When studying Pilates with Romana many years ago, the sure thing was that in any given session, I would do both mat and reformer work. Even if I did the entire reformer sequence, she would still have me get on the mat and do the ab series or a few teasers. And since my legs could use some slimming, leg springs were often prescribed on the Cadillac.
What I love about the Contrology Reformer with Tower is that you can do everything on one compact apparatus. It is perfect for those who have space limitations. Why limit yourself to only the reformer work when you could add the mat and most Cadillac exercises, too?
The Pilates Method is a system. That is a carefully selected series of exercises on various apparatus to keep the body challenged and in balance. Here are some of my favorite things about the Contrology Reformer with Tower.
The Reformer
Foam
This fantastic reformer has dense foam on the carriage bed and long/short box, giving you the feedback you need to truly feel where your body is on the apparatus.
Magic Divots
A portion of the foam is missing on the carriage in front of each shoulder block. This allows you to dig your heels deeply into the carriage for exercises like the elephant and the long back stretch. The magic divots let your feet hug the contoured shoulder blocks in the knee stretch series.
Lower Footbar
The lower angle of the footbar immediately gets you into your center (without additional cueing). It’s like magic!
The Mat
The one-piece drop-in mat conversion provides seamless support and cushioning. You remove the shoulder blocks from the carriage and drop them in the mat pad. (The carriage remains as half of the mat surface.) The foam is the same thin, dense, and resilient foam as the carriage and the short/long box. You can even add the optional dowels to the mat for exercises like the rollover, the corkscrew, and the swan dive.
The Tower
The arm and leg springs are sure to give you a challenge. You can attach them to the tower’s back side for more leg, arm, and balance challenges. And there’s the wooden push-thru and roll-down bars to challenge your flexibility and strength.
