Rating: 
Summary: Sexy Creative Dance Style Workout
Review: "Our bodies move in every conceivable plane of motion, in varying ranges of expression. Most traditional exercise formats are comprised of linear one-dimensional or at best two-dimensional movements and are geared towards enhancing or changing appearance, rather than improving the body's efficiency or level of functionality. With this three-dimensional fusion of Pilates, Yoga and Dance, you will feel better, stronger, more flexible." ~Jennifer KriesYou might be surprised by Jennifer Kries' sassy red top and short hairstyle. Her personality shines in this beautiful workout filled with sapphire yoga mats, marble style floor and open-air temple in Athens feel. The workout is an invigorating dance and yoga experience that will test your creativity, balance and coordination. Workout 1 - Pilates Based workout that will give you a lean, straight, limber new figure. This is a standing/dance style workout that I would call intermediate to advanced because this workout builds on the knowledge you have gained from previous Jennifer Kries exercise videos. This workout involves a lot of leg work, balancing, bending over, stretching hands to the ceiling, dance positions, stretching legs, lunges, side stretches and some very creative new moves/poses I had never tried before. If you enjoy ballet workouts, this one will be very interesting to you. I found the balancing exercises to be a wonderful challenge and when I did them without falling over, I was so proud of myself. In this workout, there are four other instructors/workout partners. Table is still the ultimate challenge for me. I'll be working on that pose for years. Workout 2 - Core Conditioning for buns, abs, sculpted legs and thighs. You don't need high impact aerobics to see wonderful results. Jennifer Kries has one of the most beautiful bodies in the world and when you do her exercises, your body starts to improve at a rapid pace. In this section, Jennifer works out on a purple mat, same outfit. I love the individual instruction, all the helpful tips and the pace of the second workout. This is almost a reward for working out in "Workout 1." You are flat on your back to start and then you will start to recognize yoga and Pilates based exercises. She starts with breathing exercises, roll-ups and leg stretches. Leg circles will be familiar to you if you have been doing Pilates workouts. I love the rolling like a ball and stomach exercises. Jennifer takes you through all the basic poses and concentrates on precision. I like the way you can actually hear Jennifer breathing in various exercises, it reminds you to breathe! She ends with a teaser and a deep breath and then magically disappears. I'd like to see a nice relaxation/stretching section added to her workouts. Jennifer Kries is definitely the Pilates goddess of the workout video/DVD world. Not only does she create challenging workouts, she gives precise instruction and teaches you to respect your body in a new way. I love her new workouts and I see fast results in all-over body toning. In fact, your skin will be softer and radiant and your entire body starts to become smooth and sculpted. Of course, I still have a way to go! If you have the choice between a Video and a DVD, go for the DVD. Isn't rewinding a video the bane of the workout existence? It is so eternally slow. This is truly an exciting new workout from Jennifer Kries. I always look forward to trying all her new workouts. Also look for: Perfect Mix and Precision Pilates. These three workouts can be used together to add variety to your workout routine and will help to get you into shape fast. ~TheRebeccaReview.com P.S. If you are noticing a problem with the sound, try buying a pair of RCA headphones. I think the problem might be with an "older" TV that can't handle the sound on this video. I have noticed that a few movies and workout DVDs that are newer are not working (sound quality is iffy and muffly) on my older TV. I first noticed this with a STING DVD and now with Workouts DVDs. It might be time to buy a new TV. If your TV was not originally set up for DVD, then you might want to consider that aspect when determining sound quality on a variety of new items appearing on the market. If you have the choice between DVD and VHS, I'd go with the DVD. This video sounds amazing on the RCA cordless headphones, so I figured out that it was my TV, not the quality of the video.
Rating: 
Summary: great, but why so short?
Review: I absolutely love the first part of this workout, the 3-D Toning -- I feel so much longer and leaner by the end. Jennifer begins with some modern dancey warmups, moves into a tough ballet segment, and ends with some "power" yoga moves. All of the exercises challenge you to use and strengthen your core while building flexibility and balance. The 30 min fly by and despite its length, it's tough -- near the end of the workout Jennifer asks if you have a towel handy to wipe away the sweat, and the camera zooms in on her glistening face. (I love seeing instructors sweat!) I also appreciate that this is a cardio workout I can do without shoes. Although, as someone else has pointed out, her cueing isn't always great, she does consistently give reminders to keep the abs working and to breathe deeply; and after a few viewings the cueing won't be a problem. The companion workout, Core Conditioning is a bit of a letdown. After the explanations on form and breathing, the workout clocks in at only 15 min. The first few minutes were very similar to the core segment on Perfect Mix before she moves onto working the lower body, and I thought for a while that it was going to be the exact same workout. While I can't fault any of the exercises or her instruction, I feel that the workout should have been longer to truly compliment the 3-D toning segment. A good video that left me wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: Great for ballet section!
Review: I absolutely loved this DVD. I was looking for something that incorporated Ballet movement and tried the NYC workout video and hated it (for it's format and chosen exercises). I stumbled onto this DVD and decided to buy it off of the reviews. The first workout, the core conditioning, is perfectly balanced with a ten minute Pilates warm-up, ten minutes of ballet (center work), and then ten minutes of yoga. This is not for someone who knows nothing about dance! I was surprised how seamlessly she moved from Pilates to the Ballet work and even casually used the ballet terminology.
I am giving this DVD 4 stars instead of 5 because I tried the second workout and almost killed myself. It is a lot of difficult pilates and yoga work that I might be prepared for when I am in better shape. I probably won't try it again for another six months.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected, but I do enjoy it
Review: I agree that the easily discouraged definitely should NOT get this workout (I am not usually easily discouraged, but was the first time I watched it.) Jennifer's cues come after she starts her movements, so unless you have the workout memorized, you're going to be playing catch up instead of concentrating on each and every repetition. I'm certainly no expert at pilates, but there seems to be very little of it in the workout. I will be using this just to get me moving on the weekends, since I do now enjoy it, but will use other materials for serious pilates training.
Rating:
Summary: Yet another solid video from Jennifer Kries
Review: I am a big fan of "The Method" videos and am so glad to see Jennifer Kries and her gang come up with these non-cheerleader, non-techno tapes that emphasize form and concentration. I have been using the "Precision Toning" workout for over half a year and am grateful for what its done for my posture, abs, back and legs (I can actually see my quads popping out nowadays when I'm doing the Hundred!) - a remedy indeed for one who hates doing crunches, squats and lunges to cheesy music. The first part of "3-Dimensional Toning" is really a combination of "Dance to Fitness" (but without the need for as much living room space), the hips section of "Target Specifics" that's ballet-centric, and the legs section of "Target Specifics" that's really power yoga. And you will sweat by the end of the first section! The second part is traditional Pilates matwork all the way - no where near as taxing as "Precision Toning" but just enough to get your back decently aligned and your abs feeling strong. Jennifer has done an excellent job of providing just enough instruction on the power yoga and Pilates exercises here. Although I enjoy "Target Specifics," it moves just a bit too fast for me to concentrate on form in the power yoga (legs) and Pilates (stomach) sections. On the contrary, many seasoned viewers of "Precision Toning" find the instructions are too detailed after a number of sessions. If you want to get a good preview of what else Jennifer can offer, "3-Dimensional Toning" is the perfect buy. Some folks like myself who own a half dozen Method tapes might complain that the workouts here are really cobbled together from previous tapes, but I do appreciate that Jennifer's put bits and pieces of three tapes into one, keeps it all going at a near-aerobic pace in the first section and provides more form pointers than she did in the slightly faster-paced "Target Specifics". It's a workout that can be done in 45 minutes (if you skip the instructions on breathing once you've got that down, if not, it's 50 minutes). Music is light, instrumental stuff (some jazzy, some Latin) mostly in the background since her vocal instructions are essential in this kind of workout and rightfully, take precedence on the soundtrack.
Rating:
Summary: Yet another solid video from Jennifer Kries
Review: I am a big fan of "The Method" videos and am so glad to see Jennifer Kries and her gang come up with these non-cheerleader, non-techno tapes that emphasize form and concentration. I have been using the "Precision Toning" workout for over half a year and am grateful for what its done for my posture, abs, back and legs (I can actually see my quads popping out nowadays when I'm doing the Hundred!) - a remedy indeed for one who hates doing crunches, squats and lunges to cheesy music. The first part of "3-Dimensional Toning" is really a combination of "Dance to Fitness" (but without the need for as much living room space), the hips section of "Target Specifics" that's ballet-centric, and the legs section of "Target Specifics" that's really power yoga. And you will sweat by the end of the first section! The second part is traditional Pilates matwork all the way - no where near as taxing as "Precision Toning" but just enough to get your back decently aligned and your abs feeling strong. Jennifer has done an excellent job of providing just enough instruction on the power yoga and Pilates exercises here. Although I enjoy "Target Specifics," it moves just a bit too fast for me to concentrate on form in the power yoga (legs) and Pilates (stomach) sections. On the contrary, many seasoned viewers of "Precision Toning" find the instructions are too detailed after a number of sessions. If you want to get a good preview of what else Jennifer can offer, "3-Dimensional Toning" is the perfect buy. Some folks like myself who own a half dozen Method tapes might complain that the workouts here are really cobbled together from previous tapes, but I do appreciate that Jennifer's put bits and pieces of three tapes into one, keeps it all going at a near-aerobic pace in the first section and provides more form pointers than she did in the slightly faster-paced "Target Specifics". It's a workout that can be done in 45 minutes (if you skip the instructions on breathing once you've got that down, if not, it's 50 minutes). Music is light, instrumental stuff (some jazzy, some Latin) mostly in the background since her vocal instructions are essential in this kind of workout and rightfully, take precedence on the soundtrack.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for beginners!
Review: I bought this dvd because of its good reviews and because I was looking for a pilates workout and liked that this had a dance section, yoga section, and pilates section. This workout assumes you are at least at an intermediate level in all three areas (i.e. dance, yoga & pilates). It is NOT for beginners! I took professional pilates classes with properly qualified instructors to the beginning-intermediate level and I would not recommend anyone who is a pilates beginner do this workout. Jennifer does not sufficiently explain the movements nor how your body should be positioned for them. She gives no attention to maintaining the C-curve in your spine & abdominals in moves like the roll-up and performs an advanced one with no warning that this is not to be attempted until you have been doing pilates a while, nor how important it is for your back that you keep your legs straight and ensure they don't lift off the ground, and if they do that you are not ready for that advanced level yet. I found it difficult to follow the dance section having no ballet background, and the yoga section really assumes you have done beginners yoga in order to keep up and have good form. If you know what you are doing i.e. if you have done at least beginners classes of ballet/dance, yoga and pilates you will probably be ok with this workout and pick it up after a little while. If you are just starting out, don't start with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Stick with it!
Review: I completely agree that beginners will find this a bit bewildering. I have had no dance training at all, and I found this the hardest section to master. The instructor moves very quickly, without adequately signalling or explaining changes. However, after sticking with it, I have started to find it a little easier, and can keep up better now. I wouldn't recommend this for beginners and those that are easily discouraged.
Rating: 
Summary: Not really Pilates at all
Review: I don't know why the Pilates Method is even the title - the modern dance moves were nothing I've done in years of Pilates classes. Additionally, the quality of the DVD is poor, although with titles and music straight from a bad 80's made for TV movie.
Rating:
Summary: Poor quality DVD
Review: I first discovered Jennifer through The Method series of videos where I found her style and directions encouraging and energetic and positive. My first purchase was of the Pilates Method DVDs however and I have been sorely dissapointed. Not with Jennifer but with the quality of the DVD version, I have both the Pilates Method: 3-Dimensional as well as the Pilates Method: Perfect Mix. Both DVDs freeze mid frame in usually about the 2nd workout session. When it happened on the first DVD I didn't think much of it, but when I put the 2nd one into the DVD player, immediately after unwrapping the packaging it froze on it's first play, mid point in the second workout. Perhaps the Pilates Method VHS versions are more successful. For now though I will be looking into The Method: series and hopefully their DVD qualities will be better. I emailed Jennifer at her NY location and her staff responded that Jennifer was not directly involved in the production of this particular line. The workout itself is good, but be warned the DVD quality is poor.
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