Rating: 
Summary: Awesome Busy Day Session
Review: I'm 22 yrs, 5'4"/145 lbs. and this was my first pilates experience. While I'm not thinner yet, I feel more flexible and energized. I like Ana and find her a unintimidating motivator. The moves are really fun and never boring. A second girl simulateously practices modified, easier moves. You really have to concentrate and push yourself to not cheat! And the best thing is that it is a 1/2 hour workout that moves fast. Some weird production quirks, but no big deal. I've been using this tape after warming up with Suzanne Deason's yoga for about six weeks, and it's really helped me get into a healthy exercise routine.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good Pilates Workout
Review: I had never done Pilates before until I bought this tape. Ana Caban is a very good instructor. She explains each step from beginning to end and doesn't annoy with constant yelling like Mari Windsor does. I had stopped doing Ana Caban's to try Mari Windsor's workout, and I think I will go back to Ana Caban's workout and get rid of Mari Windsor's videos. Mari doesn't even do the workout. Ana does the workout, plus there is another lady doing the modification for people that are novices to pilates. Very challenging workout in that every muscle in the body is worked.
Rating:
Summary: An effective, strength-building workout!
Review: This DVD was perfectly suited to beginners. Good instructor, good, idiot-proof instructions, and great ab-burning exercises! I will definitely continue to do my cardiovascular workouts in conjunction with these exercises, but I can already feel my posture improving after only several sessions. This DVD left me feeling really energized, it's a perfect morning workout.
Rating:
Summary: Challenging and Results Oriented
Review: This is a great video. The excercises are definitely challenging - at least for a beginner like myself. But after only a few weeks I've noticed real improvement in strength and posture. This workout uses muscles I didn't even know I had! The instructor is thourough and cheerful, but avoids the type of "bubbly" enthusiasm that drives me nuts when I'm working on a difficult move.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable workout
Review: This workout is perfect for someone who has never done Pilates, like me. The instructor is very likeable. When I finish the workout, I feel energized instead of exhausted. The exercises are broken down well, and after a couple of times through, I had the idea. Now I am working on improving my form. The flashing from color to black and white is distracting. I kept wondering if something was wrong with my DVD player.
Rating:
Summary: Better explanations
Review: The first Pilates takes I got were the Mari Winsor ones. And she would use terminology in that without explaining it. Like "Pilates stance". So I got this video instead, and it explained it for me. I seem to like using this video more than Mari's, though it's been so long since I used Mari's video that I couldn't tell you why. I like that there are variations to each exercise in case you can't do them, mostly because there are still a few that I can't manage. I mix this video with the BodyRing video and after a few weeks, I definately discovered ab muscles that I hadn't known existed.
Rating: 
Summary: Good workout, Too much Talk
Review: Both my husband and my daughter, beginners, thought there was far too much talking and self promoting on this video. It is a "personality" routine, which some folks enjoy. We all switched to the Classical Pilates Complete Workout.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad...a little fast
Review: This video covers it all, but it goes very fast. It works best with a Pilates book, where you can underline the exercises and use the video to make sure you have correct form.
Rating:
Summary: good basic everyday routine
Review: Befoe getting this video, I'd gone to a dozen or so Pilates classes, so I knew the most basic poses but could never remember the flow. This video gives good basic instruction to get started on the core Pilates program. It is also short enough to do every day. The video takes about 30 minutes. Since there is a lot of instruction (important for the beginner), once you memorize it, the routine itself takes just 15 minutes. I like to use it in the evening to relax and get the kinks out. It took me about 15 viewings to memorize the routine, but as I said I'd had a head start. I've passed on the video to a friend, but plan to continue to follow this routine at least every other day as I work at learning the intermediate level routine. The editing of the video is unfortunate, sort of hyper MTV style with constantly changing camera angles, switching back and forth from color to black and white, while Anna Caban is skilled and informative but too chatty and self-conscious (cutesy) for my taste; however, I still think it's a good intro. Her intermediate video is much better in these areas.
Rating:
Summary: Great workout, easy to learn
Review: I've been disappointed in the past by videos that were designed for beginners. They'd either be too complicated, causing me to abandon them in frustration, or too easy, making me feel they weren't worth the time. This workout does not disappoint. The instructor does an amazing job of explaining all of the moves and even takes a few minutes to review some of the technology, i.e. "here's what I mean when I tell you to pull your navel to your spine," and offers easier variations to some of the exercises. And whether I did the easier variation or the more challenging exercises, I felt like I got a great workout. If that's not enough for you, this DVD features the least annoying exercise instructor ever. Not only did I never want to mute the TV to shut her up, I can actually imagine hanging out with her.
| 
