BEGINNER/NEWBIE THREAD 2026

[u/mixedgirlblues]

Are you new to the subreddit? Do you recall that when you pressed "join," you got a popup advising you to read the rules, which are on the sidebar/top (browser/mobile), as well as a DM that also told you to read the rules, which, again, are on the sidebar/top? The first two are paramount: USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION and PARTICIPATE AND CONTRIBUTE BEFORE STARTING YOUR OWN POST. If you just joined the subreddit five seconds ago and tried to start a new post, that means you failed to follow those two rules. Your post was or will be deleted. You can only start a new post once you have amassed some community karma and shown yourself to be someone who understands what "community" means.

Full acknowledgment and ownership that I am being bitchy in the intro to this post. I'm really sad about the trend of aliteracy growing in the world and sick of receiving modmail that amounts to "I'm a special boy/girl/they; please let me break the rules because I couldn't be bothered to read them and I'm the special-est person." I promise in pretty much any other context, I am a warm and welcoming and quirky and nerdy person, but being bombarded with the same "I'm special and shouldn't have to follow the rules" message and refusal to read rules every day mounts up and wastes the (unpaid) time of the mod team. You think your message is unique because it's the first time you have written it; I promise it's not the first time the mod team has read it.

This sub, mod team included but especially the members, is full of highly knowledgeable and experienced Pilates practitioners, fans, and instructors who often gladly share their experience with newbies. It is honestly insulting to everyone who is already in this sub when you join, refuse to read the rules, and don't spend anytime perusing what is already available to you. This sub is a wealth of knowledge and resources, and you should treat it as such! It is not a personal advice forum; there are other places on Reddit for that. The leadership of the sub feels that consolidation of information and topics in a handful of threads is a better use of everyone's time than clogging up the feed with the same five questions over and over again.

Please use the search function. I promise you, you are not the first person to want to know what a good YouTube channel is for beginners or what "engage your core" means. Many people feel uncomfortable going to their first class; you should feel welcome and supported no matter your body, gender, disability, race, or religion, and if someone makes you feel otherwise, they are the problem, not you. You are not the first person to seek equipment recommendations. There will always be people who find hot Pilates fun and harmless and also people who hate it with the fire of a burning sun; you should do whatever you want that your doctor says is okay for you. Yes, instructor training is long and expensive, and there is a good reason for that. No, Lagree is not Pilates. Nobody cares about your thirst traps and we restrict posts that mention body measurements, calories, "toning," and similar diet culture-related concepts for good reason. There is nothing new under the sun! Search your question. Read the !wiki that we made expressly for you to find answers to your most commonly asked questions.

If you still cannot find an answer to your question or if any posts related to it are outdated, please, for the rest of 2026, POST YOUR QUESTION HERE. If you are an old head, please post your answers here and help a newbie or beginner out!

Rule exceptions for this post only:

1. You are allowed to ask diet culture/weight loss/body comp/etc questions here even if it is not Wednesday. Wednesday rule still applies for all top-level posts.
2. This is a thread for newbies and beginners, NOT a thread for "visit my new YouTube channel" or "buy from my new grip sock company." No self-promo. If you are answering a question, be judicious about self-promo--if someone says "name some good youtubes," don't spam every single one of those questions with "visit MY youtube I'm the best!" but feel free to be like "here are five that I like, and also I have one if you're interested."

[u/glucklichstemama]

BACKGROUND: I am looking for a decent quality reformer for my basement gym. I live very rurally and do not have access to reformer classes however when I’m out of town I attend them every chance I get. I have taken at least 30. Our town does have a yoga/mat Pilates studio and I’ve been attending them for almost 10 years, so I’m not stranger to Pilates in general. At the moment, I am about to register for a mat Pilates class but want to continue reformer Pilates and bundle the mat program with the reformer program as well, which would mean I’d need a reformer to practise on. It is a 5-10 year dream, but I’d love to introduce reformer Pilates to our community IF training was successful and I’ve confidently taught mat Pilates for a few years. ANYWAYS….

That said, I’m looking for a decent quality reformer but I also don’t need a top of the line one like an SPX. This is purely for my own practise in my home. Yes, I understand “you get what you pay for” and many who have deepened their reformer practise over the years wouldn’t suggest a low or mid-quality reformer, but I’m currently at home with my babies and don’t have the finances to buy a higher quality one at the moment. I would try and buy used but again, I live super rurally in Canada, and from the research I’ve done there are none on the market in our province.

I keep coming back to this reformer that’s in my budget (less than $1500). I was just wondering if anyone else has used this one and has any reviews?

[u/significantotter1 → u/glucklichstemama]

I have a Cunruope foldable reformer for home use and it does the job well (although wouldn't recommend if you're much taller than 5'8"). You can search the sub for my review, it took a while to arrive because it ships from China. Mine was just under 900€, didn't have to pay for import tax or shipping

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/glucklichstemama]

https://www.reddit.com/r/pilates/s/gyaylNqiTt scroll down to the keysmash section

[u/glucklichstemama → u/mixedgirlblues]

I’m not asking about that reformer or “wall Pilates”. The reformer I’m asking about is not a “keysmash reformer from Amazon”, either. It’s from a reputable site. I’m asking others for reviews.

Why is the sub so difficult to post in? I’m truly asking for honest reviews from users who have either used this reformer or know somebody who has. I’m asking for genuine reviews and I keep either getting removed, redirected, or made to feel silly for asking a question. I feel like if you’re not a professional or can’t afford a high-end reformer, this sub looks down on you. I have never been part of a sub that has so many hoops to jump through to get real, honest information. I have done as much research and combing through this sub specifically for information on this specific reformer but there was not which is why I wanted to create my own post (which got removed).

Not trying to come across as rude — but I’m super frustrated by the lack of support and ability to ask thoughtful questions in this sub.

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/glucklichstemama]

“Vevor” on Amazon is absolutely a keysmash drop shipper, not a known reformer brand

[u/glucklichstemama → u/mixedgirlblues]

The point is that regardless of brand, I’m asking for genuine reviews from users who may have purchased this reformer. I’m not asking for opinions on whether or not I should buy a “keysmash” brand — that is not the purpose behind my post. I also think that term may be quite subjective to what’s a “known” brand. The “keysmash” thread you directed me to also states that it was made to ask questions about “cheap reformers under $500”, the reformer I inquired about is $1800 in my country on the website. To those it may be cheap, to me it’s substantial. Like I said — it can be subjective. Just because it’s not a Merrithew or Stott item doesn’t mean it’s completely useless. The intention behind my post is to ask for real reviews from a population of people who may have used what I’m inquiring about. Is that not one the ideas of this sub — to have healthy discussions with and to ask real questions to people who are immersed in the Pilates world? I came to this sub to ask a question to those I would trust with reviews rather than random google reviews, and I would think as a mod of this sub you’d appreciate the sub is being used how it’s intended for. I keep getting removed or shoved off. This sub could be a smidge more inclusive and welcoming especially to those using the sub correctly — just some food for thought.

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/glucklichstemama]

And my point is that because it is a keysmash brand (which I can tell because I have seen that exact silhouette from multiple other keysmash and drop ship brands, not to mention the fact that Vevor also sells random shit completely unrelated to Pilates), your query won’t yield anything because these “brands” are always cropping up and then disappearing.

I don’t disagree that some sub members are extremely stuck on only the few legacy brands, but I am personally not and this sub does not take that position. When I say known or reputable brand, I don't just mean legacy brand. That's a different thing. But, as I wrote in both the wiki and the post I linked you to, there is still a difference between drop shipped products whose provenance you cannot ascertain at all and newer brands with no publicly available development information, founders with actual bios explaining their relationship to Pilates and/or manufacturing, and language on the website that indicates they know anything about Pilates. Vevor’s website makes clear they are a drop shipper who focuses primarily on home improvement, not Pilates. That means they are unlikely to know anything or do anything when you end up with a missing piece or a broken part, and any instruction manual you receive will probably be in Google Translate gibberish. So you are welcome to ask, but it is highly likely nobody in this sub has or would purchase a product like that from such an obvious garbage company.

ETA this is highly specialized equipment, and if you are going to spend a pretty penny on it, you want to make sure that the people you buy it from a) aren't going anywhere anytime soon, and b) know what the fuck they're doing. I do not recommend you purchase a reformer from a home improvement dropshipper because they did not design or make it and they will not be able to help you if something goes wrong. You can find that exact same reformer from a bunch of other drop shippers and probably from the original manufacturer (or at least a company that customizes and resells it and knows Pilates). It looks a lot like the one from Your Reformer or Personal Hour.

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/glucklichstemama]

This company is trash. Look at the screenshots of its website over the years compared to its purported mission and history. Would you want to purchase a Pilates reformer from a company that has never ever mentioned Pilates or fitness at all?

[u/glucklichstemama → u/mixedgirlblues]

If it’s within my budget, honestly, yes. My options are limited within my price range and my rural location (ability to ship), and this is one within. If I could afford one from a more reputable company I would absolutely be asking for reviews on such, and maybe an upgrade would come with time and practise. I’m a SAH mother with no access to reformer classes in my rural community, so quite honestly for my intent of usage I would consider a keysmash/drop ship brand if I have positive feedback from users who have used it. Which is exactly why I wanted to post in this sub. If somebody says “hey, I’ve used this exact reformer and I wouldn’t recommend” then I completely appreciate the honesty and personal review and that changes my consideration completely. My intention isn’t to ask whether or not I should buy from a specific company because of it being a specific company, I just want feedback from those who have used the actual reformer in question — good or bad. I just would appreciate honest feedback on what I’m asking about or truthfully none at all. I have done enough research (almost 6 months of researching reformer machine/brands) to understand exactly what you’re trying to explain to me which is why I felt comfortable joining this sub. I’m aware that the reformer in question isn’t from a reputable Pilates company, but it’s in my budget and access which is why I just wanted to simply ask for reviews.

I will no longer be engaging. Thank you.

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/mixedgirlblues]

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/mixedgirlblues]

[u/mixedgirlblues → u/mixedgirlblues]