Balanced Body Contrology Reformer vs. Gratz Reformer
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a Contrology Reformer and a Gratz, or any of the other classical pieces of equipment? Well, of course, we should talk about why they are classical and what are those differences, and so you can make the best decision for you. So let’s get into it.
Welcome to Online Pilates Classes. The most supportive Pilates loving community across the globe. Enjoy new weekly classes from our amazing teachers. Download the OPC app today.
Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, co-founder of onlinepilatesclasses.com. I’ve been teaching Pilates since 2008 and doing Pilates since 2005 and you’ll hear me talk a little bit more about Gratz and Contrology, but you should know that there’s other classical brands out there. My personal experience has mostly been on Gratz and Contrology. However, I’ve taught many people on Legacy or Pilates Designs, and I think it’s really important to have this conversation in a place where you can understand and I’m going to lean into my personal experience on these pieces of equipment to make sure that you buy the best Rerformer for you. Like, my entire goal of all these tutorials is that you are always making the best decision for you. We might differ on why we like something or what we want about something, but hopefully this really helps educate you, because there are some slight nuances that can make things better for you or more challenging for you. So my goal in this video is to talk about the key differences based on what I know my experience so you can make the best decision for your situation.
What Makes A Reformer Classical?
Before we can actually get into the differences between the classical Reformers. I think we should talk about what makes a Reformer classical. And if you are unsure what that word means, it’s no problem. Hi, welcome. I didn’t even know that there was anything other than Pilates, right? But in the Pilates world, there is classical, there is contemporary, and then there’s more fitness style Pilates as well. But a classical Reformer, essentially, is designed based on what Joseph Pilates gave us, that you can do exercises that he created based on his intentions. And so as far as being able to do exercises that might be more inspired by Pilates, it’s a little bit more difficult to do because you don’t have ropes and pulleys. You have leather straps, right? So ways that you can tell a Reformer is classical, like, just right off the bat, like with your own two eyes, without even knowing the name of the equipment is, if you see leather straps, you likely are working with a more classical Reformer. If you see a foot bar setting that has one option, you are working with a classical Reformer, right? So if it has like three options, it’s probably a little bit more on the contemporary side. Typically all the springs are the same weight, that’s going to make it more classical. And then the size of the box is typically on the smaller side, that makes it a bit more classical. So just right there with the naked eye alone, that’s how you can tell something is a bit more classical. Now, some of them do come in aluminum and some of them come in wood. Joe did a lot more with wood, because back in the day that he was creating things, obviously, aluminum was very expensive during the war, so his was off of wood. Some brands will allow you to choose between wood and aluminum. But don’t let the wood fool you, because it could still be a classical Reformer.
Differences in Feel: Foam Padding and Springs
So let’s get into the padding and springs and how the differences in feel are. I’m going to again, talk mostly about my experience with Gratz and Contrology, because that’s where I have personal experience with my body. But a lot of the other non-Contrology brands are going to be more similar to a Gratz, with obviously, their own nuances and differences so, but I speak to my experience, I think it’s easier, right? So first of all, I want to also address that in the Gratz line, they do have several different versions of a Reformer. And so some of the stuff that I’m about to say, you might be like, but Lesley on this new Reformer over here labeled like this, it has it, okay, yes. But a whole majority of them are a little bit different. So I’m gonna address that, but I do understand.
Why Firm Pilates Reformers Actually Help
So Contrology was created based off of Jay Grimes Reformer from 40 years ago, and the padding on it is very firm, like firm, firm, firm. And when I mean firm, I think what people think is, oh, my God, I’m so bony, though. I need a lot of padding. So my first time ever being on a Reformer was a Gratz Reformer, and I loved how comfortable it was. I have a hypermobile body, and I really did enjoy that. And so when I heard that they were making one like Jay’s, I heard how firm the padding was. I will be very honest, I was very skeptical, because I was like, but my spine is quite bony. My hips are bony. I’m not gonna like it. And I have to say, after working out on it, a lot of the corrections I was getting from my teachers about my spine went away because I could feel it, right? I could feel the difference. So I’m gonna bring in– I have a piece of Gratz equipment still, because it’s a very historical piece to me, and it is the first piece of equipment I ever bought myself. And so you can see how squishy this is. It’s very squishy, okay? Like my hand is on it. Look at what my wrist does. It bends into it? Okay? So I have to work really hard to not get locked into that wrist.
Firmer Pilates Foam Helps Hypermobile Bodies
Versus this more denser foam you like, can’t– I have to, like, you know, like, it doesn’t. It’s just firmer, okay? The thing that, when you hear firm again, you think uncomfortable, and what I will say is, as a hypermobile body, I cannot sink into the comfortability of the foam, and so therefore I can feel what my spine is actually doing, where my hips are in place. If you’re a tighter body, the foam is not filling in the gaps and letting you think, Oh, I’m pulling my stomach in because I’m touching the foam. You actually can feel where those gaps are, so you have a lot more independence and agency and autonomy in your practice. And so I really like that. Now, you might prefer a more cushier foam. What I would just say is, like, definitely try out the firmer foam before you just think it has to be comfortable because my hips are bony. So the padding can be quite different, by the way, on the original stuff, you guys, it was just like leather on wood. So this is definitely more comfortable than leather on wood.
Pilates Springs: What You Should Know
So I want to talk about the springs as well, because that does change how it feels, okay? So when I started teaching Pilates and doing Pilates on on equipment, I found that some Reformers had long neck springs and some had short neck springs. Or they’re called, like, old springs and new springs. And the reality is that the last two inches of Pilates are like, where the magic happens. And so as far as I know, the last time I checked, you could get long neck springs. With gratz pilates reformer you have to specifically request them. The Contrology springs come this way. This is how they come, and it’s how they do. And what it means is, when the spring is closed, the carriage is not closed, and I have to physically use my own center to close the spring. And that does make a difference, because if the springs are closing the equipment for you, it’s really easy for you to kind of relax into it or ride the spring home, right? So here is an example. I can see how, like this spring, like you can still go up that neck right there. This particular spring is slightly different. It’s a different piece of equipment, but when the spring is closed, it’s closed, right? So you have this one where the spring is closed, but I could still continue to move that carriage in, that’s what you’re kind of doing. So really, really exciting. I really like it. But again, if you want that feeling, you can order it with long neck springs. But on Contrology, it just comes this way. And these are based off of Jay’s 40 plus year old springs. Which is kind of amazing that we could do that with the technology we have to do it. So great.
How Foot Bar Design Impacts Pilates
So other things you’ll notice are a little different, is you can order foot bars without padding on them. I remember the day that they were gonna take the padding off the reformer gratz foot bars, I was like, Oh my God, my poor feet on this foot bar. It’s gonna hurt. You guys, I love it so much because it’s so amazing. So yes, most classical lines will let you order with a foot bar without a foot bar padding, but I love it without. If you really have sensitive feet, you can just put a pad there, just for the footwork exercises that you need it for, but it does make a big difference. Now, you’ll notice with classical equipment, not all foot bar angles are the same. So this angle of this foot bar is off of Jay’s 40 year old Reformer that was like so old, right? A lot of times these foot bar angles have changed over time. So this angle I find is one of the best for connecting to the back of the leg. The higher the foot bar goes in angle, just degree by degree, the more it’s going to put you into your quads.
Contrology Reformer vs. Gratz Reformer: Foot Bar Differences
So the difference between Contrology and Gratz on the foot bar is going to depend on how old your Gratz is. If you find a 40 something year old Gratz, it might be the exact same height. If you check out their archival line, it might be similar in height. And then there’s ones that are in between, and they could be a little bit higher. They just put you at a tiny, tiny different bit of angle. And now you’re like Lesley, now you’re just getting nitpicky. Ish, right? I’m a tall body, and this lower angle means I don’t need to gear out to do my long stretch series ever, whereas, when the foot bar is a little bit higher, now I have to interrupt my flow to gear out so that I can fit between the headrest and the foot bar. So just a couple degrees makes a big difference in a practice, right? And it’s kind of one of those things where you just you start to learn your preferences. You might be like, Lesley, I’m five, five. It doesn’t matter to me. Great. If you find a Gratz that you love, use, and you’re like, I’m in. Go for it. You might just have to add some long neck springs and take the padding off. You might want to reupholster it with some firmer things. Or you can buy this already done, you know. So it kind of just depends on what you want.
I will say on the Contrology, and I feel like I saw this on the archival Grotz, but I got to experience it when it was a prototype. There is a hole here. And on Jay’s Reformer after he passed, I got to be on his Reformer, and it’s a beast. I thought this was hard. His is a beast, right? But there’s this gap, and that was very intentional that existed on Jay’s Reformer. So even though they had upholstery and padding, there was this hole here. And what this hole allows is your heel to dig in for elephant. So no longer having to say, lift up your toes. You don’t have to lift up the toes, because the heel can actually be lower than the toes, and when you do long back stretch, the heel can be here and the foot can be here, right? These shoulder blocks are different than what I remember. Again, it might have changed over time, but these shoulder blocks, the way these fit your feet, right? When your foot is in here, this shoulder block, the way the padding is it actually hugs the arches of your feet no matter what your foot size is. It’s kind of amazing how that just works out. It really does. It’s wonderful. So, so that’s just something that I really like. The shoulder blocks are a little narrower, if I recall, some people don’t like that, but you can cross your legs if you need space for rowing. If all of this is a little bit overwhelming and you’re wondering, should I get a Reformer right now or not, we have an amazing Reformer on the Mat workout that you can have. It’s totally free. Go to opc.me/reformeronmatworkout.
Dimensions and Build: Size and Fit
Alright, let’s talk a little about the size and fit. So no matter the type of Reformer, there’s always options in length. Okay, so Contrology, the standard is the 80 inch. A lot of people want the 86 because they want to do a jump board or they want to have access to a tower. You could get an 89 but I will say, when it comes to working with the longer Reformers, and this is across all classical brands, the longer it gets in the length of the frame, the harder it is to close the carriage on one spring if you do not stay connected to your straps, which means you have to have a very advanced, or at least intermediate practice, or the heavier weight is. It will absolutely handle larger bodies, not a problem. But on one spring, the carriage tends to kind of like sit in the middle the longer your equipment is. So all classical brands are like that. You really have to remain connected to your springs, but the standard is the 80 inch, and that’s what Joseph Pilates really used. Now I’m five nine, almost 510 and I have trouble with two exercises, but not so much trouble that I can’t do them. No, I can’t jump on this. But I really also Contrology only comes in the aluminum. And so for some people, they don’t like that look, and they don’t like that way that is, I quite like it, because it’s easy for move this piece of equipment around, because when you take the carriage out, the frame is just aluminum. It’s so easy to move around on my own, right? So I quite like that, whereas on the grass, Gratz, you have different lengths and sizes you can choose. If I recall, there’s an 80, an 86, an 89, I might have even heard of a 91 but that one? That would be quite a large Reformer.
The other thing is, they do come in wood options and aluminum options, right? And I know that you might even find because Gratz has been around for such a long time, and they used to do things custom, right? Jay has had a high Mat that could be a traveling Mat. It actually folded in half, just like my Contrology Mat does, and it weighs a ton, and as far as we know, it was the only one they ever made, because it was so heavy they never did it again, right? So, and I have seen a Gratz Cadillac that actually will– You can put risers in to make it the height of a normal Cadillac, or take the risers out to make it short for a low ceiling. So again, there are different varieties on Gratz, and often these other classical branches, because they’ve been around longer and had other demands. Typically they’re all about the same height, which makes it really nice when you’re doing things like control balance off, you will find that the foot bar padding can be much thicker if you need it. And also, you’ll find that they can even put like, fuzzy straps, little fuzzy straps on these to make it softer and more luxurious. You could even order fuzzy straps for over here where your hands are, so you can start to personalize things a bit more with the other brands if you need them. I personally don’t like the fuzzy because find that your feet feel like they’re slipping, as opposed to having that firm grip around what we’re looking for.
Pilates Equipment Shipping: What to Expect
So I think it’s also good to talk about customer service and shipping, and in the past, my experience with Gratz and other classical lines is that it takes a long time. It went when I opened my studio with a whole Gratz studio, it was supposed to take three months, and it took almost five. Really hard when you are opening a studio and you have no equipment in there, and the doors are open and there’s no equipment, but during the pandemic that did get towards 18 months now, however, I will say that I do know that Gratz is under new management. They’re working on getting things out a lot faster. In fact, I heard someone ordered a foot corrector and got it the next week, which is awesome. So I do know that they are working on making those changes. And I want to, like, celebrate that, because I think it’s really great anytime people have good customer service and at least honesty around shipping, because here’s the deal you are waiting for parts like when we have had the pleasure of touring the Balanced Body, which is where Contrology has made warehouses, and it is massive, and is huge, and is so cool what Ken Endelman has done with that company, making sure that they really, truly have as little trash as possible. They have solar panels that run their entire warehouse, right? Like it’s really amazing. And they also showed me that they can tell, based on what is on the shelves, if they’ll be able to make a Cadillac in three days, or if we’re gonna have to wait, because obviously you have to wait for nuts and bolts and things and they come from different places around the world. And so what I do love about working with Balanced Body is they can actually tell me when I’m ordering my equipment, how long it will take.
So I had a client of mine ordering a bunch of equipment, and she had a 50 day turnaround because of two of the pieces she was getting, and I had a 10 day turnaround, right? So I really appreciate knowing when items are coming, so that I can make the best decision on when to order. I also love that I have an amazing salesperson I can contact and if anything has ever come in incorrectly or been done wrong, I’m immediately connected with someone who can make those changes as quickly as possible and fix things as quickly as possible. So I really appreciate the customer service that has been there from the beginning with Balanced Body and Contrology and how they’re always trying to make their brand better. So that, to me, is really fun. I also can connect you to my sales person. I think it’s also important that, you know, like, clearly, I am a big fan of Contrology. I’ve gotten rid of the Gratz pieces that I have because of my connection to Jay and Karen Frischmann and Sandy Shimoda, people who worked closely with Ken Endelman on making this brand as closely as to what Joseph Pilate has asked for us. Like, including the armchair. Like, everything is so amazing. I’ve been able to experience Jay’s equipment that was made 40 years ago by Gratz, actually. I was able to experience it and then compare it to the Contrology Pilates Reformer and also have access to other Gratz pieces.
Why Equipment Preference Shapes Your Pilates
And I will just say, like, again, preference does matter, right? Like, please don’t just take my word for it. I think you have to understand, like, what are you using it for? What exercises you trying to do? What makes a difference to you? But also, you know, if I can speak from my own experience, like I really do love the firmness of all the padding on all the pieces of equipment. I love the springs and the tensions and Contrology. I know this is about the Reformers, but I will say the Contrology springs on the Cadillac. When they went to go make them, the way that they actually make springs is they take a spring to a machine, and the machine opens and closes a spring, and the machine tells them what kind of spring to make. And when they did that with the springs for the Cadillac, the Contrology Cadillac, the machine said, “This doesn’t exist. We can’t make it.” And first of all, I took that story, I was like Joe was so ahead of his time, the computers can’t even figure it out. Eventually Ken, because he’s who he is, Ken Andelman found another spring manufacturer. They work with an entirely different manufacturer. For their Contrology springs in the Cadillac, and they were able to make springs just like Jay had. And so when it comes to the history and the tensions being what Joe had created to do his work, I find it to be really helpful, especially for my body, to be able to do exercises that may not have been accessible on other types of equipment.
Choosing Pilates Equipment: Big Decisions Matter
So I really hope this helps you kind of think about the decision you’re making, because when you buy a piece of Pilates equipment, it’s a big decision. You know, we’re not talking like a magic circle or a toe corrector here. We’re talking like an almost $5,000 piece of equipment you want to make sure you’re getting the piece you want at the length you want, and that you can work with people that you like to work with on the long haul, like I love the relationships I have with Contrology, so I am happy to share my relationships with you. I’m happy to make sure you get those, by the way, sometimes that means a discount for you, but I will absolutely do that. And if you have more questions about the differences and the nuances, I will always share from my experience. And I hope that that alleviates anything I feel like Lesley, I love you, but I love Gratz or I love Pilates Designs. Great. We can still love each other and have those things. Because as long as you’re using the equipment that you got and you’re happy with it, and you’re doing your Pilates practice, that’s really what matters to me. And if you’re looking for Pilates equipment for your home, I love that. I have a bunch lots of pieces of equipment for my home. I did a whole video on types of Pilates equipment for your home, the best ones you can choose from.
Join Us: Pilates for Everyone, Everywhere
I hope this video was helpful for you. I would love to hear what your takeaways are and any questions that you have. Also just want you to know no matter what Reformer you have access to, you can actually take any of the classes we have on this YouTube channel. You can use our flashcards. Our flashcards are written by me, and then they are reviewed by someone from the contemporary Reformer and then they’re reviewed by someone who’s never, ever done Pilates before. So they’re usable no matter your Pilates background. And you can also take our OPC classes. So if you have access to equipment, or if you don’t, you just have access to a Mat, we can make sure that you have workouts and tutorials and ways to learn about Pilates, no matter what you choose, and if you haven’t yet subscribed to this channel I hope that you do and you check out the almost 1000 videos we have to support your Pilates practice. Thank you so much. If you want to check us out, go to OPC YouTube, have an amazing day.
