Level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course

This is the industry's most advanced reformer Pilates course

Pilates class member smiling on reformer
Pilates class member smiling on reformer

The UK's leading reformer Pilates course

Learn how to master the most recognisable piece of Pilates equipment and elevate your teaching career to new heights with this hands-on, industry-recognised level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course.

  • Course type:

    Blended learning

  • Time to qualify:

    6-10 weeks

  • Entry requirements:

    Level 3 Diploma in Mat Pilates

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Book your place for only £100 deposit

£795


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Payment Options

  • Pay in full

    Total payable £755.25 5% discount £39.75
  • 6 month payment plan

    1 x £120 and 5 x £115 Minimum deposit £100 Total payable £795

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For our attended and virtual courses, if you don't know your availability right now but you want to get started, no problem...

With our enrol now, train later facility, you can:

  • Start your learning today
  • Select your attendance later
  • Get full access to all your materials
  • Complete your online assessments
  • Get full support from our team
  • Make good progress towards completion

Note: You'll have 12 months from your enrolment date to book your course dates.

This facility is provided in-line with our Terms of Business

Course overview: Level 3 reformer Pilates teacher

Extend your Pilates career opportunities with the reformer and elevate your career with this level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course

The Pilates reformer, or universal reformer, is one of the most recognisable pieces of Pilates apparatus available. It’s also highly adaptable as it’s possible to perform over 500 different exercises while using it. Typically, reformer Pilates is associated with the more clinical adaptation of Joseph Pilates’ methodology and this is why you’d typically find reformers in rehabilitation environments such as physiotherapy clinics.

Recently, reformer Pilates has found itself increasingly in the mainstream consciousness. One of the biggest reasons for this is that, as a society, we are unfortunately more sedentary than ever. The prevalence of poor posture, musculoskeletal disorders and back pain is at an all-time high. People are turning to Pilates, both reformer and its mat-based counterpart to fix these issues and free themselves from pain. Although, it’s worth noting that many advanced Pilates teachers also use the reformer, especially with individual clients in need of specialist training.

Our level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course is delivered in a blended format, combining supported home study with 4-days intensive practical face-to-face training at our regional training venues. By the end of this programme, you’ll be a master at performing and teaching reformer exercises.

**Places on our reformer Pilates courses are restricted and in high-demand because each of our venues has a limited number of reformers. Early booking is therefore recommended. Please check course start times which may vary from venue to venue** 

  • Entry requirements

    We strongly advise that participants attending this course hold a Level 3 Diploma in Mat Pilates. If you haven't yet completed this course, we offer Pilates instructor courses as packages which combine the two.

    Applications may also be considered from students with other fitness industry qualifications (e.g. personal trainers, yoga teachers etc.), where they can demonstrate that they have extensive experience of performing Pilates as a participant (e.g. attending classes). It is not advisable to attend the practical training having never used a reformer.

  • Accreditations

    Our Level 3 Award in Teaching Reformer Pilates course has been designed to help you become an in-demand and life-changing Pilates teacher. It’s also fully recognised by YMCA and ACSM, meaning your achievements will be recognised worldwide.

  • Continuing career support, advice and guidance

    Our exclusive CV Connect programme will connect your CV with fitness and Pilates employers. Our support team are always here if you need some impartial advice.

Payment Options

We are extremely proud of our qualifications which feature some of the most adaptable, accessible and quality training materials in the fitness sector.

By utilising our extensive experience, we have created a reformer Pilates certification which is outstanding in quality and affordable in price.

Special Offers, Discounts and Deals

We are committed to quality, fairness and transparency, which is why we openly list our course prices on our website for all to see. We don’t engage in discounting, bargaining or deal-making and our price promise ensures that all our students pay the same fair price for their training and qualifications.

Pay in Full

£755

Get a 5% prompt payment discount
when you pay your fees in full.

Buy Now, Pay Later

£795

Term: 6 months

Buy now and pay later with
our INTEREST FREE payment plans.

Purchase Order

£795

Provide a purchase order on enrolment
and settle the invoice within 30 days*

*Only available for business bookings and subject to the appropriate due diligence.

Unrivalled support

Our team of dedicated and experienced Pilates tutors will be on hand to support you with anything you may need during your course. Go on, ask us anything!

  • Phone calls

  • Emails

  • Video calls

  • Webinars

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What you'll learn

This level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course will teach you everything you need to know to become a highly competent and proficient reformer teacher. Specifically, the course includes:

  • Principles of Pilates

    Principles of reformer Pilates
    Breathing techniques and Pilates
    Concentration and control in reformer Pilates
    Precision in reformer Pilates
    Flow in reformer Pilates
    ABC principles

  • Getting to grips with the reformer

    Anatomy of the reformer
    Adjustment of the reformer
    Maintenance of the reformer
    How to choose a reformer
    Reformer accessories
    Pre-usage checks

  • Anatomy for reformer Pilates

    Postural deviations
    Spinal alignment
    Pelvic alignment
    Primary muscle actions
    Primary joint movements
    Lower and upper body muscle groups

  • Exercise with the Pilates reformer

    Preparation and closing phases
    Main exercise phase
    Contraindications to exercises
    Kneeling & standing series
    Seated & supine series
    Footwork series

  • Planning and teaching reformer Pilates

    Session structure
    Main phases of a reformer Pilates session
    Methods of progression
    Teaching methods and exercise technique
    Lesson planning
    Correct mounting and dismounting

reformer Pilates course shown on iPhone screen

*Images and videos are for illustration purposes and may not depict specific course materials.

Your Pilates career. Reformed.

Graduates of our level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course have gone on to teach this specialist form of Pilates in some of the leading and most premium health clubs across the country. Some of our graduates have gone on to create Pilates retreats or teach reformer Pilates in exclusive, boutique studios.

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How you'll be assessed

Our level 3 reformer Pilates teacher course is assessed continually and in a variety of ways throughout. Here is a summary of how you’ll be assessed.

Reformer Pilates student leading class while being assessed
50%

Coursework

  • Session plan
  • Full reformer series
  • Complete online in own time
25%

Knowledge

  • 6 assessments
  • Embedded into course
  • Multiple choice
  • Unlimited resits
25%

Practical

  • Opening and closing phase
  • Main reformer session
  • Complete on course
  • 45-60 minutes

Frequently asked reformer Pilates Questions

Listed below are a few questions that we're regularly asked about our range of reformer Pilates courses. If you do have any more questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our Careers Team, they would love to hear from you!

  • What’s the difference between mat and reformer Pilates?

    Reformer Pilates is often considered more dynamic and intense than its mat work counterpart because most of the exercises are performed through greater ranges of motion and involve resistance that is applied from springs and bands. The boxes used on the reformer also allow participants to get in to body positions that just aren’t possible on the mat.

    The reformer was initially created by Joseph Pilates using a hospital bed and its springs to help injured soldiers to rehabilitate themselves from war injuries. Thankfully, the technology has advanced somewhat now and the modern reformer is almost unrecognisable from early designs.

    Many people often think that reformer exercises are more advanced and complex than the original mat Pilates repertoire. While in some cases this may be so, other reformer-based exercises are in fact a little easier because the reformer can be used to support bodyweight, as well as provide resistance to work against. From a skill perspective, they are a little more technically challenging because there is much more to think about while the reformer bed is moving.

  • What other types of Pilates courses are there?

    Mat Pilates is the foundation of all Pilates instructor qualifications which is why the Level 3 Diploma in Teaching mat Pilates is an entry requirement for this and other reformer Pilates courses. If once you’ve completed your mat and reformer instructor courses you are still hungry for more Pilates knowledge and skills, there are a number of other pieces of apparatus that you can work with. Our Guide to Pilates Equipment describes each of these in more detail, but for ease of reference, they include the Cadillac, Trapeze, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, Pilates Chair, also known as the ‘Wunda Chair’.

  • What exercises will I learn on this reformer course?

    Reformer exercises are typically grouped into ‘series’ according to the starting position on the reformer bed, although some may refer to them as a ‘repertoire’. Each exercise within a series is designed to flow into the next and build upon the previous movement, adhering to the key principle of Pilates, flow.

    While there are some variations between the exercises in each series, and even the order of each series, most reformer sessions follow a linear structure similar the following: footwork, hundred, overhead, rowing (front and back), long box, short box, stomach massage, side-lying, kneeling, long stretches and knee stretches.

    Our reformer Pilates teacher course will teach you how to perform over a hundred different reformer exercises so you’ll be well-equipped to start your career as a reformer Pilates teacher.

  • What's the difference between level 3, level 4 and reformer Pilates?

    The Level 3 Mat Pilates Diploma is the entry level qualification for those wanting to teach Pilates classes. It covers all the essential anatomy, physiology, Pilates principles, exercises and teaching skills. There is also some technical postural information included in the programme to help you assess and correct your student’s alignment. Essentially, this programme is designed to prepare you for teaching apparently healthy students, either on a one-to-one basis, or in a class environment.

    The Level 4 Certificate in Teaching Pilates again focuses on matwork, but the technical knowledge included in this programme is much more advanced, and aligns with modern scientific thinking on posture, pain, and movement dysfunctions, which is a common reason why people turn to Pilates and reformer Pilates today. Our level 4 advanced Pilates course is designed more for those teachers that want to demonstrate that they have a specialist level of knowledge to be able to support clients that are in pain, or who have complex musculoskeletal injuries.

    This reformer teacher course is designed specifically for those wanting to teach reformer-based exercises to apparently healthy clients that don’t have any complex postural or musculoskeletal disorders. This course will equip you with the knowledge and competence to be able to teach a wide range of reformer-based exercises safely and effectively, and to assess the safety of basically any other reformer exercise. For those that also undertake the level 4 reformer course, there is no reason why they couldn’t teach appropriate reformer-based exercises to clients with more complex needs.

  • Do you deliver online reformer Pilates courses?

    Sadly not. There are a handful of smaller training providers that are advertising entirely online courses, which typically include a few online videos and an electronic handbook. These courses typically aren’t accredited and usually aren’t recognised by employers.

    Pilates is a very tactile form of exercise and one which requires highly specific patterns of movement in order to target key stabilising muscles. It’s highly unlikely that anyone completing an online reformer Pilates course would be able to get the requisite level of skill without physically attending their training.

    We do however have online virtual programmes for mat-based Pilates, because we’re able to livestream and watch students in real-time. Most of our students don’t have reformers at home, so livestreaming a reformer instructor course wouldn’t really add any value to anyone. This is another reason why we don’t offer online reformer Pilates courses.

  • Do you have any discounts on Pilates reformers?

    Yes. Once you graduate, we’ll send you over an email with a link to our offers and discounts page, from here you can redeem a range of discount codes on all manner of health and fitness products and services, including equipment suppliers.

    We currently have a relationship with Peak Pilates, via gym Kit UK, where you can redeem an exclusive discount on their reformers when you prove that you have qualified with HFE.

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