Strength-Based Reformer Pilates: Why the Burn Isn’t the Same as Strength
- Stephanie Neal
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
If you teach Reformer Pilates, you’re probably very familiar with the burn.
That deep muscular sensation.The shaking legs.The moment clients say, “I can really feel this one!”
And to be clear — the burn isn’t a bad thing. It has its place.
But when we talk about strength-based Reformer Pilates, it’s important to understand this key distinction:
Feeling the burn is not the same as building strength.
Why Reformer Pilates Often Feels Like Strength (Even When It Isn’t)
Reformer Pilates is an incredibly effective tool for mobility, co-ordination, postural control, balance and endurance.
Exercises are performed on an inherintely unstable surface and progressions are often geared towards complextiy, balance, co-ordination and challenge. And every Pilates Instructor knows how to make you, hold... pause... slow it down...and pulse, creating that all too familiar burn.
Because of this, many Reformer Pilates classes feel like strength training — both to clients and instructors.
However, strength-based Reformer Pilates is more than a sensation.
High repetitions, continuous flow, lighter springs, and minimal rest are excellent for:
muscular endurance
coordination
body awareness
…but they don’t always create the conditions needed for real strength adaptations.
What Strength-Based Reformer Pilates Actually Requires
Muscles respond to very specific inputs, whether on a reformer or in the gym (let's be real, they can't tell the difference where you are).
To build strength on the Reformer, you need to consider:
Load — spring tension relative to the client and bodyweight
Effort and intensity — how close to fatigue they are working
Repetition ranges — not just “more reps” but specific amount of reps to target Strength-hypertrophy adaptations
Rest between efforts — recovery matters to allow the specific energy system to recover
Progressive overload— gradually increasing load over time
Without these factors, a Reformer class may be challenging, but it may not truly be strength focused.
This is a common gap in Reformer Pilates instructor training and programming, and it's not your fault. Your Pilates certification taught you to teach Pilates. It didn't teach you strength-based programming.
Reformer Exercises Aren’t Automatically Strength Exercises
Here’s an important point to remind yourself;
A Pilates or Reformer exercise, doesn’t automatically build strength.
The same movement can be used to:
build strength
build endurance
builid co-ordination
The difference lies in how the exercise is programmed, set up and progressed.
Two instructors can teach almost the same Reformer class and achieve completely different results — all because of the intention with which they are teaching.
And just as imporant to remember - not all reformer or pilates exercises are designed to build strength, some are better suited to endurance or balance/stability. The art is in knowing what to program with what intention and for whom.
Why Strength Matters for Reformer Pilates Instructors
Clients are increasingly searching for strength and resistance based training. They are coming to your Reformer Pilates classes because they want to
Feel stronger in daily life
Improve bone and muscle health
Age with grace still being able to do all of the things they love!
This means instructors need clarity. It’s no longer enough to just run a “challenging” Reformer class — you need to understand the difference between:
strength
endurance
hypertrophy
Mobility/Control
Stability & Balance
…and how to design classes that intentionally deliver the outcomes you say they will.
Can You Teach Strength-Based Reformer Pilates Without Feeling Like the Gym?
Absolutely.
Many instructors tell me:
“I want to teach strength on the Reformer, but I don’t want my classes to feel like gym sessions.”
And that concern makes complete sense.
The good news is that strength-based Reformer Pilates can still feel completely like Pilates — not rigid, not clunky, and not gym-like.
The difference is how clearly your programming is structured.
Strength-based Reformer Pilates comes down to being intentional about a few key things:
How you pair exercises, so clients can actually recover enough to produce strength
Which exercises you bias for strength, and which you intentionally keep for that familiar Pilates burn
How you load and progress exercises, without simply defaulting to “add more springs”
How you balance repetition with variety, so classes feel purposeful and allow for progress.
When these pieces are clear, your Reformer classes can deliver real strength outcomes — safely, effectively, and smoothly — without losing flow or the signature Pilates experience your clients love.
A Simple Place to Start
If strength-based Reformer Pilates is something you want to feel more confident teaching, the first step isn’t overhauling your classes.
It’s building awareness.
Understanding:
whether your current programming is biasing strength or endurance
how small changes in reps, load, rest, or intent can completely shift the training effect
I’ve created a Strength vs Burn on the Reformer cheat sheet to help you do exactly that.
It’s a simple, practical self-check designed specifically for Reformer Pilates instructors — so you can quickly sense-check your classes and see where strength may be underrepresented.
Click the button below to download the Strength vs Burn cheat sheet and start teaching strength-based Reformer Pilates with more clarity and confidence.