What to Expect at Your First Pilates Class: Mat vs Reformer Explained

What Pilates actually is (Joseph Pilates, 1920s, 34 mat exercises)

Pilates is a movement method invented by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, originally called Contrology. The method has 34 mat exercises in its classical form, plus a separate reformer repertoire of roughly 50 to 100 movements. The focus is on the "powerhouse," which Joseph defined as the muscles of the abdomen, lower back, hips, glutes, and pelvic floor. Every movement originates from the powerhouse. The method emphasizes controlled, precise movement over high reps. A 50-minute mat class burns 175 to 375 calories for a 155-pound person, per the American Council on Exercise. A 50-minute reformer class burns 200 to 400, slightly more because of spring resistance. Pilates is not cardio. It is not strength training in the barbell sense. It is motor-control training that builds the deep stabilizer muscles most workouts skip. Read our Pilates vs yoga vs barre guide for how Pilates compares to its closest cousins before you pick a format.

Mat vs reformer: which to pick first

Start with mat. Mat Pilates is the original format, the cheapest, and the best place to learn the foundational movements. Mat classes run $20 to $35 drop-in and $100 to $180 monthly unlimited. Reformer classes run $35 to $55 drop-in and $200 to $350 monthly unlimited. That is 2 to 3 times the cost. The reformer is a spring-loaded carriage on rails that adds resistance and assistance, but it does not teach you anything the mat does not. The mat teaches you to use your own body weight. The reformer teaches you to use the springs. Both are valid. Mat first is cheaper and gives you the vocabulary. After 4 to 8 weeks of mat, try a reformer class. You will understand the cues faster and get more out of the reformer session. Lena, 32, in Chicago, took her first reformer class at Pure Pilates Chicago in January 2026 after 6 weeks of mat classes. She used the yellow (light) spring for footwork. By week 4 she was using the yellow plus the blue. By week 8 she was using red plus yellow. The progression would have been impossible without the mat foundation. Mat first. Reformer second. Always.

What to wear to your first Pilates class

Fitted clothes. The instructor needs to see your spine, your pelvis, and your ribcage to correct your form. Loose clothes hide everything. Fitted leggings or fitted capris. Fitted tank or fitted tee. Grip socks, mandatory at most studios. Grip socks have rubber dots on the sole that prevent slipping on the mat and on the reformer carriage. They cost $12 to $25 a pair. Most studios sell them at the front desk. No zippers, no buttons, no jewelry that dangles. Zippers and buttons scratch the reformer carriage, and studios will turn you away if you wear them to a reformer class. No belts. No hoodies. A sports bra with medium support. Hair tied back if it is long enough to get under your shoulders in reclined work. Skip perfume and cologne. The studio is a small enclosed space and the deep breathing of Pilates amplifies smells. Cost: a full Pilates outfit runs $80 to $150 if you buy mid-tier brands. Target and Athleta sell serviceable alternatives for $40 to $80 total. Read our what to wear to the gym guide for the broader wardrobe rules.

What to bring

Most studios provide mats, reformers, and all props. Bring water and a small towel. That is it. Do not bring your own mat to a reformer class, the reformer has its own surface. Do not bring your own props, the studio has them. Bring grip socks (or buy them at the front desk before class). Bring a water bottle with a closable lid. Open cups spill when the reformer carriage moves. Bring a small towel for hand sweat. Pilates does not produce the volume of sweat a HIIT class does, but you will sweat. Do not bring your phone into the studio. Most studios have a cubby area. Phones are a distraction to the instructor and to your fellow students. The 50 minutes without your phone is part of the practice. Lena, 32, made the mistake of leaving her phone in her reformer carriage cup holder during her first class. The instructor asked her to move it to the cubby. The carriage slid, the phone fell, the screen cracked. Pilates studios are not phone-friendly environments.

Studio etiquette: arrive 10 minutes early, grip socks on

Arrive 10 minutes early. First-time students need to fill out a waiver, meet the instructor, and get a brief orientation to the reformer if it is a reformer class. Late arrivals disrupt the warmup and many studios lock the door at class start. Put your grip socks on before you walk into the studio. Do not walk barefoot on the studio floor, even to set down your bag. Take off your shoes at the entrance. Most studios have a shoe rack. Silence your phone and put it in the cubby before the class starts. Do not bring water into the reformer area unless you have a closable bottle. Tell the instructor before class about any injuries, especially lower back, neck, shoulder, or knee issues. Pilates is generally safe for injuries, but the instructor needs to know what to modify. Do not wear perfume. Do not eat a heavy meal 90 minutes before class. Do bring a friend, Pilates is more fun with a partner. Read our how to read a gym class schedule guide to find the right level class before you book.

The structure of a typical mat class

A standard 50-minute Pilates mat class has 3 parts. Warmup (5 minutes): the hundred (a core-breathing exercise done lying on the back), plus shoulder bridges and gentle spinal articulation. Main sequence (40 minutes): a structured progression through the 34 classical mat exercises, modified for the class level. Beginner classes do 12 to 18 of the 34 exercises with modifications. Intermediate classes do 20 to 28. Advanced classes do all 34 in the classical order. Cooldown (5 minutes): gentle stretches, side-lying work, and a brief standing closure. Reformer class structure is similar but on the reformer: footwork (warmup on the reformer), abdominal series, arm work, leg work, and stretching. The reformer session is more equipment-dense and less linear than the mat. Both formats emphasize precision over speed. The instructor cues every breath. You will hear "exhale, scoop the abs, imprint the spine" more times than you can count. The repetition is the point.

The vocabulary you need

Pilates uses English with a few specific terms. The vocabulary is small. Powerhouse: the muscles of the abdomen, lower back, hips, glutes, and pelvic floor. The center of every movement. Neutral spine: the natural curve of the lower back, neither flattened nor arched. The default alignment for most exercises. Imprint: a slight posterior pelvic tilt, used to protect the lower back during leg lifts. Scoop: the action of drawing the navel toward the spine to engage the transversus abdominis. Engage: turn on a muscle. The instructor will cue "engage the powerhouse" constantly. Table-top: a position lying on the back with knees bent at 90 degrees, shins parallel to the floor. The starting position for many exercises. The hundred: the foundational warmup exercise, 100 arm pulses while holding the legs in table-top or extension. Shoulder bridge: a pelvic lift from supine, articulating the spine vertebra by vertebra. Swan: a prone back-extension exercise. The list is short. By class 3 you will know all of them.

The 6 things that will happen in your first class

Pilates first-class surprises, in the order you will hit them.

1. 1.Your abs will shake. The deep transversus abdominis is rarely worked this directly in other workouts. The shaking is normal and means you are doing it right.
2. 2.You will feel every vertebra. Spinal articulation (peeling the spine off the mat one bone at a time) is a new sensation. Most people have never moved their spine this way.
3. 3.Your neck may fatigue. The hundred and other abdominal exercises require holding the head off the mat. Neck fatigue is the number one beginner complaint. Tuck the chin and the strain drops.
4. 4.You will sweat less than you expected. Pilates is hard but not cardiovascular. The work is muscular and neurological. You will be tired without being drenched.
5. 5.You will be sore the next day in your deep core. Not your rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle). The deeper muscles below it. The soreness is mild and passes in 48 hours.
6. 6.You will be asked to breathe in a specific pattern. Pilates breath is lateral, into the ribs, not into the belly. It feels unnatural at first and natural by class 4.

Props you may use: magic circle, band, ball, roller

Pilates mat classes use props to add resistance, support, or challenge. The magic circle (also called the Pilates ring) is a flexible circular pad you squeeze between your knees or hands. It activates the inner thighs and the powerhouse. Resistance bands substitute for reformer springs in mat classes and add upper-body work. The small soft ball (9 inches) goes between the knees or under the lower back for support and challenge. The foam roller is used for myofascial release and for stability challenges (lying on the roller during footwork, for example). Reformer classes use the reformer itself, plus a box (for sitting and lying exercises), a foot bar (for footwork and pressing), straps (for arm and leg work), and the springs (which provide resistance from 2 to 40 pounds per spring, color-coded by tension). Yellow is lightest, then blue, then green, then red, then blue-grey is heaviest at most manufacturers. Lena, 32, started with yellow springs for footwork and progressed to yellow plus blue by week 4. The spring progression is the reformer version of adding weight to a barbell. It is measurable, slow, and satisfying.

Cost: mat drop-in $20 to $35, reformer $35 to $55

Pilates pricing in 2026 runs $20 to $35 for a mat drop-in class, $35 to $55 for a reformer drop-in, $100 to $180 monthly unlimited for mat, and $200 to $350 monthly unlimited for reformer. Boutique chains like Club Pilates offer membership models at $99 to $199 monthly for 4 to 8 reformer classes. Independent studios offer 10-class packs at $180 to $300 for mat and $350 to $500 for reformer. The break-even: if you attend 2 reformer classes a week, unlimited monthly is cheaper. If you attend once a week, a 10-class pack spread over 10 weeks is cheaper. Most studios offer a new-student special: 1 to 3 reformer classes for $30 to $60. Take it. Try 3 classes in 2 weeks. Find a teacher whose cueing you understand. Then commit to monthly. The honest opinion: Pilates is the most under-priced workout in fitness. The motor-control work it does is unavailable anywhere else at $30 a class. The reformer is even better but the price jump is real. Start with mat. Find out if you like the method. Then decide if reformer is worth 2 to 3 times the cost. Use FITT Finder Chicago or your own city page to find studios with intro specials.