Miley Cyrus' Pilates Reformer Routine: How She Trains and Why It Works - Peak Primal Wellness

Miley Cyrus' Pilates Reformer Routine: How She Trains and Why It Works

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Miley Cyrus' Pilates Reformer Routine: How She Trains and Why It Works

Discover the low-impact, high-results Pilates method behind Miley Cyrus' sculpted physique and unstoppable stage energy.

By Peak Primal Wellness10 min read

Key Takeaways

  • Core Method: Miley Cyrus relies heavily on Pilates reformer training as a cornerstone of her fitness routine, prioritizing functional strength over bulk.
  • Consistency Over Intensity: Her approach favors regular, focused sessions rather than punishing workouts, making it more sustainable long-term.
  • Full-Body Benefits: Reformer Pilates targets deep stabilizing muscles, improves posture, builds lean muscle, and dramatically increases flexibility simultaneously.
  • Accessible Method: The principles behind her training can be adapted for all fitness levels, from beginners to advanced practitioners.
  • Mind-Body Connection: Miley emphasizes the mental and emotional benefits of Pilates just as much as the physical transformation it produces.

📖 Go Deeper

Want the full picture? Read our The Ultimate Guide to Pilates Equipment for everything you need to know.

Inside Miley Cyrus' Fitness Philosophy

When you watch Miley Cyrus perform on stage — moving with precision, power, and seemingly effortless grace — it's easy to assume she was simply born with those physical gifts. The truth is considerably more interesting. Over the past several years, Miley has been remarkably open about how Pilates reformer training became the backbone of her fitness routine and a significant part of her personal wellness journey.

The Miley Cyrus workout philosophy is centered on something that elite trainers have championed for decades: building real, functional strength from the inside out. Rather than chasing an aesthetic goal or grinding through high-impact routines that leave the body depleted, she has spoken about finding a method that feels both challenging and restorative at the same time. That method is reformer Pilates.

What makes her approach genuinely worth examining isn't just the celebrity factor — it's the science and logic behind why this particular training style delivers such visible, lasting results. Whether you're a seasoned gym-goer looking for something new or someone just beginning their fitness journey, understanding how and why Miley trains the way she does offers real, actionable insight.

What Is Reformer Pilates and Why Does It Work?

Cross-section technical diagram of Pilates reformer spring resistance system showing bidirectional force vectors and carriage mechanics

Before diving into the specifics of her routine, it helps to understand what makes the Pilates reformer such a uniquely effective training tool. Developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, the reformer is a spring-resistance machine featuring a sliding carriage, adjustable springs for resistance, and a series of ropes, bars, and straps that allow for an extraordinary range of movement patterns.

Unlike traditional weight training, which often isolates individual muscles, reformer Pilates demands that multiple muscle groups work together simultaneously. This trains what fitness professionals call the kinetic chain — the coordinated activation of muscles, tendons, and joints working as an integrated system. The result is functional strength that translates directly into everyday movement quality and athletic performance.

The spring resistance system is particularly clever. Because springs provide resistance in both directions — during both the push and the pull phase of any movement — your muscles are working continuously throughout every exercise. This eccentric and concentric loading combination is scientifically linked to improved muscle tone, greater flexibility, and a reduced risk of injury compared to purely concentric training.

The Science Behind Spring Resistance: Research published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies has shown that Pilates-based exercise programs significantly improve core muscle endurance, spinal stability, and flexibility — outcomes that are especially pronounced when using a reformer compared to mat-only practice.

Breaking Down Miley's Reformer Routine

Vector infographic of full-body muscle activation map during Pilates reformer footwork exercise with engagement comparison chart

Based on interviews with her trainers, her own public statements, and what we know about the performance demands placed on touring artists, Miley's reformer sessions are structured around a few core principles: full-body engagement, controlled breathing, and progressive challenge. Here's how a typical session is generally structured.

Warm-Up: Footwork Series

Nearly every reformer session begins with the footwork series, and Miley's is no exception. Lying on the carriage with feet placed on the foot bar in various positions — heels together toes apart, parallel, or on the balls of the feet — you push and pull the carriage using only leg strength against the springs. This warms up the hips, knees, ankles, and the entire posterior chain while reinforcing proper alignment before any complex movements begin.

Core Work: The Hundred and Abdominal Series

The reformer version of "The Hundred" — a signature Pilates exercise — involves holding a crunch position while pumping the arms rhythmically for 100 counts, using the spring-loaded straps for added resistance. This is a demanding cardiovascular and core conditioning exercise that builds the deep abdominal muscles, particularly the transverse abdominis, which acts as a natural corset for the spine.

Miley's trainers have noted an emphasis on variations that challenge the obliques and the hip flexors simultaneously, which is critical for the rotational movements and dynamic stage choreography her performances require.

Long Box Series: Back Strength and Posture

The long box series involves lying prone or supine on a padded box placed on the carriage and using the straps to perform pulling and extension movements. Swan dive variations, backstroke, and pulling straps all target the thoracic extensors, rear deltoids, and the muscles between the shoulder blades. For someone who spends hours performing and traveling, this work is critical for countering the postural imbalances that accumulate over time.

Standing and Balance Work

One of the most physically demanding elements of reformer training is standing work on the moving carriage. Lunges, squats, and single-leg balance exercises performed on an unstable surface require the small stabilizing muscles of the ankles, knees, and hips to fire constantly. This type of proprioceptive training — training your body's sense of its own position in space — is directly responsible for the athletic coordination and agility that makes Miley's stage presence look so controlled and powerful.

Cool-Down: Stretching and Spinal Mobility

Sessions typically conclude with a series of deep stretches using the reformer's straps and footbar, targeting the hamstrings, hip flexors, and spinal rotation. Unlike static stretches held passively, these movements involve active flexibility — your muscles are both lengthening and engaging simultaneously, which research suggests leads to more durable improvements in range of motion.

How Often Miley Trains and Why That Frequency Matters

Consistency is the quiet hero of any successful fitness routine, and Miley's approach reflects this understanding. She has referenced training with Pilates several times per week rather than relying on marathon daily sessions. Most fitness professionals recommend three to five reformer sessions per week for noticeable progress, with at least one rest day between more intensive sessions to allow the deep stabilizing muscles to recover fully.

This approach aligns with what exercise science tells us about muscular adaptation. The deep postural muscles targeted by reformer Pilates — including the multifidus, transverse abdominis, and deep hip rotators — are slow-twitch muscle fibers that respond best to consistent, moderate-intensity stimulus rather than infrequent intense overload. Training them regularly at a challenging but controlled level is what creates lasting structural change in posture and movement quality.

Practical Insight: If you're new to reformer Pilates, starting with two to three sessions per week and building toward four is a sustainable progression. Most practitioners begin noticing significant changes in posture and core strength within four to six weeks of consistent practice.

During touring periods, Miley has also spoken about how Pilates serves as both training and recovery — the controlled, low-impact nature of the method allows the body to move and stay conditioned without adding to the cumulative physical stress of performing night after night. This dual role as conditioning and active recovery is one of the most underappreciated advantages of reformer Pilates as a method.

The Physical Benefits Behind the Results

The transformation that consistent reformer Pilates produces isn't accidental, and it isn't simply about aesthetics. Each physical benefit connects directly to the biomechanical demands of the training method itself.

  • Lean Muscle Development: The continuous tension provided by spring resistance, combined with high repetition ranges, develops long, strong muscle fibers without adding significant bulk. This is the "toned without bulky" result that many people seek.
  • Improved Posture: Systematic work on the deep spinal stabilizers, shoulder girdle, and hip stabilizers corrects the forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and anterior pelvic tilt that are nearly universal in modern sedentary populations.
  • Core Strength: Not the superficial "six-pack" abs produced by crunches, but deep, three-dimensional core stability that protects the spine, improves athletic output, and reduces lower back pain — a benefit confirmed in multiple peer-reviewed studies.
  • Flexibility and Joint Mobility: Active stretching through full ranges of motion on the reformer produces more lasting flexibility gains than passive stretching alone, particularly in the hamstrings, hip flexors, and thoracic spine.
  • Injury Prevention: By strengthening the stabilizing muscles around major joints and correcting movement imbalances, reformer Pilates significantly reduces injury risk — which is why it is widely used in professional sports rehabilitation programs.
  • Balance and Coordination: The proprioceptive demands of moving on an unstable surface develop neural pathways that improve overall athletic coordination and body awareness.

The Mental and Emotional Side of Her Practice

Miley Cyrus has been candid about navigating anxiety, the pressures of fame, and the importance of mental health in her overall well-being. Her connection to Pilates goes beyond the physical, and this is actually consistent with a growing body of research on the psychological benefits of mind-body exercise practices.

Reformer Pilates requires a level of focused attention that functions almost like a moving meditation. Because every exercise demands precise control of breath, alignment, and muscle engagement simultaneously, the mind is fully occupied with the present moment. This reduces the mental bandwidth available for rumination, anxiety, and stress — a mechanism that psychologists refer to as attentional redirection.

Studies examining Pilates participation have found statistically significant reductions in self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as improvements in body image and self-efficacy. The sense of mastering progressively challenging movements builds genuine confidence — not the temporary confidence boost of an endorphin rush, but a lasting belief in one's physical capability.

Why This Matters for You: Many people find that they show up more consistently for Pilates than for other forms of exercise precisely because sessions feel productive and restorative rather than punishing. If you've struggled with exercise adherence in the past, the reformer's unique combination of challenge and calm is worth experiencing firsthand.

Reformer vs. Mat Pilates: What's the Actual Difference?

Side-by-side isometric infographic comparing Pilates reformer machine versus mat Pilates across five performance and accessibility categories

A common question for anyone drawn to the Miley Cyrus workout approach is whether a reformer is truly necessary, or whether mat Pilates delivers comparable results . Both methods share the same foundational principles, but the reformer offers meaningful advantages that explain why serious practitioners and athletes tend to gravitate toward it.

Feature Reformer Pilates Mat Pilates
Resistance Adjustable spring resistance — scales with any fitness level Bodyweight only — limited resistance options
Exercise Variety Over 500 exercises and variations Approximately 50 core exercises
Muscle Engagement Continuous tension throughout full range of motion Primarily active phase engagement
Injury Rehabilitation Widely used in clinical and sports rehab settings Less adaptable for injury modification
Flexibility Development Active and passive flexibility, guided by apparatus Passive flexibility primarily
Cost and Access Studio classes or home machine investment required Low cost, highly accessible anywhere

How to Start Your Own Reformer Practice

Inspired by what the reformer has done for Miley Cyrus and wondering how to bring that same approach into your own life? The good news is that the barrier to entry is lower than most people assume, and the results are accessible at every fitness level.

If you're new to reformer Pilates, beginning with studio sessions — ideally small group or private classes — gives you the advantage of a qualified instructor who can correct your form in real time. Proper alignment is everything in Pilates; a movement performed with poor form not only fails to deliver benefits but can also reinforce the compensatory patterns you're trying to correct. Even three to five studio sessions before transitioning to a home machine gives you a foundation of body awareness that pays dividends for years.

For those considering a home reformer, the market has grown significantly, with options ranging from entry-level machines suitable for beginners to professional-grade equipment used in clinical settings. Key features to evaluate include spring resistance increments, carriage padding, frame stability, and the availability of attachments like jump boards and boxes that expand your exercise library considerably.

Regardless of where you train, a few principles will accelerate your progress significantly:

  • Prioritize breath: Lateral thoracic breathing — expanding the ribcage sideways on the inhale — is foundational to every exercise and activates the deep stabilizers before movement begins.
  • Move slowly and with intention: The reformer rewards control. Rushing through exercises eliminates the eccentric loading that produces the most significant strength and flexibility adaptations.
  • Progress resistance gradually: Adding spring resistance too quickly before movement quality is established is the most common beginner mistake. Master the pattern first, then increase the challenge.
  • Combine with complementary training: Miley complements her Pilates work with hiking, yoga, and cardiovascular activity. Reformer Pilates is a powerful foundation, but it benefits from being part of a varied movement practice.

The Miley Cyrus workout approach ultimately teaches a lesson that applies far beyond celebrity fitness: sustainable, intelligent training built around a method you genuinely connect with will always outperform the latest high-intensity trend that burns bright and fades quickly. The reformer's combination of precise challenge, restorative quality, and measurable progress makes it one of the most compelling training investments available — and the results, whether you're preparing for a world tour or simply want to feel stronger and move better, speak for themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is a Pilates Reformer and how is it different from mat Pilates?

A Pilates Reformer is a sliding carriage machine fitted with springs, straps, and a foot bar that creates adjustable resistance during exercises. Unlike mat Pilates, which relies solely on bodyweight, the Reformer adds variable resistance that challenges your muscles through a fuller range of motion, making it more effective for building lean strength and improving muscular control.

How often does Miley Cyrus reportedly do Pilates Reformer workouts?

Miley Cyrus has been linked to a high-frequency training approach, with sources close to her training habits suggesting she incorporates Reformer Pilates multiple times per week, often four to five sessions. This consistency is a key reason her physique remains toned and defined, as Pilates rewards regularity far more than sporadic intense training.

Can beginners follow Miley Cyrus' Pilates Reformer routine safely?

Beginners can absolutely work toward a Reformer-based routine, but it's strongly recommended to start with a certified instructor rather than attempting advanced celebrity-inspired sequences on your own. The Reformer requires proper spinal alignment and core activation technique that takes a few sessions to learn, and skipping this foundation increases the risk of strain, particularly in the lower back and neck.

What are the main physical benefits of training on a Pilates Reformer like Miley does?

Regular Reformer Pilates builds long, lean muscle tone, improves core stability, enhances posture, and increases flexibility simultaneously — benefits that are rarely achieved together through conventional gym training. It also promotes body awareness and joint mobility, which can reduce injury risk both during workouts and in daily movement patterns.

How much does a Pilates Reformer cost if I want to train at home?

Home Reformers range widely in price, from budget-friendly options around $300 to $800 for entry-level folding models, up to $3,000 to $7,000 or more for professional-grade machines like those from Balanced Body or STOTT Pilates. For most beginners, starting with studio classes before investing in home equipment is the more practical and cost-effective approach.

Does Miley Cyrus do any other types of workouts alongside Pilates?

Pilates Reformer work appears to be a cornerstone of Miley's fitness routine, but she has also spoken publicly about incorporating yoga, hiking, and dance rehearsals as complementary physical activities. This cross-training approach prevents plateau and ensures her body is challenged across multiple movement patterns, which aligns with what fitness experts recommend for long-term results.

How long does a typical Pilates Reformer session last?

Most Reformer Pilates sessions run between 50 and 60 minutes, which is enough time to work through a full-body sequence without overloading the nervous system. Some boutique studios offer 45-minute express formats, while private sessions with a trainer can extend to 75 minutes when personalized programming and form correction are included.

How long will it take to see results from a Pilates Reformer routine?

Most people begin noticing improved posture, reduced muscle tension, and better core engagement within two to four weeks of consistent Reformer training. Visible changes in muscle tone and body composition typically become apparent after six to twelve weeks, though results depend heavily on session frequency, diet, and whether the program is tailored to your specific goals.

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