Crunch - Fat Burning Pilates

Rating:
Summary: Change Your Body with this Workout Gem
Review: "Have fun, work hard and get ready to change your body." ~Ellen Barrett

Ellen has created an energetic, highly creative routine to encourage you to develop long, lean sexy muscles. This workout is also filled with intense leg work and you will burn those calories. In fact, the first time I did this workout, I broke into a full-body sweat which I guess is a good thing and has rarely happened when using workout DVDs. I had no idea that a Pilates workout could bring that type of intensity to my day.

Ellen is an excellent instructor who is not only highly creative; she keeps you focused on perfect posture. She has cute names for various moves, like angel arms or elegant arms. She adds a real sexy feminine touch to this workout all while subtly motivating you to a heightened level of determination.

The routine starts with a Dance-based cardio routine. Ellen incorporates Pilates moves into a low-impact, but rather fast-paced (nothing is slow, let me tell you) cardio section. The warm-up is quite effective and by the time you do the stretching, you are warm enough for the stretching to count. If you have knee problems, this might not be for you. I noticed that as you become stronger, you can handle the knee bends in this workout. I could not have handled these moves a few months ago. Ellen focuses on the "powerhouse" throughout both sections.

The second mat-based Pilates Floorwork Routine is best done in bare feet and a yoga mat is quite useful. You start flat on your back, which feels good after all the dancing. She starts with the "hundred" with a focus on breathing. Then, you move to scissors, single-leg pull, double-leg stretch, crisscross and back extensions.

If you are familiar with Jennifer Kries' workouts or Winsor Pilates, this will all be very familiar to you. A new move is the "arrowhead" which I've never seen in any workout before. This workout also includes the Child's pose from yoga. The hip circles are challenging, but there are modifications.

Chapter Selections:

Introduction
Warm-Up
Pilates Steps and Imprints
Swan/Mermaid
Angel Arms and Pilates Pushups
The Hundred and Oblique CrissCross
Back Extensions
Reclining Twists and Forward Bends

Lime green/Periodot, purple/Amethyst, orange/Citrine, red/Ruby are the colors you will find in this workout. The stone textured floor and wall in the back give this workout an almost primitive-dance feel. Of course the cute drummer on the left at the back of the room adds to the appeal. The sapphire yoga mats add to this jewel-toned set.

You will love the music in this workout because it changes in intensity just when you need an extra boost of energy. I'm watching this again while typing and I can hardly sit here because I just want to go do this routine again. The music is highly motivational.

Crunch: Fat-Burning Pilates might just be the Pilates workout you have been craving. It truly will leave you feeling more alive, polished and definitely glowing. After finishing this workout, you might start to feel a sense of tranquility, have more passion for your life and think more clearly throughout your day.

Also look for "Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates"
Winsor Pilates is also perfect for anyone who is just learning the Pilates moves.

Books for additional research:

Jennifer Kries Pilates Plus Method
Ultimate Pilates by Dreas Reyneke

~TheRebeccaReview.com
Week 21 of review your way to fitness

Rating:
Summary: Okay, but not great
Review: Although the title says Pilates, there's really little pilates involved. I would say this is just like any other fat burning/cardio workouts--a lot of leg work, engaging leg muscles, etc. The first part is like your ordinary workout with lot of squats and leg lifts, the second part (shorter) is the "pilates" mat exercises. The mat exercise is not nearly good enough to work on those core muscles. All in all, if you want to get a moderate cardio workout, this is for you. I am pretty fit, so I didn't break into sweats of anything. Heart rate will go up though, but I didn't get a great workout I was hoping for.

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars if pilates workout was better
Review: I never tried any cardio-type workouts before I purchased this dvd. I never thought I would enjoy cardio, but it doesn't seem so bad in this workout. I really enjoy doing pilates but there wasn't much of a pilates workout on this dvd. There were good pilates priciples though.

Also if your new to a cardio-based workout as I was, the steps can be a little confusing.

Rating:
Summary: Crunch and Ellen Barrett Does It Again
Review: I'm just getting back into the workout mode. I had my son four years ago and let myself go. My friends was telling me about their workout video Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates. I decided to purchase it. That DVD changed my life!!!! With my first time using it I was hooked. I loved Pilates and have become a workout junkie so when this DVD was released I ordered it immediately. Pick Your Spot is still my favorite, but I really enjoy this one too and would recommend it.
Pick Your Spot is all mat Pilates so the whole thing is done on the floor. With this one...Fat Burning...you do a large part of the pilates standing with a small section on the floor. The standing part incorporates the mat type moves into a light aerobic routine. I like the variation from the floor and can feel it work my muscles in a different way. I like it too that now I have a routine to get me up and moving. There is music playing the whole time which was very upbeat. I do have to warn you though, during the entire DVD there is a guy in the background accompanying the music with bongos. It was kind of annoying for me at first, but I got use to it quickly. In fact I've got to where I like it.
The mat routine is great. It is different from Pick Your Spot so I get different moves as I alternate it with my other DVDs.
The instructor...Ellen Barrett...is awesome. She is very pleasant and makes the whole workout fly by. She keeps you very motivated and guides you through the whole thing. Like her other video she has another person showing an alternate way to do a move if it is too difficult for you.
Crunch Fat Burning Pilates is a great addition to your workout video collection. If your a fan of pilates or Crunch videos its a must have.

P.S. I have been working out now for 8 months. I have lost 26 pounds and dropped from a size 12 to size 6. YEAH!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: I love this video. I've owned it for a few months and have only started using it recently. It's amazing. I'm already seeing results that I've never seen with other workouts. The instructor is not at all annoying and the people working out with her don't smile in that really creepy and false way that I see in so many other videos. It's an interesting and fun workout. I used to weigh 190 and now I'm down to 165. This video is awesome and I recommend it to anyone who wants to do pilates and lose weight.

Rating:
Summary: A light cardio routine combined with brief Pilates matwork
Review: Fat-Burning Pilates consists of two separate routines: a 26-minute cardiovascular workout (the "fat-burning" part) followed by 14-minutes of matwork (the "Pilates" part). The cardio section is Pilates-inspired in that instructor Ellen Barrett frequently reminds you to keep your abdominal core area tight, and she also adapts a few traditional Pilates floor exercises to be performed in a standing position. Overall, however, this segment consists of standard, low-impact aerobics moves such as squats, knee lifts, step-touch, and also some ballet-inspired exercises. Although this part of the workout is fast-paced enough to raise your heart rate, given the extended warm-up period (7 minutes) as well the low-intensity nature of the movements, advanced beginner to intermediate exercisers will probably find this to be a light aerobic workout at best. The cardio section concludes with two short sets of Pilates-style pushups.

Following the cardio workout, you move to the floor for more traditional Pilates matwork. Ellen begins with The Hundred and continues with moves from the classic Pilates stomach series. However, she also adds her own twists to many of the Pilates exercises as well as suggests easier modifications. Most of this section is performed while lying on your back, but there are a few exercises done from stomach down, kneeling, and seated positions (none of the Pilates side kick series exercises are included). This entire section went by very quickly, and at the same time, my core felt challenged by only a few of the movements.

Ellen is a likeable, friendly instructor who provides good form pointers, but she frequently fails to adequately cue new movements, which makes it initially difficult to learn some of the moves. The workout is performed on the standard Crunch set with a room full of about 10 participants. In addition to the background music, there is a live drummer on set; some other reviewers didn't like the drummer, but I found him to be an interesting, non-distracting element. Overall, this is a nice workout for those who enjoy blended routines and who are looking for some fresh twists on the traditional Pilates exercises.

Rating:
Summary: Change Your Body with this Workout Gem
Review: "Have fun, work hard and get ready to change your body." ~Ellen Barrett

Ellen has created an energetic, highly creative routine to encourage you to develop long, lean sexy muscles. This workout is also filled with intense leg work and you will burn those calories. In fact, the first time I did this workout, I broke into a full-body sweat which I guess is a good thing and has rarely happened when using workout DVDs. I had no idea that a Pilates workout could bring that type of intensity to my day.

Ellen is an excellent instructor who is not only highly creative; she keeps you focused on perfect posture. She has cute names for various moves, like angel arms or elegant arms. She adds a real sexy feminine touch to this workout all while subtly motivating you to a heightened level of determination.

The routine starts with a Dance-based cardio routine. Ellen incorporates Pilates moves into a low-impact, but rather fast-paced (nothing is slow, let me tell you) cardio section. The warm-up is quite effective and by the time you do the stretching, you are warm enough for the stretching to count. If you have knee problems, this might not be for you. I noticed that as you become stronger, you can handle the knee bends in this workout. I could not have handled these moves a few months ago. Ellen focuses on the "powerhouse" throughout both sections.

The second mat-based Pilates Floorwork Routine is best done in bare feet and a yoga mat is quite useful. You start flat on your back, which feels good after all the dancing. She starts with the "hundred" with a focus on breathing. Then, you move to scissors, single-leg pull, double-leg stretch, crisscross and back extensions.

If you are familiar with Jennifer Kries' workouts or Winsor Pilates, this will all be very familiar to you. A new move is the "arrowhead" which I've never seen in any workout before. This workout also includes the Child's pose from yoga. The hip circles are challenging, but there are modifications.

Chapter Selections:

Introduction
Warm-Up
Pilates Steps and Imprints
Swan/Mermaid
Angel Arms and Pilates Pushups
The Hundred and Oblique CrissCross
Back Extensions
Reclining Twists and Forward Bends

Lime green/Periodot, purple/Amethyst, orange/Citrine, red/Ruby are the colors you will find in this workout. The stone textured floor and wall in the back give this workout an almost primitive-dance feel. Of course the cute drummer on the left at the back of the room adds to the appeal. The sapphire yoga mats add to this jewel-toned set.

You will love the music in this workout because it changes in intensity just when you need an extra boost of energy. I'm watching this again while typing and I can hardly sit here because I just want to go do this routine again. The music is highly motivational.

Crunch: Fat-Burning Pilates might just be the Pilates workout you have been craving. It truly will leave you feeling more alive, polished and definitely glowing. After finishing this workout, you might start to feel a sense of tranquility, have more passion for your life and think more clearly throughout your day.

Also look for "Crunch Pick Your Spot Pilates"
Winsor Pilates is also perfect for anyone who is just learning the Pilates moves.

Books for additional research:

Jennifer Kries Pilates Plus Method
Ultimate Pilates by Dreas Reyneke

~TheRebeccaReview.com
Week 21 of review your way to fitness

Rating:
Summary: couch potato to powerhouse
Review: I tried this video based on rave online reviews. I hate gyms and deperately needed to get excited enough about some form of exercise to be able to get into better shape and cultivate a healthier lifestyle. After a few days of using this DVD I actually began to look forward to the workout and when I had to miss two days I missed it. My body is very inflexible but this is helping and it's not boring and difficult like the ones I had rented from the library. I will have no problem keeping this up.

Rating:
Summary: This is not pilates
Review: This is more of an aerobic workout than pilates. The instructor continiously trys to convince you that you are doing pilates but really you are doing aerobics. There is a short pilates mat workout at the end that is good but the rest is not pilates. Don't waste your time.

Rating:
Summary: good for beginners
Review: This workout is fairly simple to follow but not very high-intensity. I am in pretty good shape so I barely broke a sweat doing it and the strength-training exercises at the end didn't include enough reps to make my muscles burn. However, some of the ab exercises were new to me and so I did more of them then the video does to get up to my level, which I would say is intermediate to advanced. If you're a beginner, this is a great video to buy. If you're advanced, you will probably want to look for something harder.