MTV Pilates packs a lot into 39 minutes, featuring four youthful, fit exercisers in a pretty setting of flowers and Arizona mountains. Although the DVD promotes itself as presenting beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels simultaneously, this workout would be challenging and perhaps frustrating for a true beginner. The exercisers supposedly demonstrate the various levels, but in truth, there isn’t much (if any) difference between one level and another most of the time, and sometimes you can’t see what the beginning-level person is doing. Instructor Kristin McGee–impressively strong and flexible–explains the moves and how to do them, without much technique talk. The steady beat of the synthesizer music doesn’t seem to [Read More...]
Buy MTV Pilates at Amazon
Hot Internet Ideas: If you want to record your life, order the Canon PowerShot SD780IS for the best pictures at the best price.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
MTV Pilates is a strenuous Pilates practice led by certified Pilates instructor Kristen McGee. It is filmed in an attractive outdoor setting, and Kristen works out with three helpers who show different levels of modification (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). Once you get past the opening instructions, the actual workout is approximately 36 minutes.
At the start of the program, Kristen provides instruction on breathing while doing simple prep work for the abs area. She then moves on to a series of classic Pilates matwork exercises, including the hundred, roll-ups, rolling like a ball, and the entire stomach series. Kristen puts a unique take on the traditional Pilates workout by inserting some additional stretches before and after most of the movements. She also includes some of the more advanced Pilates moves such as the rollover and neck pull, although she generally does less repetitions of these more difficult exercises.
Kristen completes all of the abs work (i.e., lying on your back) before moving on to the side kick series. She includes a side plank to begin and also adds a walking leg movement to the end of the series. She transitions with several more exercises specifically targeting the lower body as well as some back work performed lying on your stomach. Kristen then returns to some further abs work with a modified teaser, spine stretch forward, and the saw, and the workout ends with a few short sets of Pilates push-ups and a brief stretch.
I have been practicing Pilates for several years now; I consider myself to be at an intermediate level, and I definitely felt challenged by this workout. Although three levels of modifications are offered, the camera rarely focuses on the modifiers, and there are no alternatives shown for some of the most challenging exercises such as the rollover. For this reason, I would not recommend this workout to someone brand-new to Pilates, especially since Kristen does not provide detailed instructions on executing the movements. However, Kristen does cue very well, and so advanced beginners and others should have no problem following along. I highly recommend this workout to anyone looking for an intense Pilates practice which will particularly work their abdominal area.
I recently bought 3 workout videos to try and this one is the easist to follow and doesn’t beat your body up,but boy can you feel the results the next day. Very good for someone who hasn’t worked out in awhile. I had trouble with the other videos keeping up with the workout but not this one and I wasn’t TOTALLY exhausted afterwards and I can feel the effect the next day. I will recomend this to my daughter who just had a baby about 9 months ago.