What they have in common
The principles are identical. Control, precision, breath, and moving from a strong middle. A good mat class and a good reformer class are teaching you the same thing, and a properly trained teacher can teach both.
Worth saying, because the way reformer gets talked about sometimes suggests it’s a different discipline altogether. It isn’t. It’s the same one with better tools.
Where they differ
- How adjustable it is
- On a mat your body weight sets the difficulty and you can’t change it. On a reformer the springs let us dial it up or down for you, exercise by exercise.
- Support
- The reformer can hold some of your weight, which puts certain movements within reach far sooner. On a mat you can either do the exercise or you work towards it.
- How many in the room
- Mat classes can be big. Reformer classes are capped by the number of beds, so you get more attention and you pay more for it.
- Cost
- Mat is considerably cheaper, and you can do it at home with no equipment whatsoever.
Reformeris easierto start
That surprises people, because the reformer is the one that looks advanced. But a beginner mat class asks you to hold your own body weight in positions you might not have the strength for yet. The reformer can lend you that strength while you build your own.
When mat is the better choice for you
If cost is what’s deciding it, mat wins outright. If you want something you can do at home, in a hotel room or in the garden, mat wins again. And if you’re already strong and confident in how you move, a good mat class is a proper workout that needs nothing but floor space.
We only teach reformer here, so that’s not us being modest. It’s just true.