The Nautilus CoreBody Reformer

When I see new fitness products, offering big promises, come onto the market, I usually approach them with skeptical optimism. I want them to work, but often I get disappointed. I had read reviews on the Nautilus CoreBody Reformer, but I just couldn’t make up my mind about it. The video on their website just didn’t give me enough information to make an educated decision. So when they offered to send me one to review – I jumped at the chance!

When it arrived and I pulled it out of the box, my first thought was – this thing is heavy! But it was clever packaging. The cable bar was packed inside the core – brilliant!

I began pulling off the plastic and laying out the pieces. Without even looking at the instructions, I could put it together – it was that simple and easy.

The Nautilus CoreBody Reformer claims to blend Yoga, Pilates and Dance into one workout – but I think they should add 1 more – Traditional Strength training.

The movements involve Yoga to enhance your flexibility; Pilates that help strengthen and tone your entire body, and dance, which is great for cardio. But you can also do traditional exercises such as bicep curls, shoulder presses, chest press, triceps extensions, hip adduction/abduction, squats and rows. And of course, your abs – your core is worked almost non-stop in the videos.

Ok – so what did I think after actually using it? The workouts are really fun! The moves reminded me of the Pilates classes I have taken in the past, but with swagger – I love the added dance moves! While doing the shoulder raises, the resistance level felt too light, so feeling very “super-woman” I increased it to the highest setting – and, um – had to lower it down a notch! Ha-ha! Trying to stay balanced on the core of the machine while doing shoulder raises is definitely a challenge! And that’s another thing I liked about the CoreBody Reformer – it helps to improve your balance. It also has a workout for stretching and massaging your muscles, which will help you achieve greater flexibility.

I believe this machine would make a great addition to your home gym. The resistance levels are strong enough to help beginners and intermediate levels, of fitness, to advance. But it would also help even the more advanced levels to work on their core and balance – not to mention a way to vary up their exercise program. My only disappointment was with the workout sessions – they repeat a set of exercises 3-4 times through the length of the workout. It would be nice to add more of a variety of the workouts that are on the enclosed flip cards. At $249, it is a small chunk of change, but as all equipment, it is an investment into your health.

The CoreBody Reformer is made up of the body, which will hold up to 300 lbs., the pulley system, and straps which you can hold with your hands or strap around your feet or legs, depending upon the exercise. The machine has three resistance settings of 3, 6, and 9 pounds. It also comes with a carrying strap making it very portable.

With the CoreBody Reformer, you also get:

v  4 Workouts on 1 DVD

v  Go-Anywhere Fitness Flip Cards

v  Weight Loss Plan

v  Workout Poster

v  Carrying Strap

Please note the weight loss plan is not part of this review.

For a limited time, they are offering a free workout mat with purchase.

Disclaimer: CoreBody Reformer sent me this product to review but the opinions are mine.