This workout is a full-body workout with an emphasis on posture and core strength. You will be rolling up and down and learning to breathe deeply. No shoes needed and you can do this routine almost anywhere. "Pilates On the Go" offers a full-body workout and includes every imaginable Pilates exercise. There were many new moves I had not seen in other videos, including the "swan dive" which was quite amusing. Imagine yourself as the base of a rocking horse. Yes.
IDEA master trainer Maria Leone has been teaching Pilates since 1989 and first encountered the exercises while studying dance at New York University. She has been certified to teach "The Method" and owns Bodyline Fitness Studio in Beverly Hills.
I love the way Maria Leone teaches because she is not interested in a fancy routine, just the basics. Her pleasant voice is calming and she places an emphasis on stretching and uses pace effectively to warm the body.
She also has the exercises set up in a logical and effective progression. You never feel uncomfortable moving from one exercise to the next. It is a slow floor dance to fitness. You are mostly on your back, side or stomach. There are a few exercises done while standing.
The Exercises Include: A warm-up, Pilates Hundred, Roll-Up, Roll-Up with Band, Rowing, Bow and Arrow, Rollover, Leg Circles, Rolling, Single Leg Stretch, Modified Double Leg Stretch, Scissors, Criss-Cross, Spine Stretch, Open Leg Rocker, Modified Corkscrew, Saw with Band, Saw, Basic Swan, Leg Lifts, Intermediate Swan, Swan Dive, Modified Double Leg Stretch, Double Leg Kick, Spine Twist, Side Kick Series, Teaser, Preparations, Swimming, Plank, Leg Pull Front, Reverse Plank, Leg Pull Back, Side Lift, Seal, Push-Ups and Upper Body exercises with resistance tubing (or you can use weights and a resistance band).
What I really appreciated was the "modified" exercises. When an exercise is new to you, you won't want to dive into the exercise immediately and Maria shows you the modified exercise and then asks you to repeat it if you are new to the exercise or continues with the regular exercise. There is no time lapse. You do the modified version and the regular version if you are doing this routine on a regular basis. So, no waiting. The modified version becomes a warm-up for the next exercise. If you are new to the exercise, you just do it twice while she continues with the advanced exercise.
The Benefits of Pilates are very encouraging:
Improves your Posture
Strengthens your Back
Strengthens your Stomach
Increases your Flexibility
Tones your Entire Body
Sharpens Your Mind
Gives you Confidence - the exercises are not too difficult to master and "no fancy footwork."
Encourages a healing of the mind, body, spirit
Improves your Life because it calms the mind
This exercise routine is normally purchased in a set and as far as I can tell from the site I went to, they do not sell the resistance tubing or Dyna-Band separately. The entire set is around fifty-five dollars. So, if you can improvise with items you already have, that seems to be a frugal way to go.
Items you will need to have if you only buy the DVD or Video:
A mat or you can just use a towel on a carpet
Resistance Tubing or you can use a Dyna-Band/Resistance Band effectively in places and alternate with a set of three-pound weights.
A Dyna-Band or you can use any "Resistance Bands."
If you have tried just about every other way to lose weight, give Pilates a try. I have been quite impressed with the results from these exercises. I started doing Pilates in college and in a summer I remember changing my body. Unfortunately life got in the way of exercise and I have recently gone back to these exercises because I remembered how fast they worked.
Honestly, I have tried everything from diet to walking to yoga and nothing works as well as Pilates. The bonus of this workout is the almost immediate results you start to see. That keeps you highly motivated. You can literally sculpt your body. While I'm still far from perfect, Pilates is working and I finally feel I will one day reach my goals.
If you are discouraged with other workouts and want to see fast results, try this routine. You may also love the Winsor Pilates workouts or anything by Karen Voight or The Method videos. What is nice about workout videos/DVDs is that once you have some of the fitness equipment, you can use it with many other workouts. So, buying the equipment is really an investment and when one instructor starts a trend, the rest seem
to follow.
What you will notice with Maria Leone is her leadership qualities. Her exercises have unique twists that are indications of originality. Originality prevents boredom. These are simple exercises, but never boring. I look forward to more workouts by this talented instructor.
~The Rebecca Review
Click Here to see more reviews about: Pilates on the Go (2003)
Product Description:
Improve posture, strengthen the back and abdominal muscles, increase flexibility, prevent stress and back pain, tone muscles, and sharpen the mind/body connection. The Pilates method is a form of isometric exercise developed and practiced to simultaneously stretch, strengthen, tone and align the body, while eliminating excess tension and strain on the joints. The method focuses on alignment, balance, posture, and breathing, and requires total concentration. It is the triad of mind, body and spirit which separates Pilates from other workouts you've experienced. IDEA master trainer Maria Leone has been teaching Pilates since 1989; her extensive knowledge and teaching experience make this video a must-have for people of all fitness levels.
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