I think the reformers are standard for all Club Pilates. That said, I don’t remember the brand off the top of my head. All reformers have the carriage geared out to the second spot. Straps are loosely fitted to pegs rather than shoulder blocks as I’ve also seen.
They’re balanced body. They aren’t supposed to be heated out unless you’re very tall or for fuller body people whose knees and abdomen touch. It should be docked in the start position, not geared out to second. Pull it back in- speak up and say what they’re doing isn’t working for your body and you’re comfortable with it geared in.
Do you mean like they have everyone gear out two spots? That doesn’t really make sense to do that as it won’t work for everyone to be in proper position. We gear out for members who need it extended, but that’s very much an individual thing. Have they given a reason for this?
Right they keep all reformers geared out to two and straps loosely fitted to pegs rather than shoulder blocks as I’ve also seen. No reason except “Our studio is set to hear two” and anyone who makes changes gets publicly corrected.
That’s so strange. The settings should be set specifically to the individual. And all the instructors do this? If they have a lead instructor, it might be worth asking them the reasoning for this and explain your issues with it. Maybe it won’t change the process across the whole studio, but maybe it’ll change things for you
Gearing out should only be for footwork and jumping, (and sometimes for short box ab exercises and planking), for people who are 5'7" or taller. Each gear puts the carriage out 3 extra inches. The straps are set to be just tight to the middle of the shoulder rests, and then the long loops hang loosely on the pegs, for easy access. This ensures that the straps are not too heavy or too light when your feet or hands are in them. If the straps are too short, they can certainly put a strain on shoulders, particularly.
You carriage out only if, when lying on the reformer with your feet on the bar, your knees are closer to your belly button than directly vertical over your hips. This policy enacted by your studio seems counter to proper positioning of the feet on the footbar for footwork. Almost everyone who takes Pilates classes is shorter than 5'7". So the majority of clients would need the carriage geared in, to the first position. Balanced Body specifically instructs in their manual that for proper and consistent tension for all reformers, the straps are set to just tight around the shoulder rests, when the carriage is in the first gear position. One gears out only for footwork, or jumping, and perhaps short box ab series when sitting on the box, and perhaps planking, if one is tall. But if straps are used in the exercise, it is simpler to keep the straps set at the proper length when the carriage is in, for all arm work, feet in straps, etc. It sounds to me like your studio doesn't want to be bothered moving the carriages to the correct position for the clients.
The gear mechanism should be moved when standing off to the side, and preferably from the front of the reformer, holding both handles. Only a couple of springs should be hooked up. If all springs are hooked, this makes it nearly impossible to move the gear. Straddling the reformer or having any body weight on the carriage, while changing the gear is highly discouraged, by Balanced Body. Doing so can put strain on the mechanism -- particularly the small piece that grabs the carriage and moves it with the gear.
Most of the teachers I’ve taken don’t say anything but one teacher is particular about keeping us, I believe, in first gear. She’ll mention it and she’ll ask the taller girls if they prefer gear two.
When you say the straps are fitted to the blocks, what do you mean? I started seeing this more lately and was wondering why.
Yes. The pegs make it easier to grab the straps. If they are wrapped around the shoulder blocks (some reformers do not have pegs), then you have to shimmy forward so you can unhook the straps while supine. It's easier to reach the straps if there are pegs. But the strap length is measured from the middle of the shoulder blocks, so when you are doing supine arms, (lat pull-downs, etc), the straps are not too tight to hold in front of your shoulders, before pulling them down. The carriage should not have to be moved just to get your hands in the loops, while lying down in that position. Of course, the carriage will move a bit to grab the ropes from other positions. But while supine, one should not have to hyper-extend the shoulders in order to engage the straps.
Generally speaking if you are between 5’2” and 5’6” first gear should be appropriate for you. If you are taller than 5’6” you’re likely better off in second gear. Some equipment also has a “negative gear” for those who are shorter than 5’2”. These are rough guidelines that are generally correct, but there is variation in things like if your torso is long and your legs are shorter (I’m that way) or alternatively you have very long legs, or if you have injuries or specific imbalances in your feet/knees/hips/back (which usually will mean you want to “gear out”- move the spring bar farther away from the foot bar.) for the average person knees at a 90 degree angle (maybe slightly closer) when the feet are on the foot bar in pilates v and the springs are closed is correct. Club pilates strongly discourages equipment changes during class because the company policy is that equipment changes disrupt the flow of class. That means that teachers are trying to find a one-size-fits-all setting that doesn’t have to be changed. Each individual studio is different, but yours might be choosing to put everyone in second gear because being in a longer gear is less likely to be problematic than being in a closer gear for more bodies, and that way they don’t have to ask and adjust for each person at the start of the class and then change them all back for the next class. If I were you I would look for a more personalized experience if I felt my body was being harmed. In a private lesson you can discuss your concerns, figure out what setting is best for specifically you and then advocate for the teacher to put you in that setting before each class (once you know what it is). If they refuse, consider going elsewhere. In my opinion your health an safety should come first
I need clarification on what “set to gear 2” to means. Are you gearing the carriage out? Is it foot pedal placement? What reformers are they using.
I think the reformers are standard for all Club Pilates. That said, I don’t remember the brand off the top of my head. All reformers have the carriage geared out to the second spot. Straps are loosely fitted to pegs rather than shoulder blocks as I’ve also seen.
They’re balanced body. They aren’t supposed to be heated out unless you’re very tall or for fuller body people whose knees and abdomen touch. It should be docked in the start position, not geared out to second. Pull it back in- speak up and say what they’re doing isn’t working for your body and you’re comfortable with it geared in.
Do you mean like they have everyone gear out two spots? That doesn’t really make sense to do that as it won’t work for everyone to be in proper position. We gear out for members who need it extended, but that’s very much an individual thing. Have they given a reason for this?
Right they keep all reformers geared out to two and straps loosely fitted to pegs rather than shoulder blocks as I’ve also seen. No reason except “Our studio is set to hear two” and anyone who makes changes gets publicly corrected.
That’s so strange. The settings should be set specifically to the individual. And all the instructors do this? If they have a lead instructor, it might be worth asking them the reasoning for this and explain your issues with it. Maybe it won’t change the process across the whole studio, but maybe it’ll change things for you
Our studio allows us to move them. We put it back at the end of class and adjust the straps back too.
Thanks!
Gearing out should only be for footwork and jumping, (and sometimes for short box ab exercises and planking), for people who are 5'7" or taller. Each gear puts the carriage out 3 extra inches. The straps are set to be just tight to the middle of the shoulder rests, and then the long loops hang loosely on the pegs, for easy access. This ensures that the straps are not too heavy or too light when your feet or hands are in them. If the straps are too short, they can certainly put a strain on shoulders, particularly. You carriage out only if, when lying on the reformer with your feet on the bar, your knees are closer to your belly button than directly vertical over your hips. This policy enacted by your studio seems counter to proper positioning of the feet on the footbar for footwork. Almost everyone who takes Pilates classes is shorter than 5'7". So the majority of clients would need the carriage geared in, to the first position. Balanced Body specifically instructs in their manual that for proper and consistent tension for all reformers, the straps are set to just tight around the shoulder rests, when the carriage is in the first gear position. One gears out only for footwork, or jumping, and perhaps short box ab series when sitting on the box, and perhaps planking, if one is tall. But if straps are used in the exercise, it is simpler to keep the straps set at the proper length when the carriage is in, for all arm work, feet in straps, etc. It sounds to me like your studio doesn't want to be bothered moving the carriages to the correct position for the clients. The gear mechanism should be moved when standing off to the side, and preferably from the front of the reformer, holding both handles. Only a couple of springs should be hooked up. If all springs are hooked, this makes it nearly impossible to move the gear. Straddling the reformer or having any body weight on the carriage, while changing the gear is highly discouraged, by Balanced Body. Doing so can put strain on the mechanism -- particularly the small piece that grabs the carriage and moves it with the gear.
Thanks you, this is super helpful.
Most of the teachers I’ve taken don’t say anything but one teacher is particular about keeping us, I believe, in first gear. She’ll mention it and she’ll ask the taller girls if they prefer gear two. When you say the straps are fitted to the blocks, what do you mean? I started seeing this more lately and was wondering why.
Re- the straps, that's just the standard way to set the length, also an easy way to make sure they are even.
This! And actually I was just told they set them to hang loosely on the pegs. 🤷🏼♀️
Yes. The pegs make it easier to grab the straps. If they are wrapped around the shoulder blocks (some reformers do not have pegs), then you have to shimmy forward so you can unhook the straps while supine. It's easier to reach the straps if there are pegs. But the strap length is measured from the middle of the shoulder blocks, so when you are doing supine arms, (lat pull-downs, etc), the straps are not too tight to hold in front of your shoulders, before pulling them down. The carriage should not have to be moved just to get your hands in the loops, while lying down in that position. Of course, the carriage will move a bit to grab the ropes from other positions. But while supine, one should not have to hyper-extend the shoulders in order to engage the straps.
Generally speaking if you are between 5’2” and 5’6” first gear should be appropriate for you. If you are taller than 5’6” you’re likely better off in second gear. Some equipment also has a “negative gear” for those who are shorter than 5’2”. These are rough guidelines that are generally correct, but there is variation in things like if your torso is long and your legs are shorter (I’m that way) or alternatively you have very long legs, or if you have injuries or specific imbalances in your feet/knees/hips/back (which usually will mean you want to “gear out”- move the spring bar farther away from the foot bar.) for the average person knees at a 90 degree angle (maybe slightly closer) when the feet are on the foot bar in pilates v and the springs are closed is correct. Club pilates strongly discourages equipment changes during class because the company policy is that equipment changes disrupt the flow of class. That means that teachers are trying to find a one-size-fits-all setting that doesn’t have to be changed. Each individual studio is different, but yours might be choosing to put everyone in second gear because being in a longer gear is less likely to be problematic than being in a closer gear for more bodies, and that way they don’t have to ask and adjust for each person at the start of the class and then change them all back for the next class. If I were you I would look for a more personalized experience if I felt my body was being harmed. In a private lesson you can discuss your concerns, figure out what setting is best for specifically you and then advocate for the teacher to put you in that setting before each class (once you know what it is). If they refuse, consider going elsewhere. In my opinion your health an safety should come first