Your friend won’t shut up about Lagree. Your coworker books reformer every Tuesday and Thursday and won’t do dinner on those nights. Same-ish setup in both: carriage that slides, springs, abs that hate you the next day. From the sidewalk they look like the same workout. They aren’t, and we hear the Lagree vs Pilates question at our front desk pretty much weekly. So here’s our take, machine by machine, pace, difficulty, results. You decide.
Lagree vs Pilates at a Glance
| Feature | Lagree | Reformer Pilates |
|---|---|---|
| Created by | Sebastien Lagree, early 2000s | Joseph Pilates, early 1900s |
| Machine | Megaformer | Reformer |
| Pace | Very slow, constant tension, almost no rest | Controlled, flowing, with short transitions |
| Intensity | High intensity, low impact | Low to high, adjusted to each level |
| Main goal | Muscle fatigue and endurance | Core strength, alignment, mobility, and control |
| Feels like | Shaking muscles and a hard sweat | Deep muscle work with a focus on form |
| Best for | Experienced exercisers who want a burn | Every level, including beginners and those returning to exercise after injury |
What Is Lagree?
So what is Lagree, exactly? A fitness trainer, Sebastien Lagree, came up with it in the early 2000s. High intensity, low impact. He took some Pilates, threw in strength training ideas, and since no existing machine did what he wanted, he designed one. The Megaformer.
The whole thing runs on time under tension. Every move is slow. Like, four-counts-down, four-counts-up slow. And there’s barely a pause between exercises. No jumping, no heavy dumbbells, just your muscles being kept under load until they give out. Hence the famous Lagree shakes. People post about them.
Is Lagree Pilates?
Is Lagree Pilates? Nope. Related, sure. Think cousin, not twin. Pilates is fussy (in a good way) about breath, precision, control, alignment. Lagree grabbed the look of the machine and then went off in a strength-and-endurance direction. Want the backstory on the original method? Start with what Pilates is.
Megaformer vs Reformer: How the Machines Differ
Honestly, most of the difference lives here, in the megaformer vs reformer comparison. Both have a moving carriage. Both have springs. Built for completely different jobs, though.
- Size. The Megaformer is longer and heavier, with a fixed platform on each end. A reformer is more compact: footbar on one side, straps on the other.
- Springs. Megaformer springs are heavier and made for constant load. On a reformer we change springs for almost every exercise, from barely-there support to serious resistance.
- Handles and anchor points. The Megaformer has handles and pulleys at both ends, so you’re standing, kneeling, lunging across the whole thing. The reformer works off straps, the footbar and the frame.
- Flow. On a Megaformer you travel end to end with basically no break. On a reformer, the instructor sets springs and positions for the move and for you.
Put simply, Lagree vs reformer Pilates comes down to what the machine is for. Megaformer: keep you under load. Reformer: help you move well, support you when you need it, push back when you’re ready. Curious about the rest of the Pilates toolbox? Here’s our piece on the Cadillac, Wunda Chair and other Pilates apparatus.
What a Class Actually Feels Like
A Lagree Class
You step on the Megaformer and it starts. Slow lunges, planks, core work, each one held longer than you’d like. Rest? Not really. Halfway through, your legs are shaking, you’re dripping, and you’re counting seconds in your head. It’s brutal. That’s sort of the point.
A Reformer Pilates Class
We start with breathing and footwork, waking up the legs and core. Then the instructor changes your springs for each exercise and keeps an eye on your alignment. Some sections are slow and deep, some flow pretty fast. Your core will absolutely work. But you also walk out standing taller, moving easier. There’s more on the format in our reformer Pilates guide.
Is Lagree Harder Than Pilates?
In the moment? Usually, yes. Is Lagree harder than Pilates overall? That’s a different question. You’re working near muscle failure with almost no breaks, so it feels harder. But harder isn’t automatically better. A reformer class gets just as nasty once the instructor adds load, slows the tempo, or moves you into advanced work. The real difference is that Pilates lets you scale. Lagree stays high for everyone, first class or five-hundredth.
This matters a lot if you’re a beginner, coming back after a break, or your knees have opinions. Learning to actually engage your core comes first, and a reformer is a much friendlier place to learn that. Here’s our list of beginner reformer Pilates mistakes so you can skip the usual ones.
Lagree vs Pilates Results
Both will make you stronger. Both will tone you. They take different roads to get there.
- Lagree results: muscular endurance, a big burn in legs and core, heart rate up the whole class. Most people are very sore after the first few sessions. Like, stairs-are-hard sore.
- Pilates results: core strength from the inside out, posture, flexibility, balance, the little stabilizer muscles nobody thinks about. Don’t be shocked if somebody asks whether you got taller.
Here’s the thing about Lagree vs Pilates results, though. There’s basically no research comparing the two head to head, so take any big claim (ours included) with a grain of salt. What we know for sure: the workout you’ll keep doing a few times a week wins. More on that in does Pilates tone your body. Want more power on top? See how to combine Pilates and strength training.
Where Does Solidcore Fit In?
Solidcore always comes up in this conversation, especially in New York. It started in Washington, D.C. in 2013 and now has well over 100 studios around the US.
Is Solidcore Pilates?
Is solidcore Pilates? Pilates-inspired, yes. Classical Pilates, no. Like Lagree, it uses slow, controlled moves to take muscles to fatigue, on its own custom machine. Rooms are dark, music’s loud, classes are short and intense.
Lagree vs Solidcore
Lagree vs solidcore is the closest match of the three, almost siblings. Slow reps, constant tension, muscles quitting on you. The machines are different, the branding is different, the class style depends on the studio. If one clicks for you, the other probably will too.
Solidcore vs Pilates
Solidcore vs Pilates? Pretty much the Lagree conversation again. Solidcore is about the burn, fast. Pilates is the long game: control, alignment, strength that sticks around. Same story for solidcore vs reformer Pilates: machines that look similar, goals that really don’t.
Pilates vs Lagree: Which One Should You Choose?
Pilates vs Lagree isn’t a contest with one winner. It depends on you.
Go with Lagree if you:
- already work out regularly and your joints are happy;
- actually enjoy the shaking (some people do!);
- have 50 minutes and want to leave soaked.
Go with reformer Pilates if you:
- are new to working out, or getting back into it;
- care about posture, mobility, your core;
- have a cranky back or an old injury, or you want a workout you’ll still do at 70;
- like the idea of starting easy and getting pushed harder as you go.
Or do both. Plenty of people do Lagree or solidcore for intensity and Pilates for control, mobility and recovery. Pilates tends to make you better at every other workout too, because you finally learn which muscles to switch on. Miss the cardio? Try our jumpboard Pilates classes, low-impact cardio right on the reformer.
FAQ
Is Lagree a type of Pilates?
No. It borrows the carriage and springs, but it’s a separate method built around slow tempo and time under tension on the Megaformer.
Is Lagree harder than Pilates?
Most people find a Lagree class harder while they’re in it, because there’s almost no rest. A reformer class can get just as tough with heavier springs and advanced moves. It can also be dialed way down for beginners.
Can beginners do Lagree?
You can. It just won’t go easy on you. If you haven’t worked out in a while, or your joints complain, take a handful of reformer classes first. You’ll learn how to brace your core and Lagree won’t feel like a hazing.
Which gives better results, Lagree or Pilates?
Lagree gets you endurance quickly. Pilates gets you a strong deep core, posture, mobility. But whichever one you’ll actually show up to 2 or 3 times a week, for months, wins. Boring answer, true answer.
Is solidcore the same as Lagree?
No, different brands, different machines. Both use slow tempo and time under tension to tire the muscles out, so if you enjoy one, odds are you’ll enjoy the other.
Our Take as a Reformer Studio
At BK Pilates we teach reformer Pilates classes in NYC for every level, in small groups. You’ll find us in Flatiron, NoMad, Chelsea, Park Slope and South Brooklyn, plus our studios in Charlotte, Concord and Raleigh. We’re not trying to wreck you. We want you moving better, getting stronger, and actually leaving class in a good mood. Tried Lagree and want something that builds you up instead of grinding you down? Come say hi.
Easiest way to test it: Camp Pilates, 7 days of unlimited classes for $89. Or just take your first class for $29. Everything’s on our pricing page. Then book your first reformer class.
