Sophie Spencer has been a Pilates instructor for seven years, opening her studio at her home in Totton 18 months ago.

Pilates with Soph specialises in Reformer Pilates, using a unique piece of exercise equipment that enhances strength, flexibility and posture.

Inside the Pilates with Soph studio(Image: Pilates with Soph)

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Sophie provides a boutique studio and personal service with a maximum of four participants at any one time.

She told the Daily Echo: “I offer a personal service, welcoming clients who are pre and post natal, peri and post menopausal and recovering from injuries, as well as marathon runners and people who want to fall in love with moving their body and find an exercise they love!

“Customers fall in love with how Pilates makes them feel, leaving them feeling connected to their body. They’re longer, leaner and stronger!”

Sophie Spencer, owner of Pilates with Soph(Image: Pilates with Soph)

Sophie offers a friendly service and safe space to exercise from at her base in Salisbury Road. There are a variety of class times, ranging from early morning to evenings on weekdays and weekends with 17 classes running over six days a week.

Classes use high quality apparatus from Align Pilates, sophisticated apparatus fitted out with a sliding carriage, springs, ropes with handles, and a foot bar to provide resistance and support for a variety of movements.

Mat Pilates, the original workout created by Joseph Pilates, focuses on core strength and flexibility using body weight and additional props for resistance. Reformer Pilates introduces adjustable resistance through the springs on the Reformer, along with the sliding carriage to aid motion. This method offers a broader range of exercises targeting specific muscle groups more effectively.

Since resistance can be tailored to challenge you as you progress, it makes it a suitable alternative for all fitness levels, from beginner to the more seasoned Pilates practitioner.

Benefits of Reformer Pilates include enhanced core strength and stability, improved flexibility and range of motion, a full body workout, low impact but high efficiency exercise, and a fully personalised workout.