Reformer Springs Explained: Why Heavier Isn't Always Harder

September 22, 2026·2 min read·Enhancewell

If you've ever taken a reformer session, you've heard it: "Let's go to one red and one blue." To a newcomer, the springs look like a weight stack. More springs, more work, right? Not quite. On a reformer, the relationship between springs and difficulty is one of the most counterintuitive and useful things about the whole method.

What the Springs Actually Do

Reformer springs connect the moving carriage to the frame. Depending on the exercise, they either resist you as you move away from the footbar, or assist you by pulling you back.

Each manufacturer uses its own color code for spring tension, so a "red" on one reformer isn't necessarily the same as a "red" on another. Instructors learn the springs on the apparatus they teach on, and a good one will check before changing anything.

Why Lighter Can Be Harder

In exercises like footwork, heavier springs mean more resistance: you push more load away from you. But in many exercises, a light spring takes away support.

Think about kneeling or standing on a moving carriage. With heavy springs the carriage is stable. With a light spring it wants to slide, and your deep core, inner thighs and stabilizing muscles have to work hard just to keep you still. The same goes for a lot of abdominal and balance work: less spring, less help, more control required.

Heavy springs test your strength. Light springs test your control.

How Instructors Choose a Setting

Spring settings aren't arbitrary. An instructor is weighing several things at once:

• The goal of the exercise. Is it about strength, stability, mobility or flow?
• Your body on that day. Fatigue, a tight hip or a sore shoulder all change what's appropriate.
• Range of motion. Support from a spring can let you work safely through a range you can't yet control alone.
• Progression. Changing the spring is one of the cleanest ways to make an exercise harder or easier without changing the movement.

Tips for Your Next Session

1. Don't judge an exercise by its spring setting. Light can be brutal.
2. Tell your instructor if something feels unstable or strained. A spring change is often the fix.
3. Notice the return. Controlling the carriage back toward the stopper is half the exercise.

Springs are a big part of why the reformer suits everyone from beginners to athletes. If you'd like an instructor to set them for your body, book a private reformer session at our Union Square studio.