Rating: 
Summary: Perfect for Professional Dancers
Review: I have been a professional ballet dancer for many years. Dancing is wonderful yet very challenging physically and artistically. Over the years, Pilates has helped me stay healthy and relatively injury-free during my career. For professional dancers who depend upon keeping their bodies in good health, and in top physical condition for performances, it is essential to practice some form body conditioning in order to stay strong. Pilates is such a natural compliment to dance. This DVD depicts the traditional Pilates method in same way that classical ballet preserves its own tradition.
Rating:
Summary: Very Pleased and Addicted
Review: This was quite a surprise, I really didn't know what to expect. The excercises are great and addicting! I really want to race onto the other levels, but the calm reassuring and helpful voice of the instructor tells me that I WILL GET THERE!!! This is a lot of fun! AND VERY EASY!! The tell you when to breathe and what to watch for when you are doing the exercises. I am a larger woman and was a bit concerned about doing the exercises and bending and what not and found that when I was coached into positions I was pumping away and having great fun! ...
Rating:
Summary: Educational Objectives
Review: As a college professor in exercise physiology, I know that life has many educational objectives because they keep us growing, changing, and evolving as individuals in valuable ways. This DVD offers a complete education regarding the ultimate aims of Pilates: the flow, the articulation of movement, the energy, and the style. Educational objectives are the basis of all teaching, from kindergarten to esteemed universities of learning. With Pilates, learning is no less than deep personal evolution, where someone can stay physically fit at the highest levels, in addition to experiencing renewal of one's mental and spiritual life. I recommend this Pilates DVD because the performers are top notch, and they show what the educational objectives are. Education is a foundation in our lives just as the Pilates method is a foundation for every other aspect of physical activity.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa
Review: I've looked at several Pilates videos because I love the method and enjoy staying in pretty good shape. Most fitness professionals have fairly good products, and each video has its own perspective. For a long time, I just figured that Pilates was like aerobics or Yoga: there were many types and each was valid in its own way. After watching this Classical Pilates DVD, I learned there is a single tradition that continues Joseph Pilates' original method. There is a big difference between this DVD and the other Pilates-based workout DVDs. This Pilates video is definitely faster, and requires more energy and mental discipline. The interesting thing, though, is that you GET more energy by expending energy in a good workout! I also liked this DVD because it has the full range of workouts, so if I feel like practicing the basic routine, I'll do that. If I feel like doing the advanced routine, I'll do practice that.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was completely new to Pilates when I tried this DVD. I didn't know what to expect but had read very good reviews of it from other Amazon customers. I was very disappointed that I spent the $25.00. The audio on this DVD is very poor. I had to turn the volume up very high, and there was a good deal of static. The beginner sections are not a very good follow-along workout. They don't go into much detail on how to perform the moves correctly, and the workout is less than five minutes, although they tell you to do it for 10 minutes. I got bored and frustrated before I advanced to the more difficult sections. It sure does work your abs, though!
Rating: 
Summary: Bad instructions and very short workouts
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said this is more like a Documentary than an instructional DVD. The segments are very short, being only around 10 minutes long and minimal instructions are given. I guess this DVD would be good if the user is looking to bring new ideas to the gym but defiantly not for a home workout. I'm highly disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: I started the Pilates work out hoping to exercise without being dog-tired afterwards, like when I did aerobics. Then I bought this DVD because it looked like a serious Pilates work out, which it is. I use it faithfully four or five mornings a week and feel energized once I finish. My co-workers noticed the difference in the way I walk and the inches I lost off my waist. I started taking the Pilates class at the Y and I was well prepared for that class from working out with this DVD. It is Awesome!
Rating:
Summary: I Have Found It.
Review: Eureka! That's what the 1849 California gold rush guys yelled when they found gold. With this DVD, though, the posession is priceless: fantastic health, great energy, and well-being that no amount of actual gold could ever buy. After playing baseball, and surfing off the California coast for most of my life, I felt the urge to try a different kind of body conditioning to keep me in good shape. Several people told me that Pilates was good, but it seemed Pilates was for women because only women's magazines advertised it. I thought real men didn't do Pilates, and I never saw a guy work out in Pilates until my girlfried showed me the Classical Pilates DVD. At first this DVD was hard follow because all the exercises were totally new. But the director and soloist was a seriously devoted dude. So I took it seriously too. After working out consistently for 3 months with this DVD I feel in better health, and have better mental alertness than ever before. This DVD made we want more Pilates, so I'll take a lesson soon. If you want to feel centered and strong in a world that often seems out of control, give Classical Pilates a try.
Rating:
Summary: REAL GUYS DO PILATES
Review: I was checking out the exercise video selection at our local B&N, when my boyfriend blurted out that he had wanted to try PILATES. We looked for a good video, but they all seemed to be made for women only. Even though he had heard REAL guys like Danny Glover are into Pilates, those videos seemed silly to him and didn't give the impression that they could deliver the kind of workout he required. We got home and went on-line to see what a wider assortment offered and FORTUNATELY found this one. We knew it was different right away. First of all, there's a GUY on the cover and the INSTRUCTOR is also male. He appreciated that. I liked that it included several workouts on the same tape. SOLD. After just a few weeks of working at different levels, we are now both doing the intermediate and exercising together is FANTASTIC. This is a good tape for anyone no matter what, but what's more, it's exceptional for MEN.
Rating:
Summary: Worth More Than 5 Stars!
Review: It seems that every few years we are introduced to the newest exercise method guaranteed to change your body and your life. The reason Pilates has thrived for almost a century is that it works. Although it takes just over half an hour to complete the 34 exercises having as few as three to five repetitions each in the Advanced Mat routine, this workout is complete. Performed daily, even the Basic 10-minute workout will strengthen your body and improve your posture. Joseph Pilates believed that fewer repetitions of an exercise done properly benefit the body more that many repetitions done incorrectly, and excessive repetitions merely serve to fatigue the muscles and are counter-productive to true physical fitness. While Pilates is good for anybody, admittedly, it is not for everybody. But if you want a total, intelligent workout for your body, mind and spirit, try Pilates. If you want classic Pilates, try this DVD. It is a faithful depiction of the exercise method originally known as Contrology, produced by a group of people obviously devoted to upholding the tradition, and represents the spirit and purpose of Joseph Pilates' method with great enthusiasm and integrity. Because the workouts are performed in real time, you are able to use the tape by either working out along with, or learning the exercises from the DVD and working without at your own pace. The instructions are comprehensive and the demonstrations are precise and energetic. From a range of camera set-ups, the exercises are presented clearly and completely. I began with the Basic workout and progressed through the Intermediate and to the Advanced levels. I have received a greater awareness of my own physical fitness through Pilates by working with this series, and I continue to refer back to individual exercises frequently as I advance in my practice. I recommend the book "Pilates Body in Motion" written by the video's Commentator Alycea Ungaro, as a brilliant companion to this DVD, since her work also presents these workouts and echoes the values and standards of this superlative production.
| 
