The Reformer, Done Right
Pilates on the Reformer Downtown Montreal
At MTLPILATES, Reformer work is about gaining control through the repertoire—moving through each level with precision. Every exercise is loaded, sequenced, and cued with intention: springs calibrated to challenge without compensation, movement built from the center out. Full-body work—core, alignment, strength, control—led by instructors trained to help you evolve.
Why cross-training other apparatus improves your skills on the Reformer
Cross-training across the Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel, and Mat highlights blind spots the moving carriage can mask. Static apparatus like the Chair demands pure vertical stability and unilateral control, while the Cadillac isolates spinal articulation. Mastering these fundamentals transfers directly back to the Reformer, deepening your control, power, and movement efficiency.
The Pilates apparatus system was designed to work as an integrated whole. Where the Reformer provides dynamic feedback through a gliding carriage, the Wunda Chair exposes asymmetries and demands intense core stabilization with a smaller base of support. The Cadillac offers stable grounding to deconstruct complex movement patterns and refine joint mechanics.
By training across the complete system at MTLPILATES, you build genuine full-body resilience. When you return to the Reformer, your alignment is cleaner, your recruitment is more precise, and your ability to control the carriage is dramatically heightened.
Who the Reformer is for
The downtown professional
Undoing a seated day, posture, back and neck, strength without the gym. Early-morning and lunchtime classes fit around a 9-to-6.
The rehab or prenatal client
Spring support makes the Reformer gentle and precise, ideal alongside physiotherapy, or adapted trimester by trimester in privates.
The curious beginner
No experience or flexibility needed. Foundations, Reformer Level 1/2, is open to everyone and there is nothing to pass to get in.
What happens in a Reformer session
- 01
Settle & set springs
Your instructor sets the spring load for your body and the day, and checks in on anything that needs care.
- 02
Warm the spine
Gentle, controlled movement on the carriage to mobilise the spine and wake up the deep core.
- 03
Full-body sequence
A progressive sequence, legs, arms, core and back, with hands-on adjustments in a small group.
- 04
Lengthen & finish
Stretch and stabilise to close, leaving you taller and looser rather than exhausted.
Reformer formats & pricing
Reformer Foundations
The entry point, and the answer to whether you are fit enough. No experience, no flexibility, nothing to pass. Plan on 4 to 12 classes here, mixed with Chair & Barrel, before you move up.
- Reformer
50 minLevel 1/2, open to everyone$33 per classTaxes extra
All-Level Reformer
Requires a minimum of five classes and a good body awareness. Exercises are layered with variations to meet a mix of experience levels. Pick the challenge that fits your strengths and body awareness. At this level, choose from themed classes like Slow Aging, Stability Flow, and Mobility.
- Reformer
50 minVaries by class$33 per classTaxes extra
Reformer, Level 3
At Level 3, the work intensifies. Balance is tested, planks are held, and transitions move with flow. Knowing your exercise names keeps you moving at tempo!
- Reformer
50 minLevel 3$33 per classTaxes extra
Levels beyond Reformer
Moving past Level 3 requires a full-system practice. Wunda Chair and Ladder Barrel aren’t supplements here—they’re how you build the cross-references the repertoire depends on, and access physical challenges no single apparatus can offer alone. This level assumes fluency across the whole method, not just the Reformer.
- Reformer
- Wunda Chair
- Ladder Barrel
- Cadillac
- Mat
50 minFully tailored$100 per sessionTaxes extra
MTLPILATES — Progression
Built one block at a time.
Each level sits on the one below it. Reformer and Chair & Barrel are laid side by side through Level 3 — from Level 4, Chair & Barrel is a prerequisite, and Level 5 demands broad knowledge across the full apparatus system.
Reformer Track
Level 5
Reformer Master Repertoire
Full System Track
Full System
All Apparatus Mastery
This level demands a broad knowledge of the full system—private lessons are required to eventually gain access.
Reformer Track
Level 4
Reformer Advanced
Chair & Barrel Track
Required
Chair & Barrel Prerequisite
Chair & Barrel is no longer a companion track — it's a standing prerequisite to hold your place in Reformer and advance through the repertoire.
Reformer Track
Level 3
Reformer Flow & Power
Chair & Barrel Track
3.5
Chair & Barrel
Past this point, the tracks stop running in parallel. Chair & Barrel becomes a prerequisite to advance in Reformer — not a level to keep pace with.
Reformer Track
All Level
Reformer Repertoire
Chair & Barrel Track
2.5
Chair & Barrel
Level Repertoire
Broaden your vocabulary with themed Reformer classes (Arms & Abs, Glutes & Core, Slow Aging, Flows) while deepening stability on Chair & Barrel.
Reformer Track
Foundations
Reformer Level 1/2
Chair & Barrel Track
1.5
Chair & Barrel
Level Repertoire
The foundation for everything. Learn spring mechanics, breathing, and precise pelvic/spinal alignment with zero intimidation.
Contemporary Pilates rooted in the authentic repertoire
01–05 Level ProgressionGood to know
Reformer questions
What are the benefits of Pilates?
Pilates improves posture by strengthening the deep core and spinal muscles, enhancing alignment and body awareness, increasing flexibility and spinal mobility, reducing neck and back pain and injury risk, and improving balance for everyday tasks. Most clinical programs showing measurable gains run 6 to 12 weeks with 2 to 3 supervised sessions per week.
Do I need experience to start Pilates at MTLPILATES?
No. Foundations, Reformer Level 1/2, is open to everyone, with no experience and no flexibility required. The studio recommends 4 to 12 classes at that level, mixed with Chair & Barrel, before moving up. The themed All Level classes each set their own entry: some ask for around five Reformer classes behind you, while Slow Aging is open to all ages and levels. Each class page says which.
What Pilates apparatus does MTLPILATES have?
MTLPILATES teaches the full apparatus system as intended: Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel and Mat, plus Spine Corrector, Pedipull and Spine Fitter. The Oov, a tool created by an Australian osteopath to activate the deepest stabilizing muscles, is used in group classes as well, in Chair & Oov & Props and in Oov & Mat. The Cadillac is taught in private sessions only. Working across the full system develops a more balanced and resilient practice.
Ready to start? Your first classes are $85.
Three classes plus one free, or three private sessions for $225. Book online in minutes, no sales call.