Rating: 
Summary: excellent intro to pilates
Review: This is a clear intro to pilates that is challanging enough to help you build strength and flexibility, but not so hard that it will blow you out of the water. I noticed that after about a week of doing pilates and yoga regularly that my posture and flexibility improved dramatically.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good.
Review: A great routine and good introduction to pilates. She packs a lot into 20 minutes which is perfect for people on the go like me. I agree the filming isn't good because of too many special effects, but you do get used to it and then don't notice it anymore. I'm looking forward to trying the Living Arts intermediate video once I've conquered this one.
Rating:
Summary: So little effort, such good results!
Review: I tried pilates at a health ranch and simply fell in love with the concept. I have used the tapes. For a little effort every day, amazing results. I have taken several classes locally and find I didn't feel the same about the exercises. This tape is right on and very easy to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: Give it up!
Review: First, the workout... if you workout at all this is not a challenge. The principles of pilates are sound however this routine doesn't provide enough for a thorough workout. It's best suited for those that are new to exercise. In fact I would recommend yoga if all you are looking for is exercise to strengthen, tone, and lengthen-- yoga has much more depth and whole body approach.Now, the instructor. Please get over yourself... "perky buns like hers"? Get real! Focus on the instruction. Go for a different video-- like Jennifer Kreis or just go to the gym.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Workout, after 2 1/2 weeks feeling a difference!
Review: I have been doing this tape once a day, 6 days a week and I aleardy see a difference after just 2 1/2 weeks. My jeans fit better and I have more energy. I feel more toned and have already ordered the intermediate workout because I love this one so much. I highly reccomend this for someone looking to tone, and not looking for something real high impact, this is great!
Rating:
Summary: clear and challenging
Review: I love this video. I wouldn't base my entire exercise regimen around one video, and this is not a cardiovascular workout, but Pilates is a wonderful way to strengthen and improve flexibility, which in turn can help you be able to do more challenging workouts of other kinds. Ana Caban quotes Joseph Pilates that you'll feel better after 10 sessions, but I really think I already feel better. Maybe that's because a lot of days I don't have time to make it to the gym but I want to do some kind of exercise. At 20 minutes, the workout on this video is a very convenient length for those days. I can fit it in almost anytime, but I definitely finish it feeling like I've gotten a workout. This video can be the difference between feeling lazy and flabby and feeling alert and motivated at the end of the day. Ana Caban's instructions are clear and complete, and while her delivery of the introductory "this is great and you'll love it" section is a little annoying, during the exercises themselves she's not at all grating. Compared to most exercise-video instructors she's appealingly low-key.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT for BEGINNERS..... only.....
Review: This tape is excellent. The only problem is while she's instructing you, you're laying or sitting there straining wasting energy (if you're a beginner like me you need to save that energy for the actual required moves!) She doesn't spend enough time on the breathing. But does show the moves very nicely. I used this one first, then the Denise Austin Pilates video. Hers is much more difficult (will write a review under hers too!) But definitely works the abs more thoroughly than this one. I felt empty to some extent. If I did Ana's moves - it would wear me out too quickly. If I did her assistant's moves, I wasn't challenged hardly at all. It was difficult at first to find out how to combine both positionings that seemed suitable for my physical capabilities. I have Graves' Disease - and very weak muscles. This tape - overall I would HIGHLY recommend this tape if you're just starting out with Pilates. She's very thorough in explanations, (would just work on the breathing a bit more, maybe pause the tape to really get the feel for how the breathing is done). Otherwise - I would have given this a five star - when she gets to demonstrations "mid stream" while you're waiting I just rest until she's ready to get back to business. GOOD workout!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Starting Point for Pilates at Home
Review: The reason why I wanted to do pilates at home was because the class at my gym does too many advanced moves for beginners. Ana is a good instructor. I liked the instructional portion at the beginning of the video in which she explains terms like "pilates-style stance" and "the box". She also explains the correct way to breathe, which is so important. I like that she has another person, Tara, do modifications of the exercises. Ana gives good cues and has a friendly, yet professional demeanor. I've been doing this video 3-4 mornings a week for the last three weeks and I've improved slightly each time. Since I had some class experience, I wasn't a total beginner, but I found the video challenging for some of the moves--I can't do all of them yet. I have the Intermediate workout, and hope to graduate to that in another month or so. I highly recommend this video!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This tape is wonderful! I went from a sedentary lifestyle to practically being addicted to this tape. I tried Pilates on a whim and cannot believe how great it is. It is amazing how little time it takes before you can do the more complicated movements. Yes, the video style is a little strange, but it's not so distracting that it takes away from the overall quality of the tape. I combine this workout with a beginners yoga workout. The two compliment each other nicely. Ana Caban is a great instructor and her positive attitude encourages me.
Rating:
Summary: Quick start for beginners who are not quite beginners.
Review: I don't have very much room to move around in my place and the Pilates Mat workout is pretty self-contained. If you have enough space to lie down and make a snow angel in the room where you have your TV and vcr/dvd then you have enough room to exercise. I became interested in Pilates after reading how pleased my sister was with it, not to mention my roommate who recently went back to taking Pilates classes. From what I've gathered from the both of them, it is an excellent workout, and if you stick with it, you will see results that will please you greatly. DONE CORRECTLY, Pilates is very effective and low impact. You will find yourself in an intense love/hate relationship with the workout and it will be worth every moment... After reviewing this video many of the exercises reminded me of the warm-up routines for the Jazz and Modern dance classes I used to take. So I like it already. That's my review of Pilates in general.
Now comes my review of this particular tape. If you have NEVER taken a Pilates class and you don't consider yourself to have ever been a dancer, please don't use this video by itself. (Take a Pilates or Ballet class or at least use the video along with a good book. Brooke Siler's "The Pilates Body" seems to be a favorite.) The instructor, Ana Caban, only has 10 minutes to go over the basics and skips over what I consider to be some very important points about how to breathe and hold yourself. Keep in mind; the title says this is a beginner's video for a Pilates Mat Workout, not a beginner's video for Pilates in general. If you have NEVER taken a Pilates class but DO consider yourself to have been a dancer at one point or another (Jazz and/or Ballet), you are pretty much good to go. A lot of the workout will be familiar to you. Though it probably wouldn't hurt to take a look at the book, I know it's next on my list. (I personally would say you were a dancer if you took classes regularly for more then, say, a year, and got to the point where you didn't need to wear a red ribbon on one of your shoes to tell your right foot from your left. :) ) I've noticed that some people see Caban as arrogant, shallow, or "cutesy". I tend to see her more as somebody who's pleased and proud with what Pilates has done for her, and very happy that she gets to do a video that will teach others. While she has her silly moments, I don't think it's anything that would make you want to stop the tape. (I can't handle Richard Simmons, but I'm okay with Ana.) The workout does go rather quickly, but that seems to be the Pilates style. (Fewer repetitions of more and varied exercises.) So when you first get the tape, watch it through at least once. Don't follow along, just sit and watch. (You should do that whenever you start a new exercise class/tape anyway.) It's hard enough concentrating on what you're trying to do with a new workout without having to take in all this brand new information coming at you from the instructor. Especially with Pilates, where focus seems to be key. If you have a basic idea of what's going to happen the first time you actually follow along, you won't feel so rushed. The one thing about this video that really tweaked my turnpike was the editing. There are points where the editing was TERRIBLE. It was a little distracting when the camera would do things like abruptly focus on the head of Ana or her assistant and change colors. I think somebody had a little too much fun pushing buttons on the editing machine, and I can only assume (or hope) that the editor was an intern or something. The general consensus seems to be that other videos by this company have better editing. So I think I'll stick with this series.
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