It's Sunday evening. Tomorrow you teach at 9am. And you're staring at a blank page again, trying to remember what you did last week so you don't repeat it.
Sound familiar? Then the problem isn't your creativity. It's that you're rebuilding the structure of your class from scratch every single time.
The short answer: A good reformer class plan template has five columns — phase, time, exercise, springs, and cue focus — and seven phases from arrival to cool-down. Fill it in once and planning a 50-minute class takes 15 to 20 minutes instead of two hours. The template below is free to copy, and this article shows you exactly how to use it.
why a template changes everything
Here's what actually eats your planning time: it's not choosing exercises. It's making structural decisions. How long should the warm-up be? When do I bring in the hardest exercise? How do I end?
Those questions have the same answer every week. A template answers them once — permanently. What's left is the fun part: picking a theme and choosing movements. That's a 15-minute job.
"Your structure should be boring. Your classes shouldn't. The template holds the boring part so you can spend your energy on the interesting one."
One more thing before we start: a template is not a script. It doesn't make your classes samey. Your participants don't notice structure — they notice when there isn't any. If you want the deeper why behind that, read how to structure a pilates class that actually works.
what a reformer class plan template needs
Most templates you'll find online are just pretty tables with too few columns. To be usable on the reformer, yours needs five things:
- Phases, not just a list. A class is arrival, warm-up, main work, one key exercise, synthesis, cool-down — in that order. The phases carry the class.
- Time blocks. Minutes per phase, written down. This is what stops you from spending 25 minutes on footwork variations.
- A springs column. This is the reformer-specific part. If you don't note the spring setting, you'll stand next to the machine mid-class doing math.
- One key exercise. Every class needs a single exercise you give extra time, detailed cueing and corrections. Mark it.
- Transitions. How do people get from one setup to the next? Unplanned transitions are where classes lose minutes and calm.
the free template: a 50-minute reformer class
Here's the phase structure. Copy it into your notes app, print it, or rebuild it in whatever tool you plan with — it's yours.
| Phase | Time | What goes here | Springs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Arrival + breath | 0–3 min | Settle in, breath work, set the theme in one sentence | — |
| 2 · Warm-up | 3–12 min | Footwork series + one spinal movement, 4–6 movements total | Medium–heavy |
| 3 · Main block 1 | 12–22 min | Enter the theme: 2–3 exercises, moderate challenge | Per exercise |
| 4 · Main block 2 | 22–34 min | Deepen the theme: 2–3 exercises, progressed | Per exercise |
| 5 · Key exercise | 34–40 min | One exercise, taught properly: setup, cues, corrections | Per exercise |
| 6 · Synthesis | 40–46 min | A short flow that connects what the class just learned | Light–medium |
| 7 · Cool-down + close | 46–50 min | Stretch, breath, one closing sentence back to the theme | Light |
And for each exercise inside those phases, one row like this:
| Exercise | Springs | Reps / time | Cue focus | Transition out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e.g. Footwork, parallel | 3 medium | 10 reps | Even pressure through both feet | Stay supine, heels wide for next variation |
That's the whole template. Seven phases, five columns. Nothing you'll ignore in week two because it's too complicated. One note on springs — colors and strengths differ between reformer brands, so treat spring notes as a starting point and adjust to your machine. And if the warm-up phase is where you get stuck, there's a whole article on reformer warm-up exercises and the 4 phases every class needs.
or skip the filling-in part entirely
The template gives you the structure. But choosing a theme, the exercises and the springs — that part still comes back every single week.
That's exactly what Pilates Plans does for you. Every week you get a complete reformer class plan — theme, phases, exercises, spring settings, cues and transitions — built on the same structure as this template, ready to teach. There's a full plan available for free, so you can see exactly how a finished one looks.
→ Get a complete class plan for free
three mistakes that make any template useless
1. Filling it with favorites instead of a theme. A template full of unrelated exercises is still a random class — just a neatly formatted one. Pick the theme first, then choose exercises that serve it.
2. Building a new plan for every group. You don't need five plans for five classes. Keep the plan, adjust springs and the key exercise level per group. That's the difference between planning five hours and planning one. More traps like this in the 5 planning mistakes new instructors make.
3. Skipping the transition column. It feels optional. It isn't. Two unplanned transitions cost you three minutes and — worse — the calm in the room. Write down the setup changes before class, especially the strap and box moments.
how long should planning take with a template?
Concrete numbers: your first template-based plan will take about 30 minutes, because you're still learning what each phase wants. From week three or four, expect 15 to 20 minutes per class. Without a template, most new instructors report one to two hours per class — and most of that time is spent re-inventing structure, not choosing movements.
If your classes tend to run over or end abruptly, the timing column is doing the heavy lifting here — this guide on class plan length and timing goes deeper.
frequently asked questions
what should a reformer class plan template include?
Five columns: phase, time, exercise, springs, and cue focus. Seven phases from arrival to cool-down. If it's missing the springs column or the timing, it's a wish list — not a plan.
how long does it take to plan a reformer class with a template?
15 to 20 minutes once you're used to it, around 30 minutes for your first few attempts. Without a structure, one to two hours is typical.
how many exercises fit in a 50-minute reformer class?
9 to 12 including variations and sides: about 4–6 in the warm-up, 6–8 in the main part, plus one key exercise you give extra time.
can I use the same class plan for different groups?
Yes — keep the structure and theme, adjust springs, the key exercise level and the progressions per group. For mixed-level groups, add a small regression and progression next to each main exercise — here's how to master mixed-level classes.
one template, one hour back every week
Copy the template, teach it this week, and see how much shorter Sunday evening gets. The empty template saves you an hour a week — a finished plan saves you the rest.