Reformer, Trapeze Table, Exo Chair: Your Three Most-Asked Questions About Equipment Pilates

If you've ever walked past a Pilates studio and caught a glimpse of what looks like a sliding bed with springs and straps, you've probably had the same thought most people have: that looks complicated, and possibly not for me.

It's not complicated. And it almost certainly is for you.

Equipment Pilates is one of the most quietly powerful things you can do for your body, especially if you've been carrying tension, an old injury, or the slow drift of feeling less strong than you used to. But before you can decide if it's right for you, you probably want some honest answers to the questions everyone asks first.

Here are the three we hear most often at Nutrio.

What is equipment Pilates, and how is it different from mat Pilates?

Equipment Pilates is Pilates performed using specialised apparatus — most commonly a reformer, a trapeze table, and an exo chair — that uses adjustable springs to support, resist, or guide the body through movement. Mat Pilates uses your bodyweight on the floor; equipment Pilates uses the apparatus to do some of the work with you.

That distinction matters more than it sounds. On the mat, your body is the only resistance available. The springs on a reformer or trapeze table can be adjusted to make a movement easier or harder, depending on what your body needs that day. If your shoulder is sore, the equipment can support it. If your hip is weak, the equipment can help you find the position before asking you to hold it on your own.

In other words, equipment Pilates meets your body where it actually is — not where you think it should be. That's why it's used so often in rehabilitation settings, with post-surgical clients, with people in chronic pain, and with athletes who need to train precisely. It's also why so many of the women we work with find it more accessible than mat Pilates, not less.

Do I need to be fit or experienced to use the reformer, trapeze table, or exo chair?

No. You don't need to be fit, flexible, or experienced to use any of the equipment. In fact, the equipment is often more suitable than mat work for people who feel they're starting from a place of pain, stiffness, or low confidence in their body.

This is the question people are most nervous to ask, and we want to put it to bed properly. The springs on a reformer or trapeze table aren't there to challenge you — they're there to help you. Lighter springs make a movement easier; heavier springs make it harder. Where you sit on that range is decided in the moment, by you and your instructor, based on how your body is responding that day. Not by what the person next to you is doing.

If you've had a hip replacement, an old back injury, a recent shoulder problem, or simply haven't moved much in a while, the equipment will support you in ways the mat cannot. Many of our one-to-one Pilates clients arrive with exactly those concerns, and the equipment is precisely why they keep coming back. Their bodies feel held, not tested.

You also won't be in a class of twenty people. Our equipment-based group sessions cap at five, so the instructor knows you, knows your body, and adjusts as needed. There is nowhere to feel lost.

What does each piece of equipment actually do?

Here's a plain-English answer to the question most people are too polite to ask.

The reformer is a sliding platform on rails, with springs underneath and straps at one end. You can lie down, sit, kneel, or stand on it. It's the most versatile piece of Pilates equipment there is — it can be used for gentle mobility work, deep core strengthening, full-body conditioning, and post-injury rehabilitation. If you've heard of one piece of Pilates equipment, it's probably this.

The trapeze table (sometimes called the Cadillac) is a raised, padded table with a frame above it that holds springs, bars, and straps. It's particularly good for people who need extra support to begin with — you can lie on the table while the springs assist your arms or legs through movement. It's also used for spinal mobility work, stretching, and decompressing tight backs and hips. It's the piece many of our physiotherapy clients meet first.

The exo chair looks like a small box with a pedal at the front. It's deceptively powerful. Working from the chair builds strength in the legs, hips, and core in a very controlled, upright way — which is enormously useful for anyone who wants to feel stronger in everyday life: walking up hills, getting out of low chairs, lifting grandchildren, going up stairs without thinking about it.

You don't need to know any of this before your first session. Your instructor will introduce the equipment as you go, in plain language, at a pace that suits you.

Where to start

If you're not sure whether equipment Pilates is right for you, the easiest thing to do is start with a one-to-one session. You'll be guided through the equipment in a way that's specific to your body — what hurts, what feels stiff, what you'd like to feel stronger in — and you'll leave with a much clearer sense of how to use it.

For many of the women who come to Nutrio, that first session is the one that quietly shifts something. Not because of the equipment itself, but because their body — for the first time in a long time — felt supported through movement rather than challenged by it.

Whenever you're ready, we're here.

Nutrio Physio & Pilates is based in Broughty Ferry, Dundee. Ailsa is HCPC-registered and a CSP member..