Pilates Equipment 101: What to buy, what’s best for home use, and more!

One of the first questions we get from Pilatesology members who are new to the method or coming back after some time away is what Pilates equipment do I buy!? There is an extensive range of Pilates equipment on the market and it can be tedious to make sure you’re selecting the right pieces. That’s where we come in!

Our overall recommendation

Go with traditional style Pilates equipment because it’s built on Joe Pilates’ specifications. Traditional equipment gives the best results despite all the bells & whistles that have been added to other equipment over time.

Tip: We love Gratz Equipment! If you’re looking for studio apparatus at a reasonable price, see this blog post on our 5 tips for buying used Gratz apparatus!

Best equipment for home use

If you’ve taken our mat classes on Pilatesology, you know you can get an amazing workout with little to no accessories or props.

But if you want to keep your workouts challenging and dynamic, proper equipment can help you reach the next level and open up your workout options! See our recommendations below:

Wunda Chair

The Wunda Chair is the perfect piece of Pilates equipment for practitioners with a small amount of space who want equipment in their home. Joseph Pilates originally designed the Wunda Chair for its portability and small footprint! This apparatus offers a challenging, varied workout in a small amount of space and has limited spring settings so you can get an efficient, full-body workout without a lot of stopping for equipment changes.

Check out our favorite Gratz Wunda Chair!

Tip: Pilatesology has tons of Wunda Chair workouts here!

Reformer

The Pilates Reformer is hands down the most notable pieces of Pilates equipment out there with Reformer classes taking over the studio workout scene. The Reformer is another original piece of equipment by Joseph Pilates and improves overall strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance – just to name a few!

The reformer can train many parts and dynamics of the body with one piece of equipment, making it incredibly versatile! There are folding & home models that are perfect for an in-home studio, see some of our favorites here: Stamina, Gratz, & TecnoPilates.

Tip: Check out all of our Reformer workouts on Pilatesology here!

Mat & Props

A thick, cushioning Pilates mat and a few props can go a long way with expanding your Pilates practice. Pilatesology has loads of videos to spice up your sessions with props you can find at home or purchase! See some of our recommendations below for reasonably priced props:

✔️ Magic Circle provides resistance when squeezed and is a great add-on to matwork! See our Magic Circle classes here.

✔️ Adjustable Ankle/Wrist Weights & Light Hand Weights are great to add onto any Pilates workout for extra resistance (also just great to have in the house!). See our weighted classes here.

✔️ Foam Rolls & Bolsters support you in your workouts and create space in difficult poses and postures!

Check out our recommended brands and links to purchase these props here!

Tip: Looking to incorporate props you can find at home? Check out this mat workout with household props here! And read this blog post!

Pilatesology has an Online Store with all of our favorite Pilates equipment brands & links to purchase if you ever want to level up your at-home workouts with equipment! Use the link below to check it out!