Innerform Pilates
02 - MAT PILATES

Mat Pilates

11 in class 50 min £33 intro offer mats provided

Mat Pilates is control, strength, breath and precision - practised on a mat, with your own body as the resistance.

There’s nowhere to hide and nothing to lean on, so you find out quickly what your body is actually doing - which muscles are working, which ones are taking over, and where you tend to compensate without realising. Learning to move well from there, without compromising form, is the real work.

Like Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates builds mobility, control, balance, posture and a strong core. Most members do both, and the awareness you build on the mat travels back onto the machine. A teacher who knows your name watches your form and learns how you move - with regressions and progressions offered throughout, so every level works in the same room.

A Mat Pilates class at Innerform's Lewisham studio, a member working on a mat with the teacher watching their form.

Same work as the reformer. Just you and the floor.

WHAT TO KNOW

What to know.

What to expect

A 50-minute class on a mat, in a small group. Most classes start with a bit of breathwork - finding your centre, settling the pelvis into neutral, getting some warmth into the body - before you really get stuck in. From there it’s strength and control work for the whole body: nothing fancy, no machine, just your own weight to move and a teacher watching how you move it. Wear something you can move in. Mats are provided, and you’ll want socks - they don’t have to be the grippy kind.

How often

Once a week keeps you ticking over nicely alongside the rest of what you do - there’s no rule, and we’re not going to invent one. If you want to push on a bit faster, come more often. Mat and Reformer Pilates aren’t a ladder - either one on its own does the job, and a mix of the two is a good way to progress. All five disciplines sit inside the same membership, so you can move between them however suits your week.

Who teaches it

The Innerform teaching roster - different schools, different countries, different backgrounds. They teach the room in front of them, not a script, and the cues are plain: neutral spine, don’t flare the ribs, find your core. See who’s teaching Mat Pilates this week on the schedule, or meet the full roster on our teachers page.

QUESTIONS

About Mat Pilates.

What is Mat Pilates?

Mat Pilates is control, strength, breath and precision - practised on a mat, with your own body as the resistance instead of springs. There’s nowhere to hide and nothing to lean on, so you find out quickly what your body is actually doing - and learning to move well from there is the real work. Like Reformer Pilates, it builds mobility, control, balance, posture and a strong core. At Innerform we teach it in Lewisham, in one open-level class with a teacher watching your form and offering easier and harder options the whole way through.

How is it different from Reformer Pilates?

Mat Pilates uses your own bodyweight; Reformer Pilates uses a sprung carriage where the springs can make a movement lighter or heavier. That’s the real difference - on a mat, your leg weighs what it weighs, and that’s the load you’ve got; on a reformer, we can adjust it. Neither one is the easy version, and neither is the foundation of the other - they’re different kinds of work that go really well together. Mat is more stripped back, which makes it a brilliant way to build control and the fundamentals; the reformer gives you more variation and more options on resistance. Either one on its own keeps you strong; doing both is a good way to progress, and both sit inside the same membership.

Is it good for beginners?

Yes - there’s no machine to learn and no level to pass, so beginners can walk straight in. One open-level class, and your first one can be any class on the schedule. Most classes start with some breathwork to find your centre, before the work picks up - and the teacher gives easier and harder options the whole way through, so you’re never stuck and never lost. If you’ve never done any Pilates before, this is a welcoming place to start; if you already do Reformer, you’ll find the mat work sharpens the control you bring back to the carriage.

What should I wear?

Something you can move in - leggings or shorts and a top that won’t ride up when you’re on your back, basically. Mats are provided, so there’s nothing to carry. You’ll want socks, but they don’t have to be the grippy kind - normal socks are fine on a mat. Bring a water bottle; the showers are stocked with everything else.

How often should I come?

Once a week keeps you ticking over alongside the rest of what you do - there’s no rule, and we’re not going to pretend there is; come more often if you want to progress faster. The £33 intro offer is three classes over fourteen days, so you can come a few times and see how it sits before you decide.
MORE CLASSES

More classes.

Five disciplines, one membership.

See all five class types →

INTRO OFFER

Try three classes for £33.

The intro offer is three classes for £33, good for fourteen days and usable across Mat Pilates and our four other disciplines. Open to anyone - no experience needed, and your first class can be any class on the schedule.

Try three classes for £33 See membership options