What I Learned When I Traded the Gym for a Pilates Reformer in My Living Room - Fittux

What I Learned When I Traded the Gym for a Pilates Reformer in My Living Room

For years, I was deep in gym culture.

 

Lifting heavy, sweating hard, loud playlists at 6am — that was the standard. And for a while, I liked the structure of it. Until I didn’t.


I started skipping sessions. Not out of laziness, but because I was burned out. I was tired of the stress, the commute, and trying to force myself through workouts that didn’t feel good anymore.


That’s when I found something I didn’t expect to love: a Pilates reformer.

 

A Quiet Shift

 

I’d seen a pilates reformer online before. It looked more like a hospital bed than a workout machine. Straps, rails, springs — I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But I kept seeing people talk about how good it was for posture, core strength, and low-impact movement, so I gave it a go.


One YouTube video and a few clumsy reps later, I could already feel the difference. It wasn’t intense in the way I was used to, but it was engaging — and more importantly, it felt good.


No pressure, no noise. Just focused, controlled movement. I kept coming back to it, and before long, it replaced the gym entirely.

 

From High-Intensity to Low-Impact Strength


What surprised me most was how challenging it could be — in a totally different way. You’re not throwing weights around. You’re holding, gliding, breathing, stabilising.


It forces you to focus. And that focus creates real strength — not just physically, but mentally too.


It’s like resistance training and mindfulness decided to work together.

 

My Reformer Routine (and Why It Works)

 

A typical 40-minute session looks something like this:

 

  • Core: roll-downs, crunches, slow oblique twists

  • Upper body: rows, strap presses, back flys

  • Lower body: glute bridges, leg presses, inner thigh pulses

  • Stretching: flowing hamstring stretches, hip mobility, spine articulation

 

There’s no impact on the joints, no complicated setup, and no excuses. When the reformer’s already set up in the room, it’s easy to show up — even on low-energy days.

 

The Reformer I Use

 

This is the exact pilates reformer. It’s sturdy, smooth, and easy to store, even in a smaller space. It doesn’t take over the room, and it looks clean enough that I don’t feel like I’m living in a gym.


What matters more than the brand or look is that I use it consistently. That’s something I could never say about my old rowing machine or gym membership.

 

What Changed For Me

 

 

  1. Better posture – I catch myself sitting straighter at my desk without thinking.

  2. Stronger core – I’ve trained my core more in the past month than a year of planks.

  3. Mental clarity – It’s become my reset, not just a workout.

  4. No more excuses – With the reformer 3 feet away, skipping workouts isn’t so easy.

 

And most importantly: I actually enjoy training again. That’s something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

 

If You’re Considering a Change

 

You don’t need to quit the gym or follow a routine that burns you out. If you’re looking for something calmer, more sustainable, and surprisingly effective — a reformer might be the move.


You don’t need to be flexible. You don’t need to know pilates terms. You just need a bit of floor space, a reformer, and the willingness to try something different.


Another item that has really helped keep me in shape is this 20 kg adjustable dumbbell set.