AeroPilates Pro XP 557

If you love exercising with a pilate machine, I found this machine to be one of the best. It has a very smooth glide to it and the springs make it much more quieter than a machine with the cords. I owned a top of the line reformer pilate machine but gave it away when I moved across country. I replaced it with this one and I'm super happy I did. Especially because this one has the steel springs instead of the cords. The springs appear to have more resistance than my last pilate reformer with the cords. This is a beautiful piece of exercise equipment. The wood on it is gorgeous. I'm not going to go into all the pro's about this machine because you can read all about how wonderful this aero pilates reformer is at this site. But I will say this. This machine sits 15 inches off the floor and it makes all the difference in the world. My other aero pilates was only raised 10" off the ground with the stand. It was a very nice machine, but I never did like the fact that it was so low to the ground. This Stamina Aero Pilate has my other machine beat by far just for the fact that it sits higher off the ground. It makes it so much easier to get off it. To me, it is worth the entire price of this machine. If you are a little older like me, you will really appreciate the height of this one. One last thing for those who are looking to buy a pilate machine. This machine is very heavy, sturdy, and is quality....It will give you years and years of home use. It is more expensive than other machines, but well worth it. The minute you get on this one, you will immediately be able to tell the difference between this one and a cheaper model. This one is much smoother. It does take some time to assemble it. I had a friend of mine put it together. He didn't have any problems at all with it. Not one. It is just time consuming. The finish product is beautiful. It does take up a large space, so make sure you do have the space for it. Read the specs on it. Honestly, because it's such a gorgeous piece of workout equipment, it's a pleasure doing my pilates!

Fantastic. I do Pilates at a studio with reformers that cost $3000 plus. The AreoPilates Pro Reformer is very well made and perfect for home use.

Oh, how I wish I had started doing Pilates decades ago! But, finally took the leap and bought this table, having now enough space in the new home to place it. I've never used a Pilates machine, never had a class, but watched videos, listened to testimonials, and admired the lithe, strong bodies of those that have practiced for years. I am now a 60 yr old woman, fairly good shape, but a hip replacement 2.5 yrs ago has left me feeling a little off balance. I also had knee surgery 40 yrs ago, and with the two combined, I've got significant leg length discrepancy. Hip, knee and lower back pain had me looking for alternatives to my usual weight bench/strength training routine, and frankly, as I've aged, I've lost interest in the monotony of it. Welcome Pilates, and taking most of the weight bearing off the joints, with a focus on lengthening, strengthening and tightening up the body. Had it put together, (by myself, no less) in about an hour. it is very heavy, and while they recommend having someone there to help assemble it, I didn't have that option. Be patient, follow the instructions, and wiggle things around if you can't get the screws in the holes (as it says, "do not tighten screws until all are in"). It is a sturdy, smooth machine, great quality and I am loving it just 24 hours later! Looking forward to the transformation, and renewed mobility and strength. Highly recommend for those wanting to broaden the exercise regimen and discover new ways to better health and fitness.

I purchased this quite a while before I was able to set it up. When I finally was able to, I did it primarily by myself and it took roughly 3-4 hours. I ended up needing my boyfriends help at the end for an oversight I made at the beginning of putting it together. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. However, if I'd paid $1300-$1500 for it, as is the price now, I may not be as happy with this particular machine. I paid around $900 for it, hence the reason it was purchased way before I was able to set it up. Pros: -It's sturdy and well made, mostly. -It's aesthetically pleasing. -It's not bulky. -I get a very good workout on it and am usually out of breath and sweating by the end of every workout. -It's fun! And even my two daughters love working out on it. Cons: -The fabric covering the padding on the carriage is not the best quality and feels like it will rip eventually, it's loose and gets stretched out easily when kneeling or standing on the carriage. -The foot bar is ridiculously uncomfortable when using heavier springs. The picture in the add now looks like they may have changed the bar and padding but the one I got is terribly uncomfortable and I plan on getting extra padding to put around it. -The hand and foot straps are not terribly uncomfortable but slightly uncomfortable. I will eventually get ones that are more padded but these will do for the time being. -As you can see in my picture, the wood is not a nice light birch color, it has a very yellow tone to it and it's not my favorite. However, it is real wood and it could be sanded and re-stained or painted easily. I haven't decided if I care that much about it though. -When putting the machine together, make sure the internal plates that connect the two rails together is inserted the correct way. I didn't realize there were holes on both the outside and underneath of the rails and I ended up having to take the rails apart after I'd put the entire thing together and turn the plate on one side around so it was going the right way. Obviously this is a user error and not necessarily something wrong with the machine. -I did take everyone's advice and bought the better pulleys before I even put it together. They work beautifully but, like most others, I still have the old ones hanging on the machine but they cause zero problems so I'm not annoyed with them. -I did oil the insides of the rails and that helped it run smoother. I've also noticed that with more use, the two rails have moved to be more in line with each other. The first few times I used the machine, I could feel the bump between the two rails where they connected and weren't meeting up exactly. But it's fixed itself now. All in all, this is a good machine. I've never owned a reformer before and the only pilates I've done on a reformer was in a class I took one semester in college. So I'm not an expert but I am aware of how it feels to use a fancy reformer and this is definitely adequate for home use. I will say that it probably won't be the last reformer I purchase but I'll be keeping it for quite a while.

This is really a nice machine and it gives you a great workout. I can see the difference already. The people that Amazon use to handle delivery were great, on time and very helpful. Now the fun begins! Instructions for assembly are very good and tools provided were all you need, short of a screwdriver for the wheel replacement (will explain). They suggest you have someone to help you with assembly, make sure you do this, the machine is heavy. The key to putting this machine together properly is the alignment of the rails at midpoint and that really requires two people. My machine also arrived with a set of "high grade" white wheels which you could replace the standard grade (black wheels) with. Since the standard wheels were already on the machine. I elected to go with them and replace them in the future, big mistake! After all the work to put the machine together properly the wheels only lasted 2 weeks before they started to fall apart, making the machine bumpy and noisy. I was not abusing the machine in any way but using the rebounder really took its toll on the wheels. So I would highly recommend you change out the wheels right away and save yourself a second assembly (you have to take the entire machine apart to put the wheels on). The high grade wheels are superior and show no sign of degradation. We also found on the second installation that alignment of the rail system went much better if you tighten the screws like you would the lug nuts on your car tires, each person on one rail and working slowly on each side (you tighten one screw 3 turns, your partner does the same) that seam needs to be perfectly smooth or the wheels will start to break down quickly. The instructional DVD's are very good and the results are even better, this really does get you in shape. Hope this info helps and you enjoy the experience as much as I have.