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Reform Chicago; photography by Neil Burger

Hard Core

by Katie Schroeder | CS magazine | February 6, 2012

There’s not a Pilates mat in sight at Reform Chicago (we tried it!), but the new River North studio lives up to its name and aims to whip our city into tight, toned, long and lean shape. In other words, don’t expect soothing tropical sounds and scented candles. The simple, garden-level space houses eight Allegro Pilates Reformer machines. Loud music like Florence + the Machine and Rihanna plays during the 55-minute intense cardio and strength-training workout, which owner Corinne Clifton says will show results within just 10 sessions. And the 34-year-old knows from firsthand experience: “It moved me to a level of fitness I simply had never had before,” says the former finance guru, who stumbled upon a similar studio while living in London a few years ago. Immediately, she was hooked on the results. “I had abs for the first time since high school. And my butt—I totally fell in love with it.”

The fast-paced class maximizes every minute, quickly moving between exercises like lunges, squats, planks, leg lifts and crunches. Each move is intensified thanks to the Reformer, which uses one’s own body weight and tension springs to amp up the level of difficulty, engage the core and push muscles to exhaustion. I, too, was immediately addicted, even though it took a few sessions to feel completely balanced on the Reformer. After my second class, Clifton sent an encouraging email saying the exercises would seem easier as I became comfortable with the machine. “Just remember, this workout is not for the faint of heart. Reform Chicago is the place people come when they want a grueling 55 minutes.” Faint of heart I’m not. A rock-solid side plank? Well, hopefully by spring. reformchicagopilates.com