Pilates Complete for Everyone

Rating:
Summary: Pilates made accessible
Review: As someone who teaches piano, I really appreciate the importance of building a strong foundation in the fundamentals and patient practice. This dvd allows me to do both. Although it provides a great workout, it really seems that its primary purpose is to teach someone how to do real Pilates (I've gone to some health club Pilates classes which combines all sorts of things and call it Pilates). The teacher really seems concerned about the topic and not one of those all in one instructors just jumping on a fad. I do work in D.C. from time to time and I will definitely look for her studio. The dvd is a bargain at $15!

Rating:
Summary: great Pilates at home
Review: I really enjoy this DVD. Is it as good as going to a Pilates studio for a one-hour class? No. But considering the classes I take are $10/class and this DVD was $15, I think I am getting my money's worth. The girl's voice is very annoying, esp. in the one hundred. It distracted me the first few times because I kept thinking, why is a drill sargent narrating Pilates?, but now I can pretty much tune her out and just focus on my body and breathing when she counts. There are several variations in each difficulty level, though the work out is bascially the same. But for people like me who buy workout tapes and then retire them after a month because I am bored and can recite the entire tape, this is great. Changing it up a little can help ease the boredom. Also, I like that some of them are short - 10-20 mintues. There are days when I cannot get down to the gym for an hour class, but I can (and do) pop in the DVD for 15 minutes. All in all, I really like this DVD. I am doing the Intermediate series now, and still have the advanced and challenging, so I don't think I will be bored for a while yet!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I purchased this DVD because of all the positive reviews, however, I was very disappointed when I received it. The instructions are given as a voice over to a woman who demonstrates. The two are not integrated well and the editing needs work. These instructions were far less complete than a single intro class I took locally. The DVD is organized poorly and doesn't flow well. The time stated for each routine would sometimes be incorrect. Also the "warning" statement at the beginning of every segment is annoying. I still believe in the value of pilates but I certainly wouldn't if it was based on this DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: For a novice person this video might be ok. I had never done pilates before this tape and I did not find it challenging enough after I did the workouts a few times. I got bored watching a single person on the screen with someone else describing the exercise in the background, no music. There are a lot of workouts to choose from. I did like the fact that there were workouts for times when you don't have a lot of time to spend working out or you can workout for a long period. I did not like the way the video was set up, the segments did not flow together. In between each segment the screen would fade to black and the single woman would reappear and the annoying voice would start again. Overall I thought the video was boring and I had a hard time wanting to complete a workout.

Rating:
Summary: Great for learning all the Pilates basics!
Review: When I wanted to start Pilates, I wanted a DVD that would combine beginners workouts with more advanced moves. This DVD is perfect for no matter what level you are at, and allows you to progress at your own pace. I workout all the time, and I use this as a supplement to my normal work out. It's really good for toning your core, as all Pilates workouts are. While the music and the voiceovers are annoying at times, this is a GREAT bargain, and you learn all the Pilates basics!!

Rating:
Summary: I like this!
Review: I bought this on a whim, I really didn't know about Pilates and now I am hooked and looking for a teacher to study with. This DVD is a great companion for getting to know Pilates because it walks you though the basic and has all different variations of different lengths. It wasn't the fanciest of videos, but it has more essential instruction than anything I have ever seen. I have no idea how they only charge $15 for this DVD. As far as using a DVD, this is probably the best option available, but I am also going to look for a teacher.

Rating:
Summary: If you want something that works without the fluff.......
Review: If you want something that really works without the fluff, do yourself a favor and get this. I could not do the full situps for two weeks, but I kept trying, and one day it just happened. Now that my stomach muscles have improved and are stronger, I can do all the exercises on here and have NEVER felt the burn in my entire torso like this! My obliques ! My God ! My flexibility is improving, my stubborn tummy pooch is dissolving, and I can't say enough good things about this. The other reviewers who are annoyed with this woman's voice and who are looking for someone to be a Denise Austin and have a fake plastered on smile during the workout (which is ridiculous - NOBODY SMILES when they're grunting and groaning during exercise) will not be happy with this. This is straightforward, just-get-down-on-the-floor-and-do-it! workout. One reviewer said it's all the same workout shuffled around - yes, Pilates has only a handful of core exercises and all the workouts are shuffled around... this helps to trip up muscle memory so you don't have a training plateau. But they didn't mention that one workout has weights, one workout doesn't, one workout is for less flexible people, etc. It doesn't vary MUCH, but they are all, indeed, different. After all, if it works, why would you want to do anything else? If you use the proper breathing techniques, use the correct firm, and do 15 minutes every morning, you will be very happy with the results.

Rating:
Summary: Not a motivational workout
Review: This was my first Pilates video and I am not sure if I will buy another one if they are all like this. The background looks like a plain background from grade school pictures from the 70's. There was no motivation at all with this. Her voice is really boring and very annoying when she is counting each breath on "The One Hundred". I tried to zone her out but no luck. The instruction is good if you can stay awake to listen to it. If you need motivation, I don't think this will do it for you. And I agree with the others, that there are not 35 different work outs on this DVD. It is just the same work outs in different sections of the DVD. It reminded me of copying and pasting with a computer, i.e. copying & pasting the same work outs into the intermediate and advanced sections.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I have been searching for my abs since I was 20, and I have found them. This really is the workout for everyone. The full compliment of workouts take you from one stage to the next with ease. You will be amazed at your flatter stomach and trimmer midsection. Toned legs and arms are an added benefit. I have fibromyalgia and it has improved greatly with this non-impact system. Dropping 2 dress sizes in 6 weeks is enough proof for anyone who sees me. Get this DVD and get started.

Rating:
Summary: A great dvd
Review: I still decided to get this DVD after reading some of the bad reviews that it did get, however, I'm glad that I did. Some said that the narrator's voice is annoying, it's not that bad. It can be overlooked. I was very happy with the DVD and would recommend it to anyone to buy. The only thing that I was disappointed with was that there was not as many workouts on here as it was said to have. However, it is still a good pilates DVD to buy.