Pilates - equipment at home

If you do Pilates, do you also have equipment at home? Any of the larger pieces, like a reformer, chair or spine corrector? Any favorite toys?

I've been thinking about getting a reformer or a chair for work at home. I previously took classes twice a week for about 5 years at an excellent classical Pilates studio in Seattle, where they really encouraged us to be able to work independently through a routine. We were responsible for knowing the sequence of the exercises, and if I needed to do a modification for my injury or fitness level or body type, I was responsible for knowing how to do it, once an instructor had showed it to me. Instructors would be available to spot us or mix things up to keep it interesting in challenging.

Now I'm living in Edmonton and there are only a few classical Pilates instructors here. I've found a few people that I like working with, but it has been a challenge to schedule time in the studio. I feel like I'm not getting enough workouts in, and tired of only having matwork available to me at home (right now all I have is a Magic Circle and some small dumbells). I've only been able to get into five studio sessions since the beginning of the new year -- that's how few openings there are.

So I've been thinking about getting a reformer or chair to do work at home, so I can at least work out with some consistency, be able to do a greater variety of exercises on my own, and be able to bring more feedback into the few sessions that I've been able to schedule.

The studio I used to go to in Seattle had Gratz equipment, and in Edmonton I've been able to try Balanced Body and Peak. I would probably prefer Gratz and then Peak. They're all excellent but the expense is non-trivial. I've also seen a company called Stamina that seems to make a more affordable model but I'm not sure about the quality of the machine.

Do you have a reformer (or any of the larger equipment) at home? Which company made it? How do you feel about the quality of the machine vs. what you paid for it?

Oh how I would love to have a reformer! I make do with mat exercises for now. There are several studios in the city where I live, but none are convenient for me. My house is too small for a reformer, but I do want to get some magic circles. Enjoy your equipment!

. . . first I have to convince DH to let me spend the $$ . . . I will keep you posted!

Hey NB, can you get a swissball & a theraband? Reason for asking is...I always ask the dudes at my pilates studio how to do the certain exercises (reformer or chair) at home.

I don't know the name of the smallish ball but if you use it with the magic circle...tis way cool & hard :o

Oh yeah, I have a big red 55cm ball and every color of theraband from my PT. I suppose there might be ways to improvise some of the resistance of a reformer or chair with those. Do you know a good resource?

I'd have to ask the dudes at the studio but I can also ask our PT friend/flatmate.

:o I can visualize many of the things I do w the swissball etc but can only give vague descriptions on how etc...if that's ok :o

I'm good for ball exercises, my PT made sure of that!

What I'm really missing is the Pilates-specific apparatus moves. The instructors here tend to want to put me into a highly structured (and lower level) class, and in my old studio I was a bit beyond that, working autonomously for at least 1/3 of any hour I spent there. And I'm scared of forgetting what my instructors worked so hard to teach me because my new studios have me doing remedial work. Which can be good for a period but I feel that I'm ready to break away from it.