Supraformer takes Pilates to the next level

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Runner Jeff Horn just tried a class at LaGree Fitness for the first time and was surprised at how tough it was.

"It's killer. I mean it's making your legs shake every five seconds, you know, your quads are burning, and your calves are burning. This almost reminded me of Insanity, I mean like the way that it just puts that tension in your legs and kind of your core too," Horn explained.

Sebastien LaGree not only created the program, but also what he calls the supraformer, which is a reformer he's been tweaking along with his workout for over a decade.

The 10 feet long and 4 feet wide machine accommodates all body types for a killer 25-minute class. The machine elevates and changes angle by way of an instructor controlled tablet, making exercises exponentially harder.

"The resistance increases and it makes it really hard. And you feel it immediately," said Andrea Hodges from Santa Monica.

Along with the elevations and the angles, the one thing Sebastien does that is absolutely key to increasing that performance is doing every exercise super slow.

"The slower you go, it seems to activate the slow twitch muscle fibers, and your slow twitch muscle fiber, again is your aerobic fiber, it's your fat burning fiber, it's your endurance fiber," said LaGree.

Other instructors are also giving Pilates a face lift.

Andrea Speir, owner of Speir Pilates incorporates bands, balls, kettlebells and more to keep it fresh.

"Once you know an exercise your mind sort of stops. It checks out a little more easily because you know what you're doing," Speir explained.

Speir said Joseph Pilates originally created his method for men and he continually changed things up.

"Creating a method that uses the classical Pilates base with other methods of exercise, combined with cardio bursts, we come up with a method that's an all-in-one crazy fun workout that gets amazing results," said Speir.