Pilates
Reformer Star
Reformer Star is an advanced Pilates side-plank exercise performed on a moving carriage. It challenges your abdominal muscles to keep your trunk steady while your supporting shoulder controls the movement.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Advanced
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 1 min
How to do it
- Place your supporting hand on the footbar with your body facing sideways along the reformer.
- Position the outer edge of your bottom foot on the carriage against a shoulder rest.
- Lift your hips into a side plank with your top foot stacked over your bottom foot.
- Reach your top arm toward the ceiling.
- Lift your top leg away from your bottom leg.
- Press the carriage outward a short distance through your supporting arm.
- Draw the carriage back to its starting position with control to complete one repetition.
Form cues
- Push tall through your supporting shoulder.
- Keep your waist lifted.
- Reach long through your lifted leg.
- Breathe steadily throughout.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the pelvis backwardKeep your top hip directly above your bottom hip rather than turning your chest toward the ceiling.
- Moving the carriage too farShorten the travel so your trunk stays in one straight line.
- Locking the supporting elbowKeep the arm straight without forcing the elbow backward.
Safety
Losing hand or foot contact on the moving carriage can cause a fall. Excessive travel or fatigue can overload the supporting wrist and shoulder.
- Have a qualified Pilates instructor select the spring setting and supervise your first attempts.
- Check that the footbar and shoulder rests are secure before mounting.
- Establish a stable side plank with stacked feet before attempting the lifted-leg version.
- End the set before your grip, balance, or carriage control deteriorates.
If you have wrist or shoulder pain or difficulty balancing in a floor side plank, choose a supported version and seek guidance before attempting this exercise.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Pilates Reformer
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2
- Target
- 3–5 reps per side
- Rest
- 1 min
Use slow repetitions; each outward-and-return carriage movement counts as one rep.