Pilates Complete for Everyone

Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: This is a great dvd for those new to Pilates. It has different levels of difficulty and even variations within those. I love that it's all on one dvd as well and for such a reasonable price. I suggest getting it from deeveedees.com (an Amazon seller) as you can get it for about 5 dollars cheaper including the shipping cost.

Rating:
Summary: Best Abs I've Had in Years
Review: I wish I had discovered Pilates in my 20's if I knew it was that effective. Besides making me look great on the outside I feel even better on the inside. DVD has many many programs , much of which I still haven't used. The workouts are done with careful precise instruction and the detail on exercising the core which is the center of Pilates makes you sweat and burn fat. It was great for me to use at home to get familar with Pilates before signing up for a class.

Rating:
Summary: Pilates Means Great ABS..This is a Keeper
Review: Ive heard so much about Pilates, but was very skeptical as to whether it could do anything for you. Well Im here to tell ya that Pilates is a great way to tone just about everything, but for me it was the abs. Everything is based on the training of the core, which you can see from the cover shot and my abs are always burning, but more important the are flat as a surfboard now and perfect fo when wearing low-riders.

The DVD also offers so many diffrent programs and you can choose your own according to your likes and dislikes that I was so impressed. Ive recommend this DVD to my girlfriends after they saw how my abs have been shaping.

The thing which women will love is Ive learned how Pilates elongates your body giving you more of a slimmer look. If your looking for a different type of workout or just want to add to an existing workout this DVD is the bomb.

Rating:
Summary: Great Great Great
Review: For a lazy a$$ person like me, hearing my mom telling me over and over to try Pilates, this DVD came as a great surprise.

I can chose the level of "pain" (was so happy to move to advanaced within a month! ), i can chose the length of the "pain" due to the fact the DVD is based on series of work-outs. So you don't have to do 30 min's every day, OR the same 30 min's everyday.

I enjoy doing this DVD, I toned my body completely, my abs are stronger (thanks to the 100, which as first i could NOT do).

Finally, i can say that i think this DVD is a great product, i love it, enjoy it and now i can even talk to my mom about Pilates!

I guess it would be perfect for:
1. People who never had Pilates
2. People who dislike GYM's
3. People who have no money for GYM's
4. People who have a busy day schedule

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: choice of level choice of time good workout and stretch
Review: This IS the way workout DVD/Videos should be, as another reviewer stated, Choose workout intensity from beginner to challenging advanced there are about 6 intensities. Then choose workout length 5, 15, 25, 30 minutes, with or without weights AND choices within these options for more or less flexible people! I recommended this DVD to a co-worker and she also loves it! I thought Pilates was going to be a joke, but I am very pleased with the results and how mind clearing and centering it is for me. You will see results and with all the options will not soon get board.

Rating:
Summary: A Variety of Classic Pilates Matwork Routines For All Levels
Review: Workout Description: Classics Pilates mat workouts ranging from 5 to 35 minutes in length, with most programs 10-20 minutes. The general instruction is included separately from the routines, which focus just on the movements.
Workout Level: basic (= introductory) to beginning to intermediate to intermediate / advanced to challenging
Instructor: Karen Garcia (certified Pilates instructor; former professional dancer; owner of Studio Body Logic). Karen's cueing and explanation is clear and accurate (although I find it strange that a Pilates instructor would insist on saying "stomach" instead of "abdominals"). She obviously knows the cues very well, falling into a definite rhythm during certain exercises. The only other thing that catches me off guard is how she talks during her quick cues, especially during the hundred; she sounds almost like an auctioneer! (In two, three, four, five, and out two, three, four five . . .) Since the pointers are included in the introduction to each level, Karen focuses just on cueing for each exercise with some important form pointers; the name of the exercise is on the screen rather than announced. Karen's flexibility is a little intimidating-something to aspire to!
Class: Karen only
Music / Set: The instrumental music is soft. The interior set is minimal: a wall and floor daubed with pastel shades.
Equipment Needed: mat; optional 1-2 lb. dumbbells and/or Pilates ring for some workouts
Caveats: Read the caution segments before starting. Take care to review and practice the instructional segment before moving on to each level. If you feel any strain on your neck and/or back, you should stop and take time to review proper form, perhaps at a lower level, before continuing.
Additional Comments: You don't need a lot of space for this workout. You should be able to lie down with your arms and legs extended and sweep your legs to either side.
This is an excellent DVD companion to Brook Siler's The Pilates Body, which I recommend to help you better understand the form for each movement and what it is supposed to accomplish. This is also a good supplement to a Pilates matwork class. If you attempt to teach yourself Pilates from this DVD or any others, you should try to take a Pilates class or at least work with someone experienced in Pilates to check your form before you take on more advanced routines.
This is not an exciting or flashy Pilates program. Instead, it is an excellent DVD to grow with since there is a variety of routines offered at each level, 28 in total: 3 basic, 2 beginner, 8 intermediate, 8 intermediate / advanced, and 7 challenging. In the intermediate level and beyond, you have the option of performing some routines with a Pilates ring (for leg and arm work) or with light hand weights (for arm work). The DVD is actually pre-programmed routines involving a number of different clips, so there is a slight pause between some segments. However, since the instruction is included before the routines, the routines actually flow pretty quickly.
Pilates purists will not find much to object to here, as these are the exercises devised by Joseph Pilates in the traditional sequence without a large number of repetitions. The number of repetitions is fairly low. The moves are performed at a quick pace, and the transitions are also fast.

Rating:
Summary: how workout dvds should be
Review: this workout video makes the most of the features of dvd technology to deliver multiple workouts at low cost to the consumer. i am very glad that i ordered it despite the negative reviews here. i'm not sure if the video has been improved lately because, unlike what previous reviewers said, it is NOT necessary to view the medical warnings before you start each workout. in fact, unlike my other workout dvds, i am able to SKIP the warnings simply by pressing on "menu". besides, the warnings last less than 2 minutes. even if i had to watch through it, i'd use the time to drink a glass of water and lay out my mat. neither am i irritated by the one 1/2-second black screen that comes out between some exercises. this occurs when the segments are shuffling. the black screens are much faster than the verbal instructions that other exercise videos offer before each movement, such that even when you have mastered the moves, you have no choice but to lay there and wait for the instructor to finish talking. since i have been doing pilates for about three years, i love that i am able to go from one movement to the next, without instructions in between. i am not sure if the basic and beginner workouts have more instruction, but nevertheless i would recommend that anyone using this video should also refer to a good pilates book (such as "pilates body in motion") or an actual pilates class. i also love that i can grow with this video for many months or even years yet to come. exercise dvds should be like this and not offer just one or two workouts. on the other hand, i gave four and not five stars, because the production value could have been better. i would have loved a nice, peaceful setting (by the beach, for instance). the video also tended to get pixelized in some parts, like a cheap vcd. don't expect any audio options and special features, either. this is a no-frills exercise video. but overall, this video is a wonderful addition to my pilates video collection. i am so happy that i bought it.

Rating:
Summary: Classic pilates routines at every level
Review: I bought this DVD along with Classical Pilates Matwork at the same time. I love both of them, but I have only used the Classical Pilates DVD a handful of times, where I use this one daily. This is because Pilates Complete actually does a very good job of keeping the structure in line with the original routine that Joseph Pilates developed. The only difference is that moves are added/subtracted/modified based on the ability level and routine selected.

Another reason I love this DVD is because the "Challenging" workouts really are quite challenging. That's pretty rare for a workout DVD, I think, and Stott Pilates Advanced Matwork is the only other Pilates "advanced" routine that I've found to actually be difficult.

Finally, one can choose to work out with weights and the Pilates circle in any level. If you've got these props at home, it's nice to be able to incorporate them into your routines on occasion.

So...beginner or advanced Pilates practitioner, I highly recommend this DVD. Happy workouts!