Why Some Pilates Exercises Feel Completely Different With Different Spring Settings
- theziblingsalipoon
- 6 days ago
- 12 min read
Spring selection is one of the most important programming decisions a Reformer Pilates instructor makes, yet it is also one of the most commonly oversimplified.
Many instructors learn spring settings as part of an exercise repertoire.
Footwork equals heavy springs.
Feet in straps equals moderate springs.
Abdominal work equals light springs.
Standing work equals light springs.
Those recommendations can be useful when you are first learning to teach, but they can quickly become limiting if you never progress beyond them.
Because springs do far more than make an exercise “heavier” or “lighter”.
Changing the spring resistance can alter the muscular demand, stability requirement, direction of force, assistance provided by the carriage, proprioceptive feedback and even which part of an exercise feels most difficult.
In some exercises, adding a spring makes the movement harder.
In others, adding a spring actually makes the exercise easier.
And in many exercises, changing the spring completely changes what you are training.
For Pilates instructors, understanding this distinction is fundamental to intelligent
Reformer programming.
Spring Resistance Is Not The Same As Weight
The first concept instructors need to understand is that a Pilates spring does not behave like a dumbbell.
If you pick up a 10 kg dumbbell, the mass of that dumbbell remains 10 kg throughout the exercise.
Spring resistance behaves differently.
A spring produces increasing force as it is stretched further from its resting length.
This means resistance changes throughout the movement.
The further the carriage travels and the more the spring elongates, the greater the resistance produced by the spring.
This creates a variable resistance profile.
And that resistance profile interacts with:
body position
gravity
lever length
carriage position
direction of movement
number and type of springs
exercise range
client strength
client body mass
This is why simply describing a spring as “heavy” or “light” doesn’t tell you how difficult an exercise will actually be.
You have to understand the entire mechanical environment.
Why Heavier Springs Don’t Always Mean A Harder Exercise
This is probably the most important spring principle for instructors to understand.
There is a common assumption that:
More springs = harder.
And:
Fewer springs = easier.
That is simply not universally true.
Whether additional spring resistance makes an exercise harder or easier depends on what the spring is doing within that particular movement.
Sometimes the client is pushing directly against spring resistance.
In that situation, adding resistance will generally increase muscular demand.
But sometimes the spring is helping stabilise the carriage.
In that situation, adding resistance may make the exercise easier to control.
And sometimes the spring is assisting the client back towards the starting position.
In that situation, additional spring resistance may actually provide more assistance during part of the movement.
The question should therefore never simply be:
“How heavy are the springs?”
The better question is:
“What is the spring doing in this exercise?”
That question changes how you programme.
Footwork: When Heavier Springs Increase Muscular Demand
Reformer footwork is one of the clearest examples of springs being used as resistance.
The client presses the carriage away from the footbar, elongating the springs.
The lower limb musculature must produce sufficient force to overcome that resistance.
Increasing spring resistance can therefore increase demand through muscles including the:
quadriceps
gluteals
hamstrings
calf complex
depending on foot position, hip position, range and the way the exercise is performed.
This makes spring resistance a useful progression variable.
If a healthy, experienced client has performed the same footwork sequence on the same springs for twelve months, we should question whether that exercise is still providing sufficient stimulus to create adaptation.
If strength is the goal, simply adding more repetitions isn’t necessarily the best progression.
Increasing resistance may be more appropriate.
But even here, spring selection isn’t the only variable.
We can also manipulate:
unilateral versus bilateral work
tempo
range
pauses
repetition number
exercise order
fatigue accumulated before footwork
Good programming considers all of them.
Standing Reformer Exercises: When Heavier Springs Can Make Things Easier
Now consider a standing exercise with one foot on the stable platform and one foot on the carriage.
Many instructors instinctively offer a lighter spring as the “beginner” option because they associate lighter resistance with easier exercise.
But reducing the spring resistance means the carriage is less constrained.
The client now needs greater muscular control to manage the movement of the carriage.
A heavier spring can make the carriage feel more stable and predictable.
For a beginner, an older adult or someone with reduced balance confidence, this may actually make the exercise significantly easier to control.
Conversely, reducing spring tension may increase the stability and proprioceptive demand.
So although the muscular resistance may technically be lower, the overall exercise may become more challenging.
This is exactly why spring selection cannot be understood using a simple light-to-heavy difficulty scale.
Springs Can Provide Assistance
Springs don’t only create resistance.
They can also provide assistance.
Consider an exercise where the spring is pulling the carriage towards the stopper while the client is attempting to return to the starting position.
The spring is now helping create that movement.
Increasing spring tension could therefore increase the assistance available during that phase.
This is particularly useful when working with:
beginners
clients returning from injury
older adults
clients learning a new movement pattern
clients who lack sufficient strength to complete the movement independently
Understanding spring assistance allows instructors to preserve an exercise pattern while reducing its demand.
That is often far more useful than simply removing the exercise.
Spring Selection Changes Stability
Another major role of spring resistance is controlling carriage movement.
The Reformer is an unstable environment precisely because the carriage moves.
Spring tension changes how easily that carriage moves.
Generally, greater spring resistance creates more resistance against carriage displacement.
Lower spring resistance allows the carriage to move more freely.
This has significant implications for exercises involving:
standing
kneeling
quadruped positions
planks
lunges
balance
unilateral loading
An instructor who understands this can deliberately manipulate spring tension to alter the stability challenge.
For example, rather than progressing a standing exercise by immediately adding a complicated arm sequence or prop, you may simply reduce the spring resistance slightly.
The exercise looks almost identical.
But the neuromuscular demand can change substantially.
That is intelligent progression.
Spring Resistance And The Strength Curve
Muscles don’t produce equal force at every joint angle.
Likewise, exercises aren’t equally difficult throughout their entire range.
This is sometimes described as the strength curve of an exercise.
Spring resistance interacts with that curve.
Because springs become more resistant as they elongate, the point at which the client experiences the greatest spring resistance is often towards the end of carriage travel.
But that doesn’t necessarily correspond with the point where the target muscle is strongest.
This matters.
Imagine two exercises that both involve hip extension.
They may use the same spring setting but have completely different resistance profiles
because:
the client’s body position differs
the spring begins at a different length
the carriage travels a different distance
gravity interacts differently with the movement
the hip begins at a different joint angle
The spring colour alone tells us very little about the actual muscular stimulus.
Why Body Position Matters
Consider the difference between a client performing hip extension:
supine with feet in straps
kneeling on the carriage
standing at the Reformer
prone on the long box
The movement occurring at the hip may appear similar.
But mechanically, these exercises are completely different.
Gravity is acting differently.
The pelvis is supported differently.
The trunk has different stability demands.
The spring is pulling from a different direction.
The client may be working against the spring during one phase and receiving assistance from it during another.
This is why understanding anatomy without biomechanics is incomplete.
Knowing that the gluteus maximus extends the hip is useful.
Understanding how changing body position alters the mechanical demand placed on that muscle is what allows you to programme intelligently.
The Same Spring Setting Does Not Suit Every Client
Another limitation of rigid spring charts is that they fail to account for the individual.
Two clients can perform exactly the same exercise on exactly the same spring setting and experience dramatically different levels of difficulty.
Consider differences in:
body weight
limb length
strength
training history
injury history
coordination
confidence
joint range
fatigue
Reformer familiarity
This is why spring recommendations should be treated as ranges rather than absolute rules.
A spring setting is a starting point.
The instructor then observes what actually happens.
Can the client control the carriage?
Can they complete the intended range?
Where are they fatiguing?
Does technique deteriorate?
Can they complete the desired repetition range?
Are they compensating somewhere else to overcome the load?
Those observations should determine whether the resistance is appropriate.
Springs Should Match The Goal Of The Exercise
Before selecting springs, ask:
What am I actually trying to achieve?
If the goal is strength, the spring needs to create sufficient resistance to challenge the
target musculature.
If the goal is motor control, you may choose resistance that allows the client to move slowly and accurately.
If the goal is balance, you may deliberately manipulate carriage stability.
If the goal is rehabilitation, the spring may provide assistance that allows the client to access a movement they cannot yet perform independently.
If the goal is endurance, your spring and repetition choices will differ again.
The “correct” spring depends on the intended adaptation.
There is no universally correct spring setting independent of the programme goal.
Stop Using Springs As A Choreography Setting
One of the habits instructors should move away from is treating spring changes purely as logistical transitions.
For example:
“We’re on one red because that’s what we use for this exercise.”
Instead, start connecting the spring selection to the purpose of the exercise.
Perhaps you choose a heavier spring because you want eight repetitions to create meaningful lower-limb fatigue.
Perhaps you deliberately reduce the spring because you want to increase carriage instability.
Perhaps you add a spring because the client needs more assistance returning the carriage.
Perhaps one client uses a different spring from everyone else because their current capacity is different.
The spring isn’t simply part of the setup.
It is part of the programme prescription.
How Spring Selection Can Change Muscle Recruitment
Another important consideration is that changing resistance can change how a client solves a movement problem.
If resistance exceeds the capacity of the intended muscle group, the body doesn’t simply stop moving.
It often finds another strategy.
You may see:
increased lumbar extension
pelvic rotation
excessive gripping through the hip flexors
shoulder elevation
altered foot pressure
momentum
reduced range
breath holding
Instructors sometimes respond by adding more cues.
“Keep your pelvis still.”
“Use your glutes.”
“Drop your shoulders.”
“Engage your core.”
But if the spring resistance exceeds the client’s capacity, cueing harder may not fix the problem.
Changing the load might.
This is why biomechanics and programming cannot be separated from cueing.
Sometimes the best cue is a spring change.
Springs And Injury Modification
Understanding spring mechanics becomes even more important when clients present with injuries.
Imagine a client with knee pain during footwork.
Simply telling them to perform fewer repetitions doesn’t necessarily address the problem.
You could manipulate:
spring resistance
knee flexion range
foot position
hip position
tempo
bilateral versus unilateral loading
Each changes the mechanical demand differently.
Likewise, for a client with shoulder pain in a plank variation, adding spring resistance may stabilise the carriage and reduce the demand required to control it.
For another shoulder exercise, however, adding resistance may substantially increase the load on the symptomatic tissues.
The spring itself isn’t good or bad.
Its effect depends on the exercise.
How To Know Whether Your Spring Setting Is Appropriate
Rather than relying exclusively on memorised spring charts, observe the client.
Ask yourself:
Can they control the movement?
The carriage shouldn’t be slamming into the stopper or moving unpredictably unless speed is deliberately part of the exercise.
Can they maintain the intended technique?
If the target movement disappears under compensations, reconsider the load.
Are they actually being challenged?
If your goal is strength and the client could perform another twenty repetitions, the spring may not be providing sufficient stimulus.
Where are they feeling the exercise?
This isn’t a perfect measure of muscle recruitment, but it can provide useful information alongside your observation.
What happens when you change the spring?
Sometimes the easiest way to determine whether resistance is contributing to a compensation is simply to change it and reassess.
This is clinical reasoning in practice.
Observe.
Change a variable.
Reassess.
Spring Settings Should Progress Over Time
If you programme progressive exercise, spring selection shouldn’t remain static forever.
As clients become stronger and more coordinated, their capacity changes.
The exercise therefore needs to change if you want continued adaptation.
Progression could involve:
adding resistance
reducing assistance
reducing carriage stability
increasing range
increasing lever length
moving from bilateral to unilateral work
changing tempo
increasing volume
The best progression depends on the goal.
Simply making an exercise look more complicated isn’t necessarily progression.
Sometimes the most effective progression is performing the exact same movement with a more appropriate load.
A Practical Example: Reformer Scooter
Consider a basic Reformer scooter.
What happens if you substantially increase the spring?
The client now requires greater hip extension force to move the carriage.
This may increase muscular demand through the gluteals and posterior chain.
Now reduce the spring.
The force required to move the carriage decreases, but the client may need greater control to manage the carriage smoothly.
Neither version is automatically “better”.
They simply emphasise different qualities.
If your goal is glute strength, you might choose one setup.
If your goal is pelvic stability and controlled carriage movement, you might choose another.
If your client is returning from injury, you might choose something else again.
This is the difference between selecting an exercise and programming an exercise.
A Practical Example: Standing Side Splits
Now consider standing side splits.
A beginner may feel safer with greater spring resistance because the carriage moves less freely.
An experienced client may find a lighter spring significantly more challenging because they need to control the carriage throughout the range.
But if your goal is adductor strengthening, you also need to consider which direction the client is moving and where the spring is providing resistance versus assistance.
Simply saying “lighter is harder” still isn’t enough.
You need to understand why.
Programming Before Cueing
There is an important lesson here that extends well beyond springs.
Instructors often attempt to cue their way out of programming problems.
A client can’t maintain pelvic position, so we add three more cues.
A client keeps losing shoulder stability, so we repeatedly tell them to “engage their lats”.
A client can’t control the carriage, so we tell them to slow down.
Sometimes those cues are useful.
But sometimes the exercise has simply been programmed at an inappropriate load.
Before assuming the client isn’t listening, ask whether the exercise setup allows them to succeed.
Good teaching starts before the cue.
It starts with good programming.
Why This Matters For Pilates Instructors
Memorising spring settings can help you teach a repertoire.
Understanding spring mechanics helps you programme.
There is a substantial difference.
An instructor who understands why a spring has been selected can adapt immediately when the person in front of them doesn’t respond as expected.
They don’t need a memorised modification for every possible scenario.
They understand the principles well enough to solve the problem.
That creates instructors who are more confident with:
mixed-level classes
injury presentations
stronger clients
beginners
older adults
prenatal clients
rehabilitation
strength-focused Pilates
complex movement compensations
And it allows instructors to explain their decisions rather than simply repeating what they were originally taught.
Better Questions To Ask When Choosing Springs
Instead of asking:
“What spring do I use for this exercise?”
Start asking:
What is the goal of this exercise?
Is the spring providing resistance or assistance?
How does the resistance change throughout the movement?
Does adding a spring increase muscular demand or increase stability?
What tissues am I trying to load?
What range am I asking the client to control?
Is the client strong enough for this resistance?
Are compensations appearing because the load is inappropriate?
Would changing the spring preserve the exercise while making it more suitable?
How could I progress this spring setting over time?
These questions lead to far better programming decisions than memorising a spring chart ever will.
Key Teaching Takeaways
Spring resistance is far more complex than “light springs are easy and heavy springs are hard”.
Remember:
Pilates springs provide variable resistance as they elongate.
Heavier springs can increase muscular demand in some exercises.
Heavier springs can increase carriage stability and therefore make other exercises easier.
Springs can provide both resistance and assistance depending on the direction of movement.
Body position fundamentally changes how spring resistance affects an exercise.
The same spring setting will not create the same relative challenge for every client.
Spring selection should reflect the intended training outcome.
Poor technique isn’t always a cueing problem; sometimes it is a load-selection problem.
Spring settings should progress as client capacity improves.
Understanding biomechanics allows instructors to modify from principles rather than memorised rules.
The goal is not to memorise more spring settings.
It is to understand why the spring is there in the first place.
Want To Understand The Biomechanics
Behind The Exercises You Teach?
If you have ever wondered why changing a spring completely changes an exercise, why some clients compensate despite your best cueing, or why the same exercise seems to target completely different muscles depending on the setup, this is exactly the gap our Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics Certification was created to address.
Body Form Education’s Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics Certification moves beyond simply memorising origins, insertions and muscle actions.
Instead, we look at how anatomy actually behaves during movement and how that knowledge changes your:
exercise selection
spring selection
cueing
regressions and progressions
injury modifications
understanding of compensations
programming decisions
The certification combines comprehensive anatomy and biomechanics theory with practical Mat and Reformer exercise application so you can understand not only what you’re teaching, but why the body responds the way it does.
It is designed for Pilates instructors who want to move beyond memorised repertoire and make genuinely informed programming decisions.
Visit the Body Form Education website to learn more about the Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics Certification.
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