Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1- Instructors’ Credentials
Did you know that there is no industry-wide licensing for teaching Pilates? These days it is possible to become certified in a weekend or online. Before you choose a studio or instructor it is important to ask about their training and how often they attend continuing education. All of the instructors at Reform Pilates have been trained by Romana’s Pilates. In my opinion this program is the very best in the world! The course is a minimum of 600 hours spent observing, practice teaching and taking lessons. We all attend continuing education with Romana’s Pilates annually, but enjoy going so much we are typically there much more frequently!

2- Equipment
There are over 600 exercises in the Pilates method of body conditioning and the majority of them are done on Pilates Apparatus. A studio that is fully equipped with all of the Pilates Apparatus will allow you to get the maximum benefit from your workouts, and it will provide variety so you will never get bored! Our studio is fully equipped with Gratz apparatus. Mr. Gratz worked directly with Joseph Pilates to design the equipment to Pilates’ exact specifications and Gratz Industries continues to do so to this day. Our studio is equipped with 3 Uiversal Reformers, 1 Cadillac, 4 Wall Units, 1 Electric Chair, 1 Wunda Chair, 1 Baby Chair, 1 Pedi Pole, 1 Spine Corrector, 1 Small Barrel, 1 Ladder Barrel and many small pieces including: Magic Circles, arm weights, toe exercisers, the breathisizer and sand bag.

3- Facility
Your Pilates session might be the only hour(s) in your week dedicated just for you. Pilates is a great way to keep your body, mind and spirit healthy and stress-free, and you should choose an environment to work out in that fosters invigorating energy for you. We do everything we can to give our studio more of a “spa-feel” and less of a “gym-feel” and try to offer anything that you could possibly need while you are here. One of the things most people comment on when they come into the studio for the first time is how beautiful the space is. When I designed this studio, I was teaching over 80 hours each week and wanted to make this space a place that I really wanted to be. We love it here and hope you will too!

4- Options that fit your lifestyle
If you are anything like us, after your first Pilates session or 2 you will become hooked! So, if you do turn into a Pilates addict, you will want to make sure that the studio you choose to go to can accommodate all of your needs. At Reform Pilates we offer sessions for 60, 45 and 30 minutes. We have private sessions, duets and trios, small group mat classes and Tower classes (mat and apparatus combo in a group of 4 or fewer). There are different instructors to work with and to top it all off, we are here 7 days a week! With so many options your workout will never get boring!

Pilates is a workout done on apparatus with springs providing resistance, and on a mat. In a Pilates session each exercise is modified to your body’s needs and ability. Pilates can be done by a person of any age or fitness level. Pilates is exercise, and you will sweat.

Unlike many types of exercise that use only the big muscle groups, Pilates works your entire body. Romana says, “Strength comes from within” because Pilates works from the inside out. At the root of every movement you will work a band of abdominal muscles called your “powerhouse.”

One reason that Pilates has become so popular is because it is safe to do with almost any injury or limitation. We have worked with clients: after knee and hip replacements, after back, shoulder, wrist or foot surgery, after a stroke, with MS, vertigo, scoliosis, whiplash, herniated discs, compression fractures, Osteoporosis/Osteopenia, during radiation treatments, after a Mastectomy, after broken bones and more.

Pilates Instructors are not physical therapists. In fact, our training is to give you a good workout while taking care to avoid the injured area. No amount of pain is considered OK. Our motto at the studio is, “No pain, No pain!” (Never: “No pain, No gain.”)

Once you have been releaesed from Physical Therapy, Pilates is a great way to continue rehabilitating your body. Pilates will help to correct any muscle imbalances that may have caused the injury by strengthening weak muscles and stretching tight muscles around an injured joint. Pilates is a great “tune-up” for your body, and making it a part of your lifestyle will help you maintain your strength and flexibility.

Parking and Arrival
Please plan to arrive about 15 minutes early for your first session at the studio. We will have some paperwork for you to fill out before your session.

There is parking on the street and in the public lots on the west side of Broadway just across the street from the main entrance to our building. Please leave yourself extra time to find parking in the summer.

The main entrance to the building is locked before 9am, after 5pm and on weekends. If your appointment falls within those hours, please use the call box in front of the main doors. We will buzz you up when you ring.

Attire
Please wear clean socks for your session. (NYS now requires socks to be worn in Pilates Studios.) Your instructor will be focusing on your alignment, so please wear comfortable clothing that is not too baggy. Please leave all jewelry (watches, rings, etc.) at home or at the front desk. Long loose hair should be tied back.

You shouldn’t be. When you are first starting to workout, attempt a new exercise or learn to work “deeper,” you may be using muscles you are not used to using, or be using them in a different way than you have before. It is normal to feel a little muscle soreness a day or two after a workout like this. However, this is the exception. After a Pilates workout your body should just feel lighter, taller and stronger.

In Pilates we do not work any muscle group to the point of “feeling the burn.” Working in this way actually tears muscle fibers. Other types of exercise that have a goal of “bulking up” do this intentionally to build muscle. Pilates creates long lean muscles if done correctly, so we want to avoid those muscle tears.

The order of the Pilates exercises is designed to work a muscle group, then stretch that muscle group to prevent stiffness, soreness, and create a long muscle. The number of repetitions of each exercise is specific and minimum. Less really is more. The majority of exercises are done only 3-5x. A very few are done 10x at MAX. (Such as the Hundred which is done 10x to get the body warmed up.)

If executed correctly, that is all that is needed. The body will benefit more from one properly executed repetition, than from 20 done poorly. Studies have shown that the first and second time your body does an exercise it is trying to figure out what it needs to do, the third and fourth repetition is usually the most correct, and after the fifth the quality starts to go downhill. Muscles have “memory” so we quit while we’re ahead. As practice does not make perfect…it makes permanent.

Occasionally we will have a client that comes to the studio because they have tried Pilates somewhere else before and loved it because they “were so sore they could barely move” after class. We are always happy to meet someone that is as excited about Pilates as we are, but this person most likely will be disappointed when they walk out of our studio pain free. Pilates is exercise. You should work as hard and as deeply as you possibly can on that day and you should sweat. You should not be sore.

If you leave a Pilates class feeling extremely sore or feel very sore muscles a day or two after your Pilates workout please notify your instructor. We never support the motto “No Pain, No Gain” … in Pilates it is always “No pain, no pain!”

Pilates exercises should be practiced everyday. Pilates is very low impact, and different from many other types of exercise. If practiced correctly, for most people Pilates is safe to do everyday without a “day of rest.”

In an ideal world…
You would come into the studio for a one-hour private session 3x per week, and practice the mat work at home on the other days. This is how Joseph Pilates meant for his work to be done, and is the best way to see results. Joe created the mat work for his clients to do at home on days they did not come into the studio to workout on the apparatus, and for when they were on vacation.

In reality…
We know that 3 one-hour private sessions per week are not possible for many people’s schedule or budget. This is why our studio offers 30 and 45-minute sessions in addition to the traditional hour, semi-private sessions and why we hold mat class.

Pilates is exercise that you can do at any stage in your life. While you should feel and see results fairly quickly, integrating a Pilates “routine” into your weekly schedule that is realistic for you to stick with long term is ideal. Feel free to talk with any of our instructors about a plan that works for you. No matter what your schedule or budget allows you to commit to, any Pilates you do is better than nothing!

Pilates before pregnancy
Starting Pilates before you are pregnant is ideal. Unlike many “ab workouts” that target just your surface muscles, Pilates works from the inside out! It gets your pelvic floor and deep abdominals pulling in and up! (Like Kegel exercises.) Strengthening all of these muscles before you are pregnant will help you throughout your pregnancy, delivery and postpartum recovery.

Pilates during pregnancy
As long as your Doctor has given you the “OK” to continue Pilates, it is perfectly safe to do throughout your entire pregnancy. Unfortunately, starting Pilates while pregnant is a no-no. Pilates is a very different, and deep way of working your abdominals and pelvic floor muscles from other types of workouts. It is important that you have learned to do this correctly before attempting to work this deeply in pregnancy. The good news is that Pilates is the perfect workout to get your tummy tight again after you have the baby. So even if it is too late to start now, it won’t be long before you can begin.

Every client is different, but in general we would suggest that throughout your pregnancy you take only private sessions and avoid semi-private or group classes. Every pregnancy is different, and the same person can have very different pregnancies. While pregnant, it is important for you to have 100% of your instructor’s attention, as your body is changing so much so quickly. Loosening joints, changing center of balance, alignment and posture are things we will be watching to make sure you do not get injured. From day to day your body may feel very different, which makes it even more important to communicate with your instructor so your workout can be modified for your body for that day. Once you have your baby, your instructor will let you know when a group class is appropriate.

Postpartum Pilates
Pilates is great after either natural or c-section delivery. After pregnancy Pilates will: help postpartum pelvic floor weakness and incontinence, correct postural issues that may have developed during pregnancy, strengthen your entire body to help prepare you for lifting and carrying your new baby, car seat, etc., help speed up your recovery by exercising, which promotes sleep and minimizes depression, give you an energy boost to help manage your hectic new schedule, and give you a little time just for you! In addition, Pilates breathing technique increases oxygen and blood flow, which can promote faster healing after a complication.

Both Pilates and Yoga are methods of body conditioning that focus on strength and flexibility. Joseph Pilates was interested in Yoga and based many of his exercises on Yoga postures and principles. Pilates uses apparatus in addition to exercises done on a mat. When Pilates mat work is done properly, your muscles are working with resistance. However, this can be hard to feel, and the apparatus helps you to do that.

Clothing & Accessories
Unworn clothing with tags attached may be returned within 14 days of purchase for store credit.

Class Packages
Unused classes that have not expired may be exchanged for a credit to your Reform Pilates account, or transferred to another individual’s account. Account credits may be used in our retail store or can be applied to any Pilates package.