After wreaking havoc on my body playing rugby (followed by a long and sedentary period of recuperation!) I found myself a few pounds too heavy, itching to get off the couch, and looking for a solid, low-impact way to get back in shape.A bit of reading up and asking around led me to a choice of either yoga or pilates. Most other forms of activity were stamped with a big no no from my physical therapist.
I'll have to admit, I wasn't expecting much. Highly skeptical is a good way to put it. I've usually been more of a fan of the high-impact adrenaline-laden competitive sport sort of fitness. Any form of "mat stuff" just seemed boring. Fifteen dollars a class was just out of the question (and slightly ridiculous) so I started looking into DVDs and books. I tried yoga, but I found the poses insanely hard to follow without a live instructor making corrections to my poses. I was probably doing them wrong because I came out of my workouts without ever feeling like anything had been "worked out." Not much of a choice left. Thus began my quest for the perfect pilates regimen. One that would seriously WORK.
I started out with the (as of now!) more popular recommendations on this site.Brooke Siler's pilates book...Pilates for dummies...I borrowed Winsor pilates from a friend... They each had their pros and cons. The most cons being with the pilates books in general. Most of the books have nice intros where they talk about the history of pilates and outline basic techniques. But when it came down to having and actually DOING a good workout it was the same problem I had with yoga- I just couldn't see the poses. The photos-while they looked nice-just didn't offer enough accesible comprehensive instruction. And it was hard to use! Try keeping a pose arms and legs straining while trying to read a book for pointers at the same time. Maybe it's just me but I just couldn't.
In the DVD realm, I found things much easier to follow but of course, all DVDs are not made equal. I don't want to single any particular DVD out to avoid or anything because the truth is that most of the ones I tried were okay. Pilates in general, I found easier to follow than other workouts and free of extra things to invest in like weights or exercise balls. All I really needed was a towel or two. And a TV. (Although if I keep this up I might memorize and not even need that!). I found, though, that as a general rule for DVDs that offer multiple workouts: beginning intermediate etc.- all on one disk...what seemed like a great bang for a buck at the time actually turned out to be more boring and less effective in the long run while harder to follow in the short. I think the amount of disk space needed to cram more than one workout on one disk meant scrimping on in-depth explanation of each movement and much less attention to the (very important!) pilates basics like breathing and posture. I also found that most of those more advanced workouts would be just a repetition of the same mat moves in the previous workouts, with only a few new moves added in. Though this probably isn't an attempt on their part to con the buyer or anything (pilates matwork revolves around a set number of proven movements and they're bound to be repeated from workout to workout), it still made me wonder in the end if they were worth it since the tradeoff is less patient and (I think) less effective overall instruction. Of course, on the flip side the tradeoff to the multiple DVD workout sets is literally, price.
As a newcomer to pilates, especially one without the benefit of having a regular instructor or a big checkbook, it was first and foremost important to me that I would be able to really follow the workout, not just scramble through the movements and render them ineffective. Which brings me to THIS DVD and why, after all this trial and error, I highly highly recommend it:
The INTRO to the pilates basics is in a seperate chapter of its own in the main menu. Easy to skip or return to as necessary. I have seen many explanations of nuetral pelvis and actually, most of them do a fine job but in this DVD, Laura Hames pays added attention to pelvic floor/scoop and breathing as well- something which I found lacking in others.
This attention carries over to The MAT exercises themselves, as she paces the exercises well and takes the time to make sure you're aware of ALL the basics during every exercise- not just some and not just at the beginning of the entire set. While this is extremely important when it comes to posture and spinal alignment (no more injuries!)- this is especially helpful when it comes to breathing because, ironically, it's one of the easiest things to forget to do right! On top of that, every single exercise has an icon you can click on for further explanation.
Other reviewers for this DVD have raved about the extra nifty things this DVD has to offer. This is true, they are extra extra cool and still easy to navigate. There isn't a single fitness DVD out there that lets you program your own workout, you can even set the exercises on shuffle. For people who get bored easily by the same old thing everyday, especially in mat workouts- this is an absolute blessing. As far as pilates goes, there isn't a single DVD out there that lets you see every movement from three angles all at once. I found this very helpful in finally getting to "see" the poses.
The most surprising thing about this DVD, for me, has been its longevity. I'm thankful to be up and running around again but exploring Pilates has somehow improved my posture and my stomach has never felt more fit....this DVD in particular, made things less boring and really helped me stick with the regimen and I intend to do so. It's easy to follow and it gives results. My apologies- such a long winded review.All in all, this was the best one I've found and this is the one I chose to rave about. new and surprisingly effective. Definitely worth checking out.
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The Quick & Dirty Guide to Pilates, Part 1Product Description: AN AWESOME PILATES DVD FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS
If you look around, you may find that The Quick and Dirty Guide to Pilates is an extraordinary workout DVD. It is the world's first multi-angle and programmable DVD. After the runaway success of the multi-angle The Quick and Dirty Guide to Salsa DVD, Digifilm has now raised the bar by adding a programmable feature to the other insightful offerings of this Pilates DVD:
Multi-angle:
Get the total view of every single movement. Change and choose from all three angles (front, top and back) with a simple press of the angle button on your DVD remote.
Plus track:
The instruction is at your fingertips. Get detailed and specific additional information for every single exercise with the hit of a button. Do Pilates mat work as it was meant to be done, with an effective and relaxing flow from exercise to exercise.
Programmable:
Change it up every day. An unique, easy-to-use design menu allows you to create your own routines. Customize from the variety of mat moves according to your fitness level or let the random option do the work for you.
Sound:
Melt away stress as you exercise to the soothing ambience of the DVD. If your own music works too, turn it off easily and play your own.
Network:
For fun and community support, follow the www link from the main menu and experience our inclusive Quick and Dirty Pilates social network.
This DVD is the first episode of The Quick and Dirty Guide to Pilates. Bringing Pilates mind-body tradition together with technological innovation, this is the only DVD around that designs exactly to your needs and helps you avoid mindless repetition.Its refreshing approach to Pilates has named it one of the best new fitness DVDs for beginners today. Try The Quick and Dirty Guide to Pilates, Part 1 as a fitting introduction to the Pilates Method. Use it to revitalize your regular workouts, or use it with your friends. Above all, use it for yourself.
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I am a bigger woman, and found myslef very disappointed with the fact that I was unable to do many of the traditional yoga poses that can be found on other videos.I came across this video from a friend and am very happy with it.The best part about it is the fact that three different women are doing the poses on the screen at the same time. Each woman is doing the same pose in a different way and for a different level.
