Pilates and Matwork vs Equipment

By Melissa Noble
LMP, STOTT PILATES® Instructor and Instructor Trainer

Many people wonder what the difference is between Pilates Matwork and the Equipment. A little pilates history is helpful to clarify the explanation. Joseph Pilates created the matwork after reading and studying several types of movement such as Yoga, Gymnastics, Boxing and exercise regimens of the Greeks and Romans as well as Zen Meditation. During WWI, he was held at an intern camp and taught fellow prisoners a series of exercises combining physical fitness with breath control and mental acuity, which became the matwork. In the later part of the war, he worked as a hospital orderly on the Isle of Man and helped rehabilitate patients through resistance exercises using equipment he fashioned from bedsprings and pulley systems in the hospital. After the war, he immigrated to the U.S. and then designed and built all the equipment he used in his studio as well as building a few machines for clients. The pieces of equipment most commonly used in modern pilates studios are the Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector and Pedipull. Joseph Pilates also created some other miscellaneous equipment, which only a few people have inherited, like the Foot Corrector and the Toe Gizmo. The matwork consists of exercises done on a mat to strengthen the core and abdominals by challenging those muscles groups by using the weight of the extremities. There are a few exercises for the arms and legs in the matwork, but you would need to supplement this with specific strength training for the limbs. The equipment has much more variety and works the arms and legs as well as the core and abdominals. It gives feedback through resistance and allows most people to feel their core muscles more easily. The equipment was originally designed to assist those with injuries so it is a great tool for post-rehabilitation. When people ask me which they should do, a pilates mat class or equipment, I always ask why they want to do pilates. Which is the best for you as an individual, depends on your health/injury history, goals and fitness level. If for instance, you have a history of injuries to your back or neck and have not worked out for a year, I would suggest doing privates and then group reformer sessions. If you are physically active and injury free and want to learn the basics about pilates to build your core and abdominal strength, a mat class would accomplish that. Of course your budget may determine much of this for you, but I always tell people that it’s worth it to spend the money on privates at least for a few sessions. When you work with a skilled instructor, you get so much information that is pertinent to your body that you can then apply in a class setting. It might take you a year in a class to get the same information. Whichever you decide to do, rest assured that your core and abdominals will get stronger!