WundaBar Pilates Reformer Review
I had the opportunity to try out a pilates reformer class here in San Diego called WundaBar Pilates. I’ve only tried reformer pilates one other time and I remember walking out of the studio after the session thinking to myself, ‘oh, that wasn’t too bad, I didn’t even sweat that much!’ Since I didn’t think the pilates workout would be too difficult this time, I decided to do a separate workout that morning, which I now realize was probably a mistake!
What is WundaBar Pilates?
But first, a little history on WundaBar Pilates, I think it’s easier to just use the official description:
WundaBar is a pilates studio founded by Los Angeles celebrity trainer, Amy Jordan. WundaBar Pilates takes core power, body sculpting cardio and true strength to unparalleled levels to thousands of WundaBar devotees every day. WundaBar combines the Reformer, Wunda Chair, Ballet Bar and Jump Board into one incredible, patented machine – the WundaFormer.
The WundaFormer integrates four exceptional apparatuses into one incredible machine for fast, sky high energy and core shredding workouts for the most efficient 45 minutes you’ll spend in your day. It’s an all in one, and you won’t get it anywhere, but WundaBar.
Reformer Pilates Workout
The main thing I like about reformer pilates is the versatility of the equipment. You can perform an endless amount of workouts that will target almost every muscle group in your body. Obviously, participating in one session will not cover the full spectrum of potential exercises, but I feel like my one session did work out a good amount. I can’t remember every single workout we did in that 45 minute session, but I do recall working out quite a few areas of my body, including: calves, quads, abs (a lot!), shoulder, and back. I would say the 2 exercises I struggled the most was the squat and oblique exercise. As a runner, you’d think I’d breeze through any leg exercise, but there was a lot of balance involved with that particular workout and I almost never work out my oblique. The biggest problem area that I have to deal with on a daily basis is my back. I slouch, never stretch before or after a run and walk around in flip flops way too often. My back will hurt if I have to stand or walk for an extended period of time. The first few workouts we did during the WundaBar Pilates session really focused on my back. I struggled through some of it, but I feel like it helped strengthened my back muscles.
How is WundaBar Pilates Different?
Since this was only my 2nd time doing reformer pilates, it’s hard to determine how WundaBar Pilates compares to other pilates classes. The WundaFormer is unique from the standard reformer equipment, which allows for an even wider variety of workouts and exercises. From a customer service perspective, I would say the WundaBar Pilates instructor for the San Diego location was superb. Bri greeted us right when we walked in, and as we were filling out some paperwork, she asked if we had any specific physical issues to know about prior to starting the workout. During the session, she walked back and forth the studio, adjusting the equipment to the proper setting and resistance level. But what I liked the most was the amount of attention she gave each individual throughout the session! When I first tried reformer pilates, I sat between 2 other individuals who looked like regulars so I was able to use them as a guide throughout the session. This time around, I was at the end of the room so it was harder for me to follow along. But Bri made the effort to fix my form when needed. That shows how much she actually cares whether or not we doing things correctly.
The one minor thing I wanted to note was that the volume of the music was pretty loud, to the point where I couldn’t really hear the instructor at times. But as a regular visitor, I probably wouldn’t care. I’ve been doing Insanity for a while and this involves watching and following the exercises that are performed in a video. I don’t actually need to hear what the instructor tells me anymore, I can just tell by what people are doing in the video. Because I don’t need to hear instructor, I actually play music in the background during the workout. So I suppose this is the same idea, as long as you can follow along what everyone else is doing, you don’t really need to hear the instructor as closely as the first time.
Summary
Overall, I would highly recommend everyone trying out reformer pilates, specifically WundaBar Pilates. It’s a good workout that can target and tone almost every part of your body. From the one session that I had, I could tell that the workouts will focus on your core/abs and back a lot, which are probably the most important parts of your body to exercise. And like I said, subsequent sessions should target other areas as well (and get you even more sore!) I remember my high school cross country coach used to tell us, ‘enjoy your soreness, you earned it!’ Obviously, soreness can also mean that you are just out of shape, but it also means that your body is getting stronger. You never want your body to get used to working out the same muscles, fortunately reformer pilates is a great way to change things up!
