Today’s workout I chose was a Pilates DVD, the 10 Minute Solution’s Pilates for Beginners DVD. I love the premise of this DVD – 5 segments of 10 minutes each that you can pick and choose from. Select one workout segment, or customize a workout of two or three, or tell it to play all.
The sessions are taught by Lara Hudson and she gives a very brief introduction and then dives right in. The sessions are Core Basics, Lower Body Basics, Upper Body Basics, Total Body Combo, and Long & Limber Stretch. Each of these five sessions are ten minutes long so mix and match them as desired.
Style of Workout in Pilates for Beginner
This DVD follows a very traditional Pilates method. It doesn’t mix in yoga, dance, or other techniques like many so-called Pilates workouts do. The one time I noticed something non-Pilates was a reference to child’s pose to stretch out the back after a plank pose. The pace is perfect for keeping you moving while still producing that isometric burn that Pilates does so well.
What I Loved About the Workout
Pilates for Beginners was nicely paced because while she gives a brief intro, it is short enough that subsequent viewings won’t bore you to watch through. Most of the workouts had modifications shown to increase or decrease the difficulty of the moves. I enjoyed that there were a few moves included that I had never seen before even though I’ve done several Pilates workouts in the past.
The instructor was great. She struck a good balance between cueing too much and cueing too little. And while she was fabulous at what she was doing you never got the intimidated feeling that you can get from some instructors where you just look at them and feel frumpy. (What? Am I the only one who gets that way sometimes? Tell me I’m not the only one!)
What Was Challenging About the Workout
I think the hardest thing for me is that it’s been awhile. There were a couple times where she’d say something like “Feel those core muscles!” and I’d laugh at her and say, “What core muscles!?” (I cannot be the only one who talks back to the TV, right?) If you were trying to do this as a 50-minute workout I think the breaks between segments might be annoying and feel like a stop in the momentum.
Altogether, the long & limber workout was really nice and I could see myself popping in the 10 minute stretch sequence as an end-of-the-day or good-morning loosening up routine if I were particularly stiff feeling. I think the Pilates for Beginners DVD is worth the under-$9 price tag and a great introduction to Pilates that you won’t outgrow in a couple of weeks. Even experienced Pilates-ers (is there a word for people who do Pilates?) will find themselves getting a good workout from these sessions.
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