Workouts & exercises
Reformer warm-up routine
The short answer
A good reformer warm-up takes five to eight minutes: breathing and pelvic tilts on the carriage, footwork through all foot positions, bridging, and leg circles in straps. The aim is to move every joint you are about to load, not to raise heart rate.
Warm-up is rehearsal, not cardio
For Pilates specifically, the useful warm-up is one that moves each joint through the range the session will demand and re-establishes the connection between breath, pelvis and ribcage. Raising your heart rate is incidental.
This is why five minutes of footwork prepares you better for a reformer session than five minutes on a bike.
The routine
All of this happens on the carriage with minimal setup change, so it flows straight into the main session.
- Supine breathing with pelvic tilts — no springs, 10 breaths
- Footwork, all foot positions — 3–4 springs, 8 reps each
- Bridging on the footbar — 3 springs, 8 reps
- Leg circles in straps — 1 spring, 5 each direction
- Arm circles supine in straps — 1 spring, 5 each direction
What to notice while warming up
The warm-up is where you find out what kind of session this is going to be. A hip that feels restricted in leg circles, or a shoulder that catches in arm circles, tells you where to modify before you load it.
Teachers use the warm-up this way as an assessment. Training alone, the same information is available if you pay attention to it.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to warm up before reformer Pilates?
- Yes, but briefly — five to eight minutes of movement through the ranges you are about to load. Raising heart rate is not the objective.
- Can I use footwork as a warm-up?
- It is the best single warm-up on the machine. It moves the ankles, knees and hips through range under light load and establishes carriage control.
- Should I stretch before Pilates?
- Static stretching beforehand is unnecessary and can slightly reduce control. Move through range instead and save longer holds for the end.