If you have spent any time reading about Pilates, you have probably run into the argument: classical purists on one side, contemporary and athletic studios on the other, each sure the other is doing it wrong. This is a plain-English guide to what athletic reformer Pilates actually is, how it differs from the classical method, and why the question of which one is "real" has a more generous answer than the internet suggests. At Village Life Pilates in Beverly Hills, we teach the athletic side of that line, and we do it without pretending the other side is not Pilates. What Is Athletic Reformer Pilates? Athletic reformer Pilates is a strength-focused, full-body workout that keeps the core principles of Pilates and adds progressive overload, heavier springs, and faster transitions. It is built to make you stronger over time, not just to burn for an hour, and it runs on the reformer, the sliding carriage with springs and straps that lets you load a movement in both directions. The Village Life Method is our version: athletic, alignment-based, intentionally sequenced, on premium Spanish Elina reformers. We pair slow, controlled movement with quicker transitions to work both slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers, so a class builds lean strength and endurance that lasts past the hour you spent earning it. In practice that is a class that feels athletic and genuinely challenging while staying low-impact, the kind of workout you can keep doing for years. Classical vs. Contemporary: What Actually Changed? The difference comes down to sequence and loading, and it is the result of Pilates evolving for nearly a century. Classical Pilates teaches a fixed, traditional order of exercises on traditional apparatus, largely as it was handed down. Contemporary and athletic studios keep those foundations and adapt the order, the springs, and the intensity using modern movement science. A third camp, Lagree, runs its own slow-tension method on the Megaformer, which is a cousin of Pilates rather than the same practice. Here is the part the arguments skip. Pilates was not always called Pilates; its founder called it Contrology, and after he died his students, now known as the elders, carried the work forward and expanded it. The method the classical world teaches today already grew and changed from the original. Evolution is not a betrayal of Pilates. It is the history of Pilates. Is Athletic Reformer Pilates "Real" Pilates? Yes, and so is the classical method, which is the honest answer the online fights avoid. Our lives are more sedentary and more stressed than they were when the method was born, and some bodies respond better to a more athletic approach while others thrive on classical precision. Movement is bio-individual: the right method is the one that actually changes your body, and that is a different answer for different people. We teach the athletic version because it is what changed ours, and we keep the principles and the foundation intact while we do it. In a July 2026 ClassPass review, Chloë described a Village Life class as "a good mix of traditional and modern pilates. No gimmicks," which is exactly the line we try to walk. How the Main Reformer Approaches Compare The reformer world splits into a few recognizable approaches, and the differences are real: how a class is sequenced, and how it loads the body. The table below lays out the main ones so you can see what each is actually doing before you book. Approach | How a class is sequenced | How it loads the body Classical Pilates | A fixed, traditional order of exercises | Traditional apparatus and set spring tensions Contemporary / Athletic Reformer | An adaptive order built on progressive overload | Modern reformers, varied springs, added load and tempo Lagree (Megaformer) | A continuous, slow-tension circuit | The Megaformer, with constant time under tension None of these is a fake version of the others. They are different tools for different goals, and the one worth your time is the one that fits the change you are after. Which Style Should You Actually Do? Do the one that fits your body and the outcome you want. If you want to master a precise, traditional system, classical is a beautiful practice; if you want durable, athletic strength that carries into the rest of your life, an athletic reformer method is built for exactly that. You do not have to settle the internet's argument to make the choice. Take a class in each, and notice which one you leave already wanting to book again. A good athletic studio makes that easy on a beginner, coaching every level in the same room and scaling the load to the body in front of it, so a first class challenges you without leaving you lost. Frequently Asked Questions Is classical or contemporary Pilates harder? Neither is universally harder; they are hard in different ways. Classical demands precision and control through a set sequence, while athletic reformer work adds load, tempo, and progressive overload, so it often feels more strenuous to someone chasing strength. Which style of Pilates is best for beginners? The best style for a beginner is the one taught in a room that welcomes beginners. Look for all-levels classes with real-time modifications, which let a first-timer start safely in either a classical or an athletic setting rather than being sorted into a level first. Is reformer Pilates real Pilates? Yes. The reformer was one of the original pieces of apparatus the method's founder designed, so reformer work is Pilates by any honest definition, whether it is taught classically or athletically. Does athletic Pilates still count as low-impact? Yes. Athletic reformer Pilates raises the intensity through springs, tempo, and compound movement, not through pounding, so it stays joint-friendly while it builds strength. A 2024 systematic review with meta-analysis in Disability and Rehabilitation found Pilates produced significant short-term improvements in low back pain and function, part of why it suits people who want strength without the wear of high-impact training. How Village Life Pilates Teaches the Athletic Method on the Reformer For anyone trying to turn the classical-versus-athletic question into a class they can actually take, Village Life Pilates teaches the athletic side of it in Beverly Hills, and members rate it 5.0 across 80 Google reviews and 4.9 across more than 10,000 ClassPass ratings. In a July 2025 Google review, Hila M. wrote that the studio "made me stronger and transformed my body." Every class runs on premium Spanish Elina reformers with progressive overload and real-time modifications, all levels in one room. Reformer is also where the demand has gone: the ClassPass 2025 Look Back Report found reformer Pilates bookings rose 71% year over year and were the most popular Pilates format globally, so learning the athletic method in a room that coaches it well is worth the first class. Village Life Pilates is the athletic, all-levels answer for the mover deciding between classical and contemporary reformer Pilates. Start with the newcomer intro, a first reformer class for $30 or two weeks unlimited for $99, booked through the studio app.