List Price:$14.98 www.amazon.com's Price: $10.49 You Save: $4.49 (30%) Condition: New Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Release Date: 2008-09-09 Average Customer Rating: 4.5 Lowest New Price: $6.31 Lowest Used Price: $6.30
Features
• Condition: New • Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Region 1 (US & Canada) • Number of discs: 1 • Run Time: 51 minutes
Tough but effective
I am a beginner of Pilates and found this DVD a little bit tough for me. I own Ana Caban's Beginning Pilates mat workout and that is a bit more manageable for me than this DVD but I like both of them nonetheless. This DVD has moves for upper body and lower body and I think it is a great combination. I used this DVD only twice and I got serious sour muscle on my abdomen next day so this workout really works and I want to stick with this for a while to see results.
Element: Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners
This video is easy to follow. It is appropriate for beginners yet offers enough of a challenge for intermediate users.
Wanted to Like this Pilates Workout Dvd
I really wanted to like this pilates workout dvd because of all the good reviews it has received here on Amazon. I was excited to get my shipment and try it out the very next day. Sadly, I was very disappointed and found myself bored with the workout, unmotivated by the dvd, and also like I was doing a lot of waiting around while she talked/explained the next position too much. I have been doing Ana Caban pilates dvds with great success and just wanted to throw in some variety. After trying this dvd, however, I am now asking myself -why change a good thing? Needless to say, I have decided to stick with Ana!
Not really a "beginner's video"
I have taken Pilates classes on my own and decided to get a video, since I'm often bad about leaving the house to attend classes. This is my first exercise video ever, so my critique may not take into account what's normally expected from other exercise videos. I like this video a lot and I don't think the moves are complicated; in fact, they're pretty straightforward. But after taking Pilates classes that catered to rank beginners, I found aspects of this video frustrating at times.
First of all, the speed is intense. Sometimes, I forget to breathe trying to figure out the exercise -- Siler is either doing harder ones than I was taught or with some modifications. In my classes, there was typically a 2-3 minute pause for breathing between exercises; something that not only made it easier, but helped me push through a 50-minute set. This video has 45 minutes of exercise with little pause at all. So there's more moves than I am used to, and it's done really fast with no breaks. I could hit pause on the remote, but who wants to deal with that after your 20th roll-up?
Also, index skips would have been a nice feature. When I'm worn out doing roll-ups or their derivatives, I would like to move on to other types of floor work -- but I have to use a FFWD feature to get it done. My Pilates instructor, before we took a break from the winter said that in order to do mere upkeep, you needed to do three types of exercise for each of the following sets: the back series, the stomach series, the side series and standing. This is to help you keep your body in balance. Because there are no well-planned skips, it makes it challenging to try to balance your modified workout as you're trying to learn the series.
Nevertheless, the moves are simple, but some of them are intermediate or advanced forms,according to Brooke Siler's book on Pilates. I plan to do as much as I can until it gets easier. I'm kind of okay with the fact that it's a little too hard for me; but I also have the experience of having had some classes to try to make sense of it. Might be harder for someone just starting out.
Perfect Pilates workout for me
I picked up this DVD after seeing all the good reviews for it out here on Amazon; it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. And as usual, Amazon reviewers have done me a good turn yet again. :) This is a fantastic DVD from Brooke Siler, a very knowledgeable instructor, and though it claims to be for beginners, I can honestly say that as a lower intermediate student there's still several exercises that will continue to challenge me, i.e. push ups and plank, or that will always make my abs BURN no matter how far along I progress. That said, this routine is still very approachable to Pilates beginners since Brooke gives instruction quite clearly and precisely, so that even if you can't perform all the exercises successfully at first, it definitely gives you something to work towards. A worthy addition to your exercise DVD collection!
Product Description
Pilates can transform your body in a way no gym equipment can match. Filmed on a breathtaking location overlooking the Pacific Ocean, this dynamic beginner's workout is designed to maximize calorie burn while teaching you the basics of Pilates. With a combination of Pilates-conscious cardio and mat Pilates, this sequence uses the principles of control, concentration, precision, center, breath, and fluidity to help you sculpt a new shape. The gentle, low impact exercises will strengthen and tone your whole body to develop a slimmer, leaner body line.
About the Instructor:
Brooke Siler is a second generation Pilates teacher, trained directly under Joseph Pilates’ own protégée for 12 years. She is the celebrated author of the New York Times best-selling series of books The Pilates Body and Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge. As owner of re: AB Pilates Studio in New York City (www.reabnyc.com) and founder of the re: AB Pilates Teacher Certification program, Brooke has trained countless celebrity clients including Kirsten Dunst, Lauren Hutton and Madonna.
“Never done a roll up? Brooke Siler who’s trained Rachael Weisz easily you through a mat and cardio routine.” - The Best Workout DVDS US Weekly; January 12 2009 ed. Read more...
