Rating: 
Summary: A GENTLE TONING WORKOUT :-)
Review: I received this video for Christmas last year (2003). It's great! I've never done pilates before, but if you keep trying to do the moves, it will get easier. That is what I like the MOST !! You can see yourself improving, and you will definitely see more definition in your abs, legs, and stomach. (It's really motivating to see when you're 175lbs and 5' 2"). The first part concentrates on your belly, abs, and legs, in 10 minute segments. The second part incorporates all body parts. I usually do the first segment & skip the second one only because I'm lazy. But I HAVE done the second part of the video before, and it's a little intense if you're still not used to moving certain body parts. YOU WILL NOT LOSE WEIGHT BY USING THIS VIDEO ALONE. What it does is tones your muscles. Ya'll should see my legs! I would (and do) use this along with an aerobic form of excercise in your weekly regimen. Well worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: Price = Quality
Review: I bought this DVD because of its low price and good reviews, but I was disappointed. You definitely get what you pay for. This video seemed like a aerobics-style video without an aerobic workout. The true substance and principles of real Pilates were absent. Crunch gyms are a well know chain of workout centers, but why would they decide to market a Pilates video like this? There's an old saying "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." The apple, in this case, certainly did not fall from the original Pilates tree.
Rating:
Summary: a good "quick fix."
Review: This is a great video if you are interested in focusing on those "problem spots" but don't have enough time to devote to a full work out. I use this video on the days that I don't get to the gym. I can do 10,20, or 30 minute sets right before I go to bed and I don't feel guilty about missing a work out at the gym.Some of these exercises are tough, but I like a little challenge. I have been to a real Pilates center and many of the exercises that are used in this video were the same ones that I learned during my real Pilates session. I have acutally seen results from this video and I was very happy with my purchase! Also good is the Crunch Fat Burning Pilates.
Rating: 
Summary: A Variation on Real Pilates
Review: As a studio owner and certified instructor from the New York School, I see a growing division between traditional Pilates (the way Joseph Pilates originally created his method) and variations of traditional Pilates. This DVD is a depiction of nontraditional Pilates. The exercise orders are not Joseph Pilates' original exercise orders, there is not a seamless flow between exercises, and there is music playing. Joseph Pilates did not play music because each exercises has its own rhythm, dynamic, and tempo to be determined by the instructor during a given lesson. It is important to protect the public interest by labeling products properly. Most other professions have a state licensing board to protect the public interest, but the art and practice of the Pilates method does not. To properly describe this video, perhaps video producers should call this workout a Pilates-based exercise routine.
Rating:
Summary: Misleading
Review: If you are relatively familiar with true Pilates, this workout will be far too easy for you. I had been taking lessons at a Pilates studio and wanted a faster workout for days wehn I could not make it to the studio. I had only been doing Pilates for 2 months when I got this video, yet already it was much too easy. It did not present a challenge to my muscles (especially my abs, thighs and butt) and I felt the entire next day as if I had wasted my money and, more importantly, my money.
Rating:
Summary: Applied Pilates
Review: I guess you could describe this video as 'applied' Pilates. This Pilates video is okay if you have been more accustomed to the gym approach to physical fitness. Although cross-training is certainly excellent to practice, Pilates studios originate from a different culture. Usually a Pilates studio is smaller, and has all the equipment Joseph Pilates designed. Instructors should have at least 600 hours of training IN PILATES before becoming certified. This DVD's participants tend to speak in language that personal trainers use as they focus on working certain areas of the body. Although Joseph Pilates never trained anyone using this kind of language. This DVD might be a good introduction if you have never tried Pilates. But this video does not present the Pilates method as a coherent whole, and it doesn't describe certain fundamental principles that are integral to Pilates. I would recommend videos and books that have people who are true Pilates professionals: individuals who have extensie training credentials, and the ability to communicate the Pilates method with the highest expertise. One example of an excellent book is Alycea Ungaro's Pilates Body in Motion. Perhaps she has recommendations about good videos in her book.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: I've taken Pilates lessons for about 3 months and bought this DVD because of the reviews on Amazon.com. From my experience, this DVD doesn't show the Pilates method as a vigorous workout. I love Pilates because it really gets me going! I know everyone is different, but I enjoy moving at a good tempo. This DVD breaks down exercises so much that I have to slow up. In a way, this DVD actually interrupts my rhythm. People say that Joseph Pilates borrowed from yoga, yet I know from experience that Pilates is NOT yoga. Pilates moves faster and more dynamically, and Pilates uses extremely cool equipment.
Rating:
Summary: A Derivative Presentation
Review: Pick Your Spot Pilates seems to go against the principles of mental and physical conditioning that Joseph Pilates originally created. Joseph Pilates called his method "Contrology," or the art of control, which is the complete integration of mind, body, and spirit. In Joseph Pilates' original method, specific exercises and muscle groups were NEVER isolated from the entire body's movement and placement. All exercises are initiated from the Powerhouse region; they involve stretching, strenghtening, and flowing movement. Joseph Pilates would NOT say "Pick Your Spot," nor would he instruct anyone to isolate certain muscle groups without involvement of ALL the body's muscles and full mental attention. The amazing benefits of Pilates are revealed when you practice the original method. It is always best to learn from a certified instructor who actually studied with one of Joseph Pilates' original students. It seems to me that "Pick Your Spot" Pilates has gone out on a branch, away from the original tree trunk of Joseph Pilates' knowledge and teachings.
Rating:
Summary: I own 38 exercise videos and this one is my favorite!
Review: I really click with this instructor. She's very pleasant and sincere. The exercises themselves are great, but it's not just the exercises, it's the way the exercises are performed - good tempo, no annoying commentary and nice camera work. I seem to always finish the entire DVD too, even if I set out to do just one of the ten minute sections. This is a dream video for video exercizers that want a non-boring pilates workout.
Rating:
Summary: Great for people who don't have a lot of time
Review: I bought this video because I quit my gym membership (too expensive), but still wanted to do exercises on my own time. Turned out this video is great--whether in shape or not. You can easily tone your body in a few weeks and do all of the exercises (the exercises are in increments of 10 minutes--belly, butt, and thighs) or do the complete video in just 30 minutes. It is a refreshing video for anyone who has bought videos in the past with obnoxious instructors, because this instructor is calm and quiet when demonstrating the exercises. And she has a lot of variety, so you hardly repeat the same exercise 20 times. A must-have if you have a time-constrained schedule!!
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