You don’t need to be a gym-goer to know that Pilates has been one of the hottest workouts for the past few years. Thanks to rumors that Harry Styles might be lurking at your local reformer studio and hundreds of viral Pilates-based challenges on TikTok, this growing workout method is only getting more popular.
With cravings for torturous bicycle kicks not likely to subside anytime soon, studios have kindly answered our prayers, launching all sorts of weird and wonderful classes that offer fresh twists on the original mat-based workouts. The latest you’ll likely hear about soon? Tower Pilates.
Yes, the hottest piece of gym equipment for 2024 flips your typical reformer Pilates class on its head, providing a full-body vertical resistance challenge.
Wall Pilates classes (which use a flat wall as resistance) are one of the fastest-growing trends so far this year, with searches surging by 4,461%, according to stats from PureGym. Tower takes it a step further, using a series of fancy wall-mounted equipment to increase resistance for working the glutes, deepening stretches and improving mobility in the thoracic spine.
So why is Pilates worth trying? If you’re wondering what a class is like and how it differs from a Reformer session, you’ll find all the answers you’re looking for here. Scroll down to find out more. And while you’re at it, check out our guides to the best Pilates workouts you can do at home, the best Pilates exercises for beginners and Pilates barre exercises to take your Pilates to the next level. Want to invest in your Pilates practice? Buy the best Reformer Pilates machine for at home today.
I tried out tower pilates, the hot new fitness trend. Here’s what I thought.
What is Tower Pilates?
As already mentioned, Pilates training comes in many different forms: the tower is a type of apparatus mounted vertically on a studio wall, with a soft crash mat attached underneath to protect the joints;
Unlike reformer beds, which use a wobbly, moving carriage to test your balance and stability, Tower’s sturdy frame stands firm, instead fitted with spring-loaded arm and leg straps that provide extra resistance to your core, glutes and biceps.
During class, you’ll sit, stand or lie on a mat and slide your hands and feet through various pulleys, performing a series of movements aimed at keeping the springy movement as controlled as possible.
The tower also has a wooden bar that can be pulled out and used similar to the wide foot bar found on the front of a traditional reformer machine.
But there’s a twist: It uses springs, which add an extra intense challenge to exercises like glute bridges and side stretches.
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So who invented Tower Pilates?
The idea came from Joseph Pilates, who created the original Pilates method in the 1920s, but modern studio classes often haphazardly combine elements of HIIT, cardio, and yoga to create hybrid Pilates workouts.
Classical Pilates is a little different in that it follows a strict sequence of movements that has remained the same for over 100 years. Created by Joseph Pilates, the system utilises a variety of equipment (such as towers) and is designed to build the complete coordination of body, mind and spirit that Pilates is famous for.
“The Reformer is not intended as the sole piece of equipment used in traditional Pilates, nor is the Tower,” says Third Space Pilates Master Trainer James Shaw. “To fully master the method, you need to make full use of all the Pilates equipment – the Cadillac, Mat, Wonder Chair, Ladder Barrel, Tower and Spinal Orthotics. Each of these pieces of equipment helps you progress and improve different areas of Pilates, such as improving strength and flexibility.”
When you book a private session with an authentic, traditionally trained Pilates teacher, they will usually assess your current level of fitness and recommend a training plan that integrates a range of Pilates equipment to deepen your practice.
However, given the general popularity of reformer classes, Pilates studios have recently started offering standalone tower sessions, allowing people to develop a dynamic, balanced practice on their own time.
Which celebrities love Tower Pilates?
Over the past few years, A-list stars such as Kate Hudson, Miley Cyrus and Cameron Diaz have all credited Pilates with helping them stay healthy.
The Tower is essentially a compact version of the Pilates Cadillac, the four-poster bed-like apparatus used by a ton of celebs on Instagram.
If you’ve ever seen a Cadillac up close, you know it’s a huge piece of equipment, which is why it’s usually only available to see in a private one-on-one session. The Tower packs everything great about the Cadillac into a smaller space, allowing everyone to enjoy the supplemental benefits in a more affordable group class. Fun days.
What are the benefits of Tower Pilates?
By now, most people know that Pilates is great for building lean muscle, developing total body strength, and improving flexibility and posture.
Essentially, the tower helps you realize these benefits on a deeper level: “Not only do the weighted springs provide an added strength-training challenge, but the coil movement gives you direct feedback on how much control you have over your strength and flexibility,” Shaw says.
Jane Robinson, Pilates instructor and brand head at Exhale, adds that the tower helps to pinpoint imbalances or misalignments in the body: “When people use the equipment for the first time, they often find that they have limited mobility in their rib cage, or that their left shoulder is slightly weaker than their right. Getting this sensory feedback from the springs helps them identify weak areas that need to be worked on.”
“It’s basically designed to improve your Pilates practice so that you can eventually move onto the mat and perform deeper stretches and longer lines unassisted. But developing this kind of super-precise strength and flexibility can be beneficial for all gym-goers and athletes, including weightlifters, runners, swimmers and snowboarders.”
Pilates is known for strengthening your core, and tower is especially great for working the powerhouse muscles that run from your lower ribs through your upper hips and down to the bottom of your pelvis. “Regularly practicing tower will build strength and stability in your core, making everyday movements like lifting, twisting, and pulling much easier on your joints and muscles,” Robinson points out.
Oh, and because it’s low impact, it doesn’t release a ton of cortisol into your body, further increasing your already intense stress levels even during a busy week at work.
@pilates.maggie ♬ original sound – sp33dsongsx
I tried Tower Pilates – it was great for my back and shoulders.
As a fitness writer, I’ve sweated it out in dozens of reformer classes, so naturally I wanted to know whether the tower offered any special benefits or if it was all just a marketing gimmick that wasn’t worth my time.
I arrived at Exhale, a bright and airy Pilates studio in central London, and was eager to give it a try. The first thing to know is that it has a brand new system for quickly clipping in and out of the various equipment between movements, which takes a little getting used to.
Setup aside, the main difference between a reformer and a tower is the additional challenge it poses to upper body strength and mobility. A traditional Pilates roll-up is much more difficult with a wooden pull-and-push-through bar, allowing for a greater range of motion as you raise and lower your arms.
Similarly, the pulls and curls, with their spring-loaded safety straps, aren’t too different from the upper-body machines you’d find in a bodybuilder’s gym, so your arms will likely come out of a tower session feeling a lot more tired than they would after a regular Pilates class.
Overall, using the tower feels like a more advanced stage of the Mat Method, mainly because the different equipment keeps your core engaged so you can’t slack off at the back of the class.
Not to mention, because your mat isn’t resting on a wobbly trolley, the tower is more about training against intense resistance than balancing and building your core. Classes focus on straightening the muscles around your hips, pelvis and chest, and lengthening your spine, which is tough, but feels great after a week hunched over a laptop.
My verdict? I absolutely loved it. As I mentioned, the Tower is designed to build the strength and flexibility you need to conquer the final boss of Pilates: the mat. So if you’re constantly scrolling through TikTok wondering how you can get the same strong, toned physique as those seasoned Pilates girls, this class can help you do just that.
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