Liz Gillies Core Fitness - Progressive Pilates for Weight Loss

Rating:
Summary: great connection to mat!
Review: I have been doing Pilates tapes of all kinds for years now and my body has been staying the same in the middle . I just realized with this tape making such a difference .I was getting too used to the same routine, even with props.
liz Gillies routines have great basic ballet style standing moves first to warm up and raise heart rate once you get used to it ..Youre still using the same pilates technique principals used in the mat.interetsing perspective!!.
This workout can be challenging to your balance at first,and liz could have maybe made clear modifications for that with chair etc.. but you like how it feels more with practice..Ive been doing this tape 3 times a week for 3 weeks now ..I notice such a difference in my thigh definition and abs! I feel that my core is strongerand flattening now for doing mat work. I break a sweat and now heart rate gets up, and my body keeps slimming down !
you definetely need to have focus and concentration with this tape which pilates is known for, I also learned some amazing new insights into my postural form from Liz ..She delivers new and important cues to really get it, as she puts it , an inside scoop! thanx liz , This is one of the few tapes I will repeat over and over

Rating:
Summary: Good variation on "real" Pilates
Review: I've recently starting working out again after 5 years. I hired a personal trainer, who is also a certified pilates instructor. I love what Pilates has done to my body, and I wanted to expand my knowledge and have a better understanding of the method, so I been buying DVD's and books to enhance my practice at home. I wouldn't consider this a "real" Pilates video, is more like a very loosely adapted variation, or a "Pilates inspired" workout. The instructor Liz Gillies has instant charm and does a great job in keeping you motivated.

The first segment of this workout is supposed to be a "cardio- pilates" mix, and altough I did sweat a lot, I did not find it to be that hard (and I am an avid couch potato), neither did my heart rate go up; but it was very fun and invigorating.

I really liked the second segment, the Pilates matwork. Liz really explains the how-to's and keeps reminding you to keep a good "pilates posture". The ab section is amazing!!! You can feel the burn! I did not think the matwork segment was long enough tho. I wish they had cut-down on "cooling" and "stretching" excersises at the end and added more matwork. But overall, this is a good workout for begginers, nothing extrenous or mega-challenging. Most importantly, it is fun, so you will feel motivated to do it!

Rating:
Summary: A good mix of dance and Pilates
Review: Once again, Liz Gillies draws on her extensive dance and Pilates background to deliver an effective, unique workout.

The first section of the DVD is supposed to be based on Physical Mind's new Standing Pilates syllabus. While it is included in the middle, it's more of a cool-down/break from the meat of the workout, which is more ballet-based.

The second segment is the matwork. This is different from most of the other Pilates offerings out there, and on its own is worth the purchase price. This section is based on about ten or twelve traditional reformer exercises (as opposed to the traditional matwork). Included are: Footwork, Coordination, Rowing, Tree, Elephant (think Downward Dog with a rounded back), Side Plank and Twist, Leg Circles (different from the mat version), Pulling the Strap, and a few others I'm forgetting. I was skeptical about this keeping my heartrate up after the standing section, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still felt like I was "working" at this point.

The Abs section is very similar to the Abs section on her Target Tone DVD, with an emphasis on the Pilates Abdominal Series. While some of her modifications look more like crunches than Pilates, she does instruct that the emphasis should be pulling up rather than pushing down- so think navel up, then in. If you're familiar with traditional Pilates matwork, this section may not be too challenging, but it might be a nice break from your usual routine.

I wouldn't recommend this as the sole workout to help you lose weight, but it is an interesting and different way to work Pilates into your workout rotation.