The reformer looks more complicated than it is: a sliding carriage, a set of springs, two ropes with handles, and a footbar. Once you understand what each part does, setting it up takes a few minutes. This guide covers what to expect in your first session, how springs and the footbar work, what to wear, and which exercises instructors use with beginner reformer Pilates students.
Is reformer Pilates good for beginners?
Both reformer and mat Pilates suit beginners when they learn with proper instruction. Some instructors suggest starting with mat Pilates to learn the movement patterns before adding spring resistance, then moving to the reformer. Once the foundations are in place, the spring resistance makes many positions easier to find and hold.
Reformer classes cater to all levels, from a first session through to advanced, and a good instructor adjusts the setup and the exercise to where you are. We cover what reformer Pilates involves in our what is reformer Pilates guide. If you're deciding between reformer and mat, the comparison sets out the practical differences.
What happens in your first session?
Before you start moving, spend a few minutes with the machine. Test the carriage travel by pushing it back and forth, check how each spring changes the resistance, and adjust the footbar to a height that feels comfortable. This matters most at home, where there's no instructor catching a setup error before you start moving.
Two steps take priority every time you get on and off:
Step onto the stable frame first. Never step directly onto the moving carriage, and wait for it to stop before you get on or off.
Return the carriage to the home position before you hook or unhook a spring. Changing springs with the carriage away from home is how accidents happen.
Three more checks before your first session: adjust the headrest so the neck stays neutral during lying exercises; tie back long hair before lying down; and keep steady tension on the ropes and straps through each exercise, bringing the carriage to a stop before it reaches the stopper.
The table below shows a typical starting pattern for the first four weeks, based on published beginner guides. Your instructor's guidance takes precedence.
| Weeks | Sessions per week | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 2 | Machine familiarisation: carriage travel, spring changes, footbar height; foundations program at a steady pace; note where form breaks down |
| 3–4 | 2–3 | Reinforce foundations until operating the machine feels less effortful; add a third session once form holds across each exercise |
A typical starting pattern, to be guided by your instructor.
What should you wear?
Stretchy clothing, grip socks, a towel and a drink bottle. Grip socks are mandatory in most studio settings; at home, bare feet are fine. Tie back long hair before any lying exercises.
How do you set springs as a beginner?
Start with a light spring and set the footbar at the height that puts the starting position in a comfortable, controlled range. Spring colours and weights differ between machines: what one maker calls red, another calls medium, and the kg ratings vary between models. Read any spring setting from a beginner guide as light, medium or heavy rather than by colour, and let your instructor give you a specific starting point for your machine.
The safety rule on springs applies every time: return the carriage to the home position before you hook or unhook a spring. Begin with lighter resistance; it lets you learn the movement pattern before load changes it.
Our guide to springs on a Pilates reformer explains how resistance works and what each spring configuration does.
Can you start at home?
The consistent advice from qualified instructors is to learn technique in person first, then continue at home. In-person sessions give you feedback on form that a written guide or video cannot replace.
A Milaron Pilates Reformer at home removes the studio timetable. You can practise any day, as often as your body recovers, without booking a studio slot. The Better Health Channel recommends at least two or three Pilates sessions per week for beginners, and postural improvements show after ten to twenty sessions on average.
Our reformers carry a headrest with three height positions, a footbar with six positions, six German Piano Wire springs and a Premium Microfibre Leather carriage surface. The Pearl Studio and Pearl Foldable are built in 6063-T5 aluminium; the Maple Studio in solid AAA-grade maple. All three carry a 5-year warranty on the frame.
In-stock machines arrive within 7 days, free, Australia-wide.
See our buying guide and the full reformer range when you're ready to choose.
Which reformer exercises should beginners start with?
Check with your GP or physiotherapist before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have an injury or condition.
The eight exercises below each appear in at least one published beginner guide. Six of them appear in multiple sources, including instructor-taught beginner classes by Courtney Miller and Sarah Bertucelli on Pilates Anytime. The final two appear in a single published guide only and are absent from instructor-taught beginner class sequences: begin those with an instructor present.
For each exercise we note what it works, a beginner spring level (light, medium or heavy) and one cue from the source material. Spring levels are a starting point, not a prescription; your instructor adjusts them to your machine and your capacity. We name exercises without step-by-step instructions: a manufacturer's guide does not replace a trained instructor.
Footwork
Works: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves.
Spring level: light to medium.
Cue: press the lower back into the carriage and keep the hips square throughout.
Bridging / pelvic curls
Works: glutes, hamstrings, core.
Spring level: light.
Cue: lift the hips until you feel the glutes engage; keep hips and knees aligned.
Leg circles
Works: hip flexors, inner and outer thighs, core.
Spring level: light.
Cue: keep the pelvis still and the lower back flat through the full circle.
The Hundred
Works: core, hip flexors, shoulders.
Spring level: light.
Cue: pump the arms in rhythm with your breath, five counts in and five counts out.
Seated rowing
Works: upper back, shoulders, core.
Spring level: light to medium.
Cue: keep the shoulders stable against the shoulder rests as you draw the handles in.
Arm presses with straps
Spring level: light.
Cue: draw the shoulders down and away from the shoulder blocks; let the back muscles do the work.
Short Spine
Spring level: light to medium.
This exercise appears in one published beginner guide and is absent from the instructor-taught beginner class sequences we reviewed. Begin with instructor guidance.
Standing Side Split
Spring level: light to medium.
This exercise appears in one published beginner guide and is absent from the instructor-taught beginner class sequences we reviewed. Begin with instructor guidance.
Most people find the machine unfamiliar in the first two or three sessions and more manageable by weeks three and four. Progress in Pilates tends to be quiet: more control, a cleaner range of motion, less compensating elsewhere. The exercises above give you a starting point; an instructor gives you the program.
Check with your GP or physiotherapist before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have an injury or condition.
For more on what reformer Pilates involves, visit our what is reformer Pilates guide. When you're ready to choose a machine, our buying guide and the full reformer range are the next steps.