Pilates Armwork for every need
See our wonderful teacher Shoko working through an arm series on the Springboard. Springs, steady breathing, arms moving through space. It looks calm, simple, but trust us - there is a lot going on!
Pilates arm series on Springboard, Reformer or Cadillac
We can do this series on the Springboard, Reformer or on the Cadillac. They're not the same. The springs pull from a different place, so your body has to answer differently. Something that felt easy on one can suddenly ask a lot more of you on the other. That's not a problem to solve but understanding your body patterns. The sides of our body do not have pure symmetry or the same experience in life. Doing the same work from different angles is how the practice starts to stick.
The springs are there to fit you
A well-equipped studio has more than a few springs on the wall. It has a real range of them, from the makers who do this best (we work with Balanced Body, Gratz and custom made equipment) so the resistance can be set for your body. Your strength, your height, and what you need today. And it's not something we figure out once and write down. It keeps changing as you get stronger, as your body changes, as you start to understand what you're doing and why. It's a conversation between you and your teacher, and it takes time. Kathy Grant, one of the great Pilates teachers, said it best: one size doesn't fit all. In a private class you work with your own springs and we observe how you progress, keep building, challenging, cross training.
How it builds
Usually we start with both arms together. Even, supported, predictable. Then, when you're ready, we move towards one arm at a time. That's a different job entirely. Now the pull is uneven, and the rest of you has to hold steady against it. Every little shortcut shows up. There's no shortage of exercises to draw from. Some come straight from the original Pilates repertoire. Others were built by generations of teachers since, and by people working today alongside physiotherapists and neurological specialists. We are happy to be a real test of this line of work in the field.
But the exercise isn't the point
The exercises are just the container. What you're really learning is how to organise your body, build strength, find support, coordinate, adapt, and pay attention while you move. Two people can do the exact same arm series and be doing completely different work, because one is copying a shape and the other is building a skill. Your teacher is watching for the skill. That's why the same exercise gets changed, loaded differently, or dropped altogether depending on who's in front of them.
Private class as a top choice
None of this works in a crowded room. Nobody can notice how your shoulder is organising itself, spot that the spring is a little heavy today, or decide you're ready for single-arm work while keeping an eye on twenty people. Our classes are done privately and ongoing on purpose. Your teacher gets to know your body over months, not minutes. That's what lets the work actually go somewhere.
Give it time
We advise you to spend time learning how you move instead of perfecting a routine. You do not need to chase a heavier spring. Focus on your own learning, it's slower than you'd expect. And then one day you notice you feel stronger, steadier, healthier and quietly proud of yourself!
Book your first class. All bodies, all levels welcome.