A reformer on its own gives you a huge repertoire. Add a handful of well-chosen Pilates accessories for your home reformer setup and you roughly double it — more variety, better progressions, and a workout that stays interesting past month three. The trick is knowing which pieces genuinely expand what you can do and which are just clutter.
Here’s what’s worth buying, in what order, and how to store it all in a normal-sized room.
The Essentials: Buy These First
Sitting Box
If you buy one accessory, make it the box. It converts the reformer into a platform for seated, prone, and side-lying work: short box series for abdominal and back extension work, long box for pulling straps and swan, and side-lying for oblique and hip work. Nothing else adds as much repertoire per dollar. Look for a box that sits securely on the carriage without sliding and is the right height for your machine.
Foot Bar Padding or a Non-Slip Mat Pad
Cheap, and it makes footwork and standing work far more comfortable — especially if you train barefoot on a hard bar. A carriage pad also protects the upholstery from wear where you kneel most.
A Full Spring Set
Not glamorous, but the single biggest determinant of how well your reformer scales. Lighter springs make assisted progressions and rehabilitation-style work possible; heavier springs give you somewhere to grow. Many home machines ship with a limited set — check what you have before adding anything else.
Extension Straps or a Longer Strap Set
Standard straps are often sized for average height. If you’re tall, or you want long-lever leg and arm work, extended straps remove a frustrating limitation.
The Next Tier: Real Repertoire Expanders
Jump Board
Turns the reformer into low-impact cardio and plyometrics — jumping while lying down, with the spring taking the landing forces your knees would otherwise absorb. Excellent for conditioning, athletic training, and anyone who wants a cardiovascular element without impact. It’s the accessory home users most often say transformed their routine.
Magic Circle (Pilates Ring)
Small, cheap, and endlessly useful. Adds inner-thigh, outer-thigh, and arm work, and doubles as a feedback tool — squeeze it between the knees and you instantly know whether your legs are aligned. Works on the reformer and off it.
Pole / Push-Through Bar Alternatives
A simple dowel opens up thoracic mobility, shoulder mechanics, and alignment checks. Inexpensive and worth having.
Resistance Bands and Loops
Not reformer-specific, but they let you warm up, activate glutes before you get on the carriage, and keep training when you travel.
Nice to Have (Later)
- Small stability ball. Adds instability for core work and props the pelvis or head in supine positions.
- Foam roller. Release work, thoracic extension over the roller, and balance challenges. Also handy for pre-session mobility.
- Weighted balls or light dumbbells (0.5–2 kg). Adds load to arm work off the springs.
- Tower / half-trapeze attachment. A big step up in both cost and capability. If you’re seriously considering it, it’s worth comparing against buying a second apparatus outright.
- Ankle and wrist weights. Genuinely useful for progressive loading in strap work; often overlooked.
Skip or Delay
A few things sell well and get used rarely at home: oversized stability balls (they take up more room than they earn), novelty grip attachments, branded “reformer accessory bundles” that duplicate what came with the machine, and anything requiring a permanent wall mount unless you’re certain of the layout. Buy the box and the jump board before any of these.
Storage in a Home Setup
Accessories multiply fast, and clutter around a reformer is a genuine safety issue — you don’t want a foam roller under the carriage rails.
- Vertical storage. A slim shelving unit or wall hooks for bands, straps, poles, and the magic circle.
- The box does double duty. Store small items inside or on top of the sitting box when it’s off the carriage.
- Keep the rails clear. Everything gets a home away from the machine’s travel path, no exceptions.
- Under-bed or closet bins for the jump board if you use it occasionally; it’s flat and stores easily.
- Springs live on the machine. Never in a drawer — they should be visible, inspected regularly, and hooked correctly.
A tidy setup also makes maintenance easier. Wipe down after each session and follow a simple schedule like the one in our reformer maintenance guide — accessories included, since straps and boxes wear too.
What Separates a Good Accessory from a Cheap One
Accessories get bought on price more often than any other part of a Pilates setup, and it shows. A few things to check before ordering:
Construction and Load Rating
A sitting box takes your full bodyweight in positions where you’re leaning off the edge. Look for a solid internal frame rather than hollow board, upholstery that’s bonded properly at the seams, and a stated weight rating. A box that flexes under load is both unpleasant and unsafe.
Fit to Your Machine
Carriage widths and rail heights vary between manufacturers. A box that’s slightly too narrow will rock; a jump board with the wrong mounting profile won’t seat securely in the footbar. Check the specification against your reformer model before buying, and when in doubt buy the accessory designed for your machine.
Surface and Grip
Jump boards need a non-slip surface you can push into confidently with bare feet. Straps need handles or loops that don’t dig in. These sound like small details until you’re 20 reps into a set.
Replaceability
Springs, straps, and ropes are consumables — they stretch and wear. Buy from a supplier who stocks replacements for your model, so you’re not replacing an entire machine’s worth of hardware in three years.
A Sensible Buying Order
If you’re building up over time rather than all at once:
- Sitting box
- Full spring set (if yours is limited)
- Magic circle and a pole
- Jump board
- Foam roller and small ball
- Ankle weights
- Tower attachment, if your training has outgrown the reformer alone
That order tracks how quickly each item earns its space. Most home users find the box and jump board together cover almost everything they want.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need accessories to get a good reformer workout?
No. The base machine supports a complete workout indefinitely. Accessories add variety and progression options, which mostly matter for adherence — a routine you don’t get bored of is one you keep doing.
Are third-party accessories compatible with my reformer?
Usually, but check dimensions carefully — sitting boxes in particular must match your carriage width and rail height to sit stably. Buying from your machine’s manufacturer removes the guesswork.
Is a jump board worth it for home use?
If you want a cardio element without impact, yes — it’s the highest-value non-essential accessory for most home users. If your training is purely strength and mobility focused, it’s optional.
How much should I budget?
A sitting box and a jump board are the two significant purchases; small items like rings, poles, bands, and balls are inexpensive. Building the full list above over a year is a modest cost relative to the reformer itself.
What about a tower instead of accessories?
A tower is a different category — it adds a whole apparatus rather than accessorising one. Worth considering once you’ve outgrown the reformer repertoire and have both the space and the budget. Our home reformer buying guide covers how to think about that decision.
Build the Setup You’ll Actually Use
The best home reformer setup isn’t the one with the most gear — it’s the one where every piece gets used weekly and nothing blocks the carriage. Start with the box, add the jump board, and expand from there.
Go Align Pilates supplies reformers and accessories across Canada and the US. Browse the full range or get in touch and we’ll help you build a setup that fits your space.