What to expect at your first reformer Pilates class in Glasgow

Booking your first reformer class is the hardest part. The machine looks like it belongs in a science lab, everyone on Instagram seems to already know what they're doing, and "dynamic reformer flow" sounds like something you need a qualification for. So here's exactly what happens at your first class with us — no mystery, no jargon.

First: what actually is a reformer?

A reformer is a padded bed on a sliding carriage, connected to a set of springs. The springs are the whole magic of it — they add resistance when you want to work harder, and support when you need help. That's why the same machine suits a complete beginner and someone who's trained for years: we just change the springs.

Ours are Align-Pilates reformers — 4 of them, which is the entire studio. There is no "back row" to hide in, and that's the point: with a maximum of 4 people, I can see every single rep and set every machine up personally.

Before you arrive

• Book a Beginner Group Class on Momence (online or in the app). It's the same reformer work, taken slower and fully guided.
• Wear leggings or shorts and a top you can move in — nothing baggy that can catch in the springs.
• Wear grip socks — they're required for all sessions. Any socks with grips on the sole keep you steady on the carriage and footbar.
• Arrive about ten minutes early. That's when I'll set your reformer up, ask about any injuries, and answer the "is this going to be terrifying?" question. (It isn't.)

What the class itself feels like

We start lying down — genuinely, the first thing you'll do is lie on your back with your feet on the footbar, pressing the carriage out and in. It's called footwork, and it teaches you how the springs feel before anything clever happens. From there a beginner class usually moves through bridging, some arm work with the straps, and core work — all slow, all controlled, all with me talking you through exactly where your body should be.

Nobody is watching you. That's the honest advantage of a 4-person studio: everyone is too busy concentrating on their own carriage, and I'm coaching each person individually. If something doesn't feel right, we change the spring, change the position, or change the exercise. Nothing in the class is compulsory.

Will I be sore the next day?

Probably a little, in muscles you didn't know you had — reformer Pilates finds the small stabilising muscles that day-to-day life ignores. It should be the satisfying kind of ache, not pain. Most people find it eases quickly, and it fades as your body gets used to the work.

How often should you come?

Once a week builds familiarity; twice a week is where most people start noticing changes in strength and posture. That's exactly why our Intro Offer is 3 classes for £60 (one per person) — 3 visits is enough to stop thinking about the machine and start feeling the work.

Where we are

The studio is inside House of NAF at 19 Elmbank Street, Glasgow G2 4PB — three minutes' walk from Charing Cross Station, with on-street parking on Elmbank Street and Charing Cross Car Park two minutes away. Have a look at the FAQ for everything else, from what to wear to what happens if you have an injury.