April 7, 2026
If you’ve ever scrolled past a reformer Pilates class and quietly wondered whether it counts as a proper strength workout, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions we hear at BAYSE, and it’s a fair one. The reformer doesn’t look like a barbell. The classes don’t involve clanging weights or personal bests. But the results? Often surprisingly close.
The truth is, reformer Pilates is a genuine strength training modality and for many people, one of the most effective forms of resistance work they’ll ever do. Here’s why, backed by science.
What Does ‘Strength Training’ Actually Mean?
Strength training, at its core, is any exercise that makes your muscles work against resistance. That resistance can come from free weights, machines, resistance bands, bodyweight or springs. The reformer uses a system of adjustable springs attached to a moving carriage, creating progressive resistance through a full range of motion. The load can be increased or decreased by changing which springs are engaged, allowing for precise, graduated challenges across every exercise.
This spring-based resistance is not a soft substitute for weights. Studies measuring muscle activation during reformer exercises have recorded significant engagement across the rectus abdominis, internal oblique, erector spinae, multifidus, rectus femoris and biceps femoris — key muscle groups across the entire body. A 2024 study published in the journal Healthcare used surface electromyography to measure core muscle activity under different spring resistance conditions on the reformer, confirming that the moving carriage creates measurably higher muscle activation than a fixed platform. In other words, the instability built into the machine is doing serious work.
Upper and Lower Body Strength: What the Research Shows
A randomised controlled trial published in Scientific Reports (2025) examined the effects of reformer Pilates on women training three times a week for eight weeks. The results showed significant improvements in upper body strength, measured via handgrip dynamometry, alongside gains in trunk endurance assessed by McGill testing. These were genuine, measurable increases in muscular strength, not just improvements in how people felt.
Lower body strength gains are equally well-documented. A separate 2025 randomised controlled trial comparing mat and reformer Pilates in footballers found that the reformer group achieved superior improvements in lower limb muscle strength, highlighting that the resistance system provides a meaningful training stimulus even in athletic populations.
For those wanting to explore how these strength benefits sit alongside a traditional gym approach, our Reformer Pilates vs Traditional Gym Workouts article goes into detail on where each method excels.
The Strength That Doesn’t Come With Bulk
One of the most common concerns, particularly among women, is that strength training means getting bulky. It’s a misconception worth addressing directly. Reformer Pilates builds what’s often described as functional strength: the kind that makes everyday life easier. Carrying shopping, picking up children, moving with confidence, standing tall after a long day at a desk. These are the things that actually matter.
The reformer works through full ranges of motion with controlled eccentric and concentric loading, meaning muscles are challenged both as they lengthen and as they shorten. This develops lean muscle density rather than size, improving tone, endurance and neuromuscular control. You build a body that works better, not just one that looks like it lifts.
A systematic review on Pilates and body composition found that reformer Pilates was particularly effective at reducing fat mass and improving BMI, while mat Pilates had a slight edge in increasing muscle mass in certain groups. Both have a clear role, but the reformer’s spring-loaded resistance makes it especially well-suited to those looking for a leaner, stronger physique without bulk.
Strength Across the Whole Body, Including the Parts Often Missed
One of the most distinctive features of reformer-based strength training is its ability to reach the deep stabilising muscles that most conventional gym programmes overlook entirely. The transverse abdominis, multifidus and pelvic floor are activated constantly during reformer work, largely because of the instability created by the moving carriage. These muscles are critical for spinal health, injury prevention and long-term strength, yet they’re rarely targeted directly in a standard weights routine.
Beyond the deep core, the reformer delivers full-body strength within a single session. Exercises like footwork, long stretch and rowing sequences load the legs, glutes, back, shoulders and arms sequentially, often all within a 50-minute class. It’s an integrated, compound approach to training that reflects how the body actually moves in daily life rather than isolating muscles in a way that rarely transfers off the machine.
For a broader look at the full range of evidence-backed benefits, from balance and bone health to mood and sleep quality, our 11 Science-Backed Benefits of Reformer Pilates article covers the research in depth.
Is It Enough on Its Own?
For most people, yes. Three reformer sessions a week provides sufficient stimulus for meaningful strength development, particularly across the core, lower body and stabilising muscles. For those with more specific performance goals, such as competitive athletes or anyone focused on maximal strength, reformer Pilates works brilliantly alongside other training rather than in place of it.
It’s already been incorporated into the conditioning programmes of professional footballers, dancers and elite athletes for exactly this reason. Research into its use within football training found improvements in balance, core strength and technical performance that translated directly to on-pitch results. What the reformer adds — joint stability, neuromuscular control and resilience through movement — is genuinely difficult to replicate through heavy lifting alone.
Whether you’re returning from injury, managing a demanding schedule, looking to build a stronger foundation or simply want a form of training you’ll actually enjoy and stick with, the reformer deserves serious consideration.
Build Real Strength at BAYSE
At BAYSE Reformer Pilates, strength is at the heart of every class. Our instructors are trained to progressively challenge every client using spring resistance, exercise variation and personalised coaching, whether you’re stepping onto a reformer for the first time or you’ve been training with us for years.
We have studios across the North West and Midlands, each running small-group classes on professional reformers with the kind of personal attention that makes a genuine difference to your progress. Our Altrincham studio serves South Manchester with morning, lunchtime and evening classes, while Bolton offers a welcoming space for all fitness levels. Over in Liverpool, we combine reformer and mat Pilates to give you flexibility in how you train. Stockton Heath is a popular choice for clients coming from Warrington and the surrounding area, and Stafford brings the same BAYSE standard to the Midlands with classes for complete beginners through to seasoned practitioners. In Cheshire, Wilmslow has become a firm favourite for those who want a calm, focused environment to build real strength. And our newest studio in Stoke brings everything BAYSE is known for to Stoke-on-Trent.
Every session across every location is built around the same principle: progressive, effective, expert-led training that gives you results worth coming back for.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’ve been wondering whether reformer Pilates is actually a strength workout, now you know. The science is clear, the results are real and your nearest BAYSE studio is ready for you.
Get in touch with our team and we’ll help you find the right class, the right studio and the right starting point for where you are right now.
Further reading: For a full overview of what reformer Pilates is, how it works and what to expect, visit our Ultimate Guide to Reformer Pilates.