Is Flexia the Peloton of Pilates?

We’ve often been asked is Flexia the Peloton of Pilates?

In some ways Flexia offers an experience that is similar to Peloton, but because reformer Pilates is unlike cycling, running, and other traditional fitness methods, in other ways it is quite different.

How the Flexia Smart Reformer and Online Studio are similar to Peloton

Here are three ways that Flexia is similar to Peloton and other connected fitness options.

1. The Flexia Reformer is tech enabled.

Like many connected pieces of fitness equipment, our reformer is enabled with technology to give you real time feedback on how you are performing, so you can adjust your workout accordingly. Our technology also gives you a report of how you did at the end of class to help you stay motivated and track your progress. 

2. Our reformer is designed to be used at home and pairs with an online platform.

Additionally, our reformer is designed to be easy to set up and use at home and pairs with an Online Studio with classes specifically designed for the Flexia Reformer with expert instructors to help give you the best workout possible. 

3. We value connection and community

Working out at home can be lonely, which is why it’s helpful to have an online community to engage with. In the Flexia private Facebook group, you can connect with Flexia instructors and community members, share your wins, and cheer each other on.

This is how we are like Peloton, so let’s talk about what makes us different and why our tech is specifically designed to support you in your Pilates practice. 

How Flexia is different from Peloton.

Our metrics are different from Peloton and that’s by design. Pilates serves a very different function from spinning, running, rowing, and even weight training. In Pilates, we care about the quality of your movement, not how much weight you can push and pull, or how fast you can do it. Pilates isn’t about climbing a leaderboard or calorie burn, it’s about consistency and connecting with your body. So, that’s what our metrics count. 

When you’re using a Peloton, the amount of resistance you’re using and speed you’re moving at drive your workout. In many ways, you are racing yourself in these workouts or seeing if you can push just a little bit harder or faster than you did the last time. 

This is not a bad thing. It’s perfect when your goal is increased cardiovascular fitness or total strength. However, Pilates is a mind-body modality that focuses on calming the nervous system, improving body awareness, strengthening small and large muscles equally, improving posture, and increasing flexibility. To accomplish these things, you have to slow down long enough to notice what you feel, which is why trying to go as hard and fast as possible doesn’t work very well.

And if you’re thinking, “Wow. Reformer Pilates sounds like the ideal complement to my favorite HIIT workouts,” you’re not wrong. ;-) 

This is why we developed technology to quantify mindfulness and your quality of movement. The Flexia Reformer is enabled with sensors and AI technology to provide real-time guidance on technique and track progress. 

When you take a Flexia Online Studio class, here are the metrics that you will see on the screen:

• Control: This metric will measure how well you stay in control of your movements during an exercise.
• Consistency: Measures your ability to perform your 6th rep compared to your 1st. 
• Speed: We'll measure the tempo at which you move so you get the most out of each rep. Remember, it’s not a race. Often with Pilates, slower is better. 
• Weight: Our weight metric will show you how much weight you've moved as you build your way to a stronger practice.

At the end of class, these metrics are calculated to give you a Movement Quality Score (MQS) so you know exactly how you did, allowing you to track your progress short and long term. 

How our metrics help you improve your form and get a better workout.

While our technology cannot change your reformer springs for you or tell you where to move your foot or arm, it does give you information to check in with yourself, improve your form, and get a more effective workout.

Here’s how to use and interpret each of our metrics.

Control: Getting feedback on your control can help you refine your movement patterns and make every rep count. No more checking out for half of your workout or finishing an exercise and wondering if it did anything. When you’re focusing on control, you’ll know just how hard you worked. 

Consistency: Are you someone who has trouble pacing yourself during a workout? The consistency feature will help you identify how hard to work, so your 5th rep is as good as your first. No more burning out halfway through your workout. Our tech will help you correct this in real time. 

Speed: If you’re moving faster or slower than the ideal pace of a specific Pilates exercise, our tech gives you feedback to match the pacing of the instructor, so you are able to get the full benefits of the exercise. When you change your speed, you will find that you feel the exercise differently. It may help you engage the right muscle groups or notice if you weren’t pushing through your legs or arms as much as you needed to.

Weight moved: our tech can make spring recommendations if you feel like an exercise feels too easy or too hard. This is helpful, because unlike weight training where a heavier resistance is almost always more difficult, sometimes in Pilates less spring is far more challenging. Our tech takes the guesswork out of springs!

The Flexia Smart Reformer also calculates how much weight you moved during a class. This solves the problem of wondering how springs translate to the amount of pounds lifted or resistance used.

Why our technology doesn’t give you specific feedback on form.

Our technology doesn’t give you specific feedback on how to position your body during an exercise. The reason why it doesn’t have this feature is because everyone has different body proportions, which makes “good” alignment specific to an individual. This means that what will be right for one person will not always make sense for someone else. 

Beyond that, Pilates is a practice of awareness. The feedback that you receive from our technology allows you to make meaningful adjustments to figure out what your body needs to get the most out of an exercise. Form is important, but it’s not about what you look like when you practice an exercise. It’s about what you feel in terms of muscle engagement and control. 

How to know if the Flexia Smart Reformer is right for you.

We designed our reformer and Online Studio, so you could get all of the benefits of reformer Pilates at home. This is why our reformer feels like a studio grade reformer, except it is easier to set up and use than many of the other commercial models.

Our technology tracks the metrics that make Pilates unique from many other modalities. It assesses your quality of movement, while encouraging body awareness and control. With that, if you’re looking for an experience that encourages you to go as hard and fast as possible in each and every workout, then Flexia may not be a good fit for you. However, if you’re looking for an at-home workout experience that helps you build strength and flexibility while emphasizing awareness, then it is likely that you’ll love having our reformer in your home.