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AeroPilates Reformer 287 Review: Cords Instead of Springs
By Jack Atkins, Home Gym Equipment Specialist · Updated 13 September 2026
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Pilates reformers went from studio equipment to a category on Amazon in about four years, and most of what arrived is unbranded steel from the same few factories. The AeroPilates 287 isn't that. Stamina's AeroPilates line has been selling cord based home reformers since the 1990s, long enough to have made the mistakes already, and it shows in the parts you touch: a wide padded carriage, dense foam shoulder blocks, an adjustable headrest and grips that don't dig in.
At £649.76 it sits above the £280 folding machines and well below anything a studio would buy. What you're paying for is padding, a 300lb rated frame and a brand that will still sell you a replacement cord in three years. What you're giving up is springs.
How we review
This review is based on the manufacturer's published specifications from the Amazon UK listing, the consistent patterns across verified owner reviews, and the peer reviewed literature on Pilates as an exercise intervention. AeroPilates' own website was offline when we checked in September 2026, so no specification here comes from the brand's marketing pages. We have not trained on this exact unit for months, and nothing below is presented as our own measurement.
Who it is for
This suits someone who already knows the exercises and wants to stop paying £25 a class. Two or three sessions a week at a studio costs more than this machine inside six months, and the 287 will carry out a recognisable version of footwork, the hundred, long stretch, short box work and most of the mat repertoire on a carriage.
It's a poor fit for a beginner with no instruction. A reformer is unforgiving of bad alignment in a way a mat isn't, and three DVDs won't teach you what a teacher watching your ribs will. Start with classes, then buy the machine.
Check AeroPilates Reformer 287 price on AmazonPros
- Padding is genuinely better than the budget imports, with high density foam shoulder blocks and an adjustable headrest
- 300 lb capacity from a frame that does not creak or flex under load
- Three cords give enough range for a beginner and a stronger user to share one machine
- Bungee resistance is near silent, which matters if you train in a flat or early in the morning
- AeroPilates has sold this design for decades, so replacement cords and parts are actually available
- Nothing to plug in, calibrate or update, and no subscription attached
Cons
- Elastic cords build resistance differently from springs; the classical feel is not there
- 216cm of frame that does not fold flat, so it lives in the room permanently
- £649.76 buys a lot of studio classes, and the machine cannot correct your form
- Only three cords, where studio reformers give you five springs and finer increments
- Bundled instruction is on DVD, which is close to useless now
- Cords are a consumable and will need replacing eventually
- 25kg is heavy enough that repositioning it is a chore
Cords against springs, which is the whole review
A studio reformer uses steel springs. As the carriage travels the spring stretches, load rises in a way your body learns to read, and the recoil at the end of the stroke is what teaches control on the return. Cords behave differently: elastic resistance climbs more steeply the further you pull, so the hardest part of the rep lands at full extension rather than being spread through it. The practical consequence is that footwork feels light at the start and heavy at the end, and long stretch feels less stable than it does on a sprung carriage.
Whether that matters depends on your goal. For general strength, mobility and core work at home it's a difference in feel rather than a defect. For anyone training toward a teaching qualification or rehabbing under a physio's programme, it isn't close enough; you'd want springs.
| Resistance | 3 elastic bungee cords |
|---|---|
| Weight capacity | 300 lb / approx 136 kg |
| Assembled length | 85.25 in / approx 216 cm |
| Width | 17.5 in / approx 44 cm |
| Height | 9 in / approx 23 cm |
| Machine weight | 56 lb / approx 25 kg |
| Carriage | Wide cushioned platform with foam grips |
| Shoulder blocks | High density foam |
| Headrest | Adjustable |
| Included media | 3 instructional DVDs |
| Power | None required |
What the evidence actually supports
AeroPilates' listing talks about burning fat, shaping the body and losing inches. Ignore all of it. The research that does hold up is about pain and function: a systematic review of Pilates and core muscle activation in chronic low back pain concluded that Pilates is not inferior to equivalently dosed exercise and can beat non equivalent or no exercise for core muscle strength, while a meta-analysis of randomised trials on Pilates training for pain and disability in chronic low back pain found meaningful improvements in both.
That's a solid reason to own one if your back gives you trouble. It is not a reason to expect the machine to change your body composition, which is a function of what you eat and how much total activity you do; the NHS sets out what that activity load should look like in its physical activity guidelines for adults, and a reformer is one way to hit part of it rather than a shortcut around the rest.
Build, assembly and living with it
Assembly takes most people under an hour with the supplied tools, and the frame arrives largely built. Once together it's rigid, which is the main thing; the cheaper folding machines develop a lateral wobble in the carriage after a few months and this doesn't. Rollers run quietly on the rails, and the whole machine is quiet enough to use at 6am in a first floor flat without annoying anybody underneath.
The footprint is the real cost of ownership. At 216cm long it occupies the same floor area as a three seat sofa and it doesn't fold away, so you need a spare room, a garage or a very tolerant living room. If space is the constraint, a mat and a decent set of bands does more Pilates per square metre; our best resistance bands UK guide and the best exercise mat UK guide cover that route. For the wider market of machines at this price, see our best Pilates reformer UK guide, and the rest of the strength kit lives in our home gym section.
See current AeroPilates Reformer 287 priceRecommended reads
Frequently asked questions
Is the AeroPilates 287 a real reformer or a home imitation?
It is a real reformer in the sense that it has a moving carriage, padded shoulder blocks and an adjustable headrest, and the classical exercises translate onto it. The difference is the resistance. Studio machines use steel springs, the 287 uses three elastic bungee cords, and the way the load builds through the stroke is not the same. Anyone who has trained in a studio will notice within one set.
How much space does it need?
The frame is 216cm long and 44cm wide, so you need roughly 2.5 metres of clear floor plus room to get on and off either side. It is not a machine you stand on end in a cupboard between sessions, and at 25kg it is heavy enough that moving it across a room is a two handed job rather than something you do casually.
Do the bungee cords wear out?
Elastic loses tension over years of stretching, and every cord based reformer has this in common. Owners typically report the cords staying usable for a long time with normal home use, and AeroPilates sells replacements, so treat them as a consumable rather than a fault. Keep them out of direct sunlight and do not leave the carriage loaded when it is not in use.
What weight can it take?
The published capacity is 300 lb, which is roughly 136kg. That is user weight, not user weight plus dynamic load, so if you are close to the limit and doing explosive work, treat the figure with some caution.
Is Pilates actually effective or is it a marketing claim?
The evidence for Pilates and chronic low back pain is reasonably good. Systematic reviews find it improves core muscle activation and reduces pain and disability, performing at least as well as equivalently dosed exercise. The claims about fat loss and inches lost that appear in reformer marketing are far weaker and should be ignored.
Does it come with workouts?
Three instructional DVDs are included, covering an introduction, a full body routine and a level one Pilates programme. Whether a DVD is any use to you in 2026 depends on whether you still own something that plays one. Most owners end up following online classes instead.
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