Lagree vs Pilates: The Real Differences (Plus Solidcore)

Lagree is a high-intensity, low-impact workout done on a machine called the Megaformer, where you move very slowly through strength exercises with almost no rest. Pilates is an older, more varied method that uses a mat or reformer to build core strength, control, and alignment at a steadier pace with breaks between exercises.

They look alike because the machines look alike, and Lagree borrowed from pilates. In practice Lagree feels closer to a hard strength-and-endurance class, while pilates feels like precise technical training. Here is how they compare, including solidcore, which uses a similar format.

Lagree vs pilates at a glance

What Lagree is

Sebastien Lagree started from pilates-style movement and reshaped it into something closer to strength training. He built his own machines to match, and the Megaformer became the best known. Lagree Fitness describes it as a high-intensity, low-impact method built on constant muscle contraction, with exercises that often last a minute or more. The central idea is time under tension: you move slowly and continuously, so your muscles never get a break, and you reach fatigue with moderate spring resistance and no jumping.

A class runs through planks, lunges, squats, and core work on the moving carriage, front platform, and back platform of the machine. The moves have names like "wheelbarrow," "bear," and "catfish," and instructors cue spring changes as you go. By the second set of lunges, most people's legs are shaking. That shake is intended. For more on the method and the machines, read what is Lagree.

What pilates is

Pilates is a full method with hundreds of exercises across the mat and several machines. A reformer class mixes footwork, core series, leg and glute work, arm work with straps, and stretching. Tempo is controlled, and instructors spend time on alignment cues. Classes range from gentle and rehab-focused to fast and athletic, depending on the studio. For a full explainer, see what is reformer pilates.

Key differences in a class

Intensity and sweat

Lagree is harder in the moment for most people. You will sweat more and your heart rate will climb higher than in a typical pilates class. Pilates can be very challenging, but the default pace leaves more room to breathe and reset.

Precision vs fatigue

Pilates is about doing a movement well: where your pelvis sits, which muscle starts the movement, how your spine articulates. Lagree cares about form too, but the goal of each set is muscular fatigue. Fewer exercises, longer holds, more burn.

Mobility and stretch

Pilates includes more spinal mobility, flexibility work, and stretch. Lagree classes are mostly strength and endurance, with a short stretch at the end.

Accessibility

Pilates is easier to adapt for beginners, older adults, pregnancy (with medical clearance), and rehab, which is why physical therapists use it. A Cochrane review found pilates helped low back pain in the short and medium term. Lagree has much less independent research behind it. Beginners can take Lagree, but expect to rest more than the class does.

Where solidcore fits

Solidcore is a national chain of studios that run a similar slow, high-tension format on their own machine. Classes are 50 minutes, the room is dark and loud, and the whole class is built around working muscles to failure. If you have taken solidcore, you have a good sense of what Lagree feels like. As of October 2026, solidcore does not list a studio in Maine, so Portland residents will usually meet this style through local studios with their own machines.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose Lagree if you want a hard, efficient full-body strength workout, you like being pushed to failure, and you already exercise regularly.
• Choose pilates if you want core strength, better posture, and control, you are new to exercise or returning from injury, or you prefer a calmer class with more technical coaching.
• Do both if you like variety. Pilates builds the control that makes Lagree safer and more effective, and Lagree adds intensity pilates rarely reaches. One Lagree-style class and two pilates classes a week is a balanced mix. See how often to do pilates for scheduling.

Either way, neither is a full replacement for cardio. Federal activity guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week plus strength training on at least 2 days. Both formats count toward the strength part.

Cost

Lagree-style and reformer classes sit at the top of the boutique price range, since each person needs a machine and classes are small. Mat pilates is cheaper. For real numbers, see our guide to how much pilates classes cost, which includes a Portland, Maine price table.

Trying this style in Portland, Maine

btone fitness on Commercial Street is Portland's closest match. It runs 45-minute classes on its own machine, the btFORMER, in a similar slow, high-tension style. Reframe, on Kennebec Street and in Falmouth, runs high-intensity classes on the Xformer, another machine in this family, according to its site. For classic reformer pilates, Springboard Pilates, Cait Bower Pilates, and The Pilates Center of Maine are the dedicated studios on the peninsula. All of them are on our Portland pilates directory.

If you split your week between formats, Corvi helps you track it. Full disclosure: it is our app. It is free, it does not book classes, and it lets you check in after each class, keep a weekly goal, and see where your friends train. Comparing more than two formats? Our types of workout classes guide covers them all.

Common questions

Is Lagree harder than pilates?

For most people, yes. Lagree keeps muscles under constant tension with very slow movement and almost no rest, so it feels more intense and makes you sweat more. Pilates can be just as challenging at an advanced level, but a typical class moves at a steadier pace with short resets and more focus on precision and mobility.

Is Lagree a type of pilates?

Not exactly. Sebastien Lagree started from pilates-style movement, but he designed Lagree as its own method with its own machines, tempo, and exercises. It is often marketed alongside pilates and some studios call it "Megaformer pilates," but the format is closer to high-intensity strength training than to classical pilates.

Is solidcore the same as Lagree?

They are similar in style: both use a spring-based machine, slow tempo, and constant tension to work muscles to fatigue. Solidcore is its own company with its own machine and class structure. If you like one, you will probably like the other, but they are separate brands.

Can beginners do Lagree?

Yes, but it is intense. Tell the instructor you are new, use lighter springs, take breaks when your form slips, and expect to be sore for a couple of days. If you are new to exercise or have an injury, a few pilates classes first will build the control that makes Lagree easier.

Find your next class: see every Portland studio in our class directory.