I have to say that this is her Best DVD release to date! Leslie has had many releases in 2009 and I was a person that complained about a few of them. I was rarely a fan of the "Leslie-Only" DVDs as I felt that some had poor production quality and/or felt very rushed especially with cooldowns and stretches. After seeing many ppl's complaints both on her site and throughout the web, Leslie has listened to her fan base and produced IMO one of the best, if not the best, DVD of her career! Let me assure everyone that I am not employed for her nor do I benefit in anyway by giving her fav reviews...I've noticed many of her "reviewers" are in fact employees (which you would know if you are or were a member of her site). I was positive that I would not buy anymore of her DVDs and this one makes me a renewed Leslie Fan!! I tried this for the first time today and was blown away!
The DVD has several "chapters" to it. An Introduction, 1, 2, & 3 Mile Chapters, and the Final chapter is the full length pilates routine done on the floor. She also offers a Music-Only option for anyone who may find this a "plus" when ordering. I personally have to listen to her, she's very motivating and positive. I decided to listen to the intro, something I rarely do and found it informative and helpful. She gives the background info of how Pilates came to be and some factoids for ppl who are interested.
As far as the meat of the workout; it's really quite new and different! There are several new moves and WOW was it great! You have side steps that evolve into sidetaps with knee lifts. There is boosted walking with boosted side steps (lack of a better word/description). She focuses on really engaging the muscle here and it's a main focus. There are arm circles which are done slow and control along with other arm movements. When you follow her instruction with the control, you are sweating! You can feel the core and arms really working all while walking. In the 3rd mile she does some standing leg/pilates work like leg circles and redoes some of the new moves. Her transitions are nice and not jumpy; I saw that 1 person complained about it on another site. If you are a beginner or fairly new to her, this DVD may not be the best choice to start with; she moves quickly, but never jumpy. She does walking in between all of the new moves and gives a countdown. If you are familiar with any of the leading that Mary Kay has done in some of the workouts, she reminds me of MK at times; she's taken to pointing to the direction in which she travels. Although, she doesn't do that throughout, but enough so that the new moves don't catch you off guard.
Music...ah yes, there are some new tunes! I would say overall, the DVD's music has a jazzy-type feel to it. The warmup song and 2-3 others are new; the rest are reused. The warmup I felt very relaxed and energized simply from the music. The style selection truly fits the DVD's tone and purpose. The beat of the music would put this DVD at an intermediate pace. Advanced exercisers or Leslie Walkers would get a great moderate workout and beginners would find a challenge. The workout flew by!
Fast forward to the end of the DVD; something also new here. First let me say we have a "classic Leslie" moment. We get through our cool down, she says her thanks and she walks off the set. Within seconds she's running back in laughing bc she forgot the stretch! I found this to put a smile on my face and had no issues with it whatsoever. She's human and has an error. Could this have been edited, I'm sure, but that's one of those things that fans of her's tend to like; she feels more Huamn that way. She does the stretch, longer in this one compaired to several newer workouts too! Nice! What's new here is that she gives a healthy snack idea of Apples and includes a recipe insert within the DVD. She's interacting with the staff and giving everyone apples telling them the benefits of healthy snacks and some ideas for such. Perhaps not a huge deal for some, but I thought it was great. Just another way to see her interact with ppl and I stood there sweaty, smiling the whole time; I found everything on this DVD very motivating from the Introduction to the Mat work.
Now, the Mat Work. The Mat work she does 5 or 6 different Pilates exercises, all but one on the back; "swimming" is done on the stomach and is done last, if memory serves right. She does about a 5 minute demonstration that includes all of the movements. She gives you just enough time to feel what each one is and what it looks like and is off to the next exercise. After all of the movements have been shown, she puts a routine together for you. You do your movements with "bridges" being your in between exercise just the like walking is in the main workout. Each exercise gets about 2-3 sets. Some sets are longer than others and no count is given. What you are doing here is really focusing on the powerhouse muscles, trying to keep them and the back stabilized, all while building up to the full count. I have never done Pilates before and have often wanted to try, but I don't want to either do 30-60 minutes or I find the instructors to not be my type. She gives you the best of the best for working the core and nothing more. Anyone with a large background in Pilates may be dissapointed. No breathing techniques to be had here and no advanced movements. Although she does show how to make them more advanced as you get stronger. She informs the viewer that she does have a Pilates Cert, but to seek out a true Pilates Professional for the best Pilates workouts. I think that's pretty fair. I was feeling my abs burning during this segment and I could not complete all of the sets. If I do this 2-3 times per week as advised, I know I will see improved strength and posture within my core. It's great for the Pilates Newbie or someone looking to get a quicker segment in without commitment. You can access the Pilates Routine via the main menu without having to do the full routine.
I got up and felt very worked out, sweaty, and at peace. I rarely smile while working out although I do enjoy it. This was one DVD and one workout that I caught myself smiling throughout the DVD Intro to Finish. I don't have a single complaint with this DVD and only hope that she continues to put out amazing workouts like this. If that happens then I personally will take back my complaints about no longer having the group of walkers with her; it was just that good! No walkers were needed to make it any better. In fact, in this walk I think they would have been distracting. It's more than the 4 basics here and I wouldn't want to watch ppl trip over themselves; it would take away from the peaceful feel the workout had. She does't use the black background here so it's brighter and you can see ppl and cars in the background. I actually enjoy that as it gives me something different to look at; call me crazy. You can see a camera come into the picture but it's like an nano-second. They quickly switch to a different view. Only 1 camera jiggling episode to be had, just after the warmup. Only bothers me as it makes me dizzy for some reason. But, it's only once, unlike some of the others that I think did this for an "art-sy" effect. If I someone who had sworn off my FAVORITE INSTRUCTOR due to several complaints from other workouts can swallow my own foot and enjoy the gem that this DVD is, anyone can! Leslie is back and ready for action! She looks fabulous, does a fabulous job, and really feels personable here. If I could have hugged her this morning after my workout, I would have! Now I have a choice for Leslie's Workouts: The 4 Basics or the Jazzed up workout with more flare! She's my favorite and it's nice to not have to use other instructors now for new moves. I love it!
6 hours post workout and my abs are quite sore!
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Leslie Sansone: Walk at Home - 3 Mile Slim & Sleek Walk Plus PilatesProduct Description: Walk Plus Pilates! Leslie shows you simple ways to incorporate the principles of Pilates into our classic Walk at Home system! Learn why Pilates is a popular choice when you want a workout that slims and strengthens you'll love what increased awareness of your posture and core can do to transform your waistline and the rest of your body! Start with 2 calorie-burning, BRISK MILES of the Walk at Home system! Then add a 3rd Mile Pilates Walk! A combination of our walking workout with intervals of Pilates inspired techniques to give you a fresh 3 Mile WALK! This is the way to walk for a slimmer, leaner body!
New moves, a speedy pace, it's a super workout! And it doesn't stop there¡s a bonus segment gives you an express version of the 5 BEST Pilates moves on the floor! In just minutes on the mat - a flat, sleek belly and healthy strong back are your rewards!
Bonus: 5 Popular Pilates Mat Exercises! The Popular Walk at Home Features: The Warm Up Walk, Brisk 4 mph to 5 mph Pace, Mile Markers, Walk Clock in Each Mile, Cool Down Walk, Healthy Stretch to End Walk Workout, BONUS: Pilates Segment
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In addition to the hi/lo workout, the disk includes many bonuses: ten minute sessions focusing on abs, squats & push-ups, back & behind, pilates, a core ball workout, andan extended stretch. You can do the main workout, or one of the combination platters: shortened versions of the main workout, with warm-up and cool down, aerobics only, or a strength and stretch routine from the combined ten minute segments, or everything strung together.So this is quite a versatile workout. You need a bit of floor space, but no special equipment unless you want to do the core ball workout.
