for the Women’s Health travel pages.
