Customer Reviews

10 Minute Solution: Pilates on the Ball

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I began working out 4 years ago when I tried the 10 Minute Solutions Pilates DVDs and have been hooked on the series ever since. I have tried other pilates (and other workouts) DVDs, but few have been as fun, enjoyable or effective as those in the 10 Minute Solutions series and this new one is no different. I love the idea of using the ball in pilates, as it presents more challenging ways to get more out of the classic moves and it provides more innovative moves that are not as common. I really love all sections of this DVD. They are as follows:

Pilates for Abs-This section focuses of course on the abs, but the ball intensifies the movements. The other thing I enjoyed was that while I was familiar with many of the moves, there were some that were new or that put a new spin on the classic moves.

Lower Body Pilates-One of the areas of the body that I find especially hard to work is the inner thighs. This workout enables me to focus on them as well as the rest of my lower body.

Upper Body Pilates-I was expecting to use weights with this section, as with the other 10 Minute Solutions Fitness Ball workout, but was surprised when they were not going to be utilized. I wasn't sure if I would be able to work my upper body effectively or efficiently without weights, but I was pleasantly surprised. This workout is a departure from many upper body workouts that I have done and really enjoyed it.

Pilates for Flexibility- This section I used at the end of my workout. It was very relaxing and I could feel the muscles stretch after a very challenging 40 minute workout. I can see me just popping this on after a hard day at the office. It is relaxing, but stretches and relaxes all of your muscles very well.

Total Body Pilates-It's just that, a great mixture of exercises to tone and work the entire body. I really thought there was a nice variety of moves to work every area very well.

Overall, I completely recommend this workout. I consider myself at an intermediate/advanced level and I found this to be very challenging. Some of the exercises that are more difficult I will have to work up to, so I can continue to advance with this DVD. I also love the instructor. She was pleasant without being obnoxious. Her cuing and instruction was impeccable. This will be in regular rotation in my workout schedule. I can't wait to see what other gems will be released in this series.

I have practically all of the 10 minute dvds, and the vast majority are great and this is one of them. It's cued very well by Lara and it's in the usual format of four workouts and a great 10 minute stretch segment.
Obviously, each segment makes use of a stability ball and that enhances the effectiveness of the workouts. It's great for your core and they use it in here to help increase your range of motion and it adds a balance element. My favourite workout here is the abs section and like all the other workouts they do, you can program the workout to be done in any order or do only one or two or three etc workouts in one hit. It really is a no excuse workout because anyone can find the minimum of 10 minutes, and before you know it, you might even increase it to the maximum 50 minutes and while you're doing this, you're having fun. Lara is a great instructor and motivating too.
I highly recommend this to practically everyone. It's mainly intermediate to advanced, but doing shorter sections, beginners can gain a lot here too. It's great for a total body workout and it's fun. I enjoy it and hope you will too.

I loved Lara Hudson's 10 Minute Solution Yoga, so my expectations have always been high. I didn't love her Pilates or Rapid Results Pilates from this series, and I was also underwhelmed with her Prevention release. Still, I wanted to see what she could do with the ball, and I have to say she was great.

The first time I used this, I used the Abs, Total Body and Flexibility workouts. The DVD earned five-stars that night. Hudson effectively combined traditional mat Pilates with Reformer on the Mat movements in both the abs and total body sections. Yes, I have done the majority of the exercises before, including the difficult Pike and Shell, but her explanations and set ups helped me connect them to their Pilates origins and get more out of the exercise. The Flexibility section was deceptively thorough- I got off my mat feeling like I had stretched every muscle in my lower body, and that has been evading me for months.

In the interest of thoroughness, I did the Upper Body and Lower Body sections the next day. Wow- in the good way. The Upper Body segment used a lot of movements I've done before, but this time with just the right set up to get the most out of every muscle of my upper body. The Swan, Side Plank and Twisting (not sure of the actual name) felt amazing on my upper body- worked into the smaller muscles, but not so much that I couldn't move them afterwards. The Lower Body workout was also very effective, although probably a little bit more recognizable, with variations on the Single Leg Kick, the Double Leg Kick and Bridging. Regardless, I felt just as good when I got up off my mat the second time around as I did the first.

In addition to being tough on Lara Hudson, I am also someone who generally turns my nose up on workouts that use the ball (or band or weight or what not) in every single exercise. But I still loved this and would willingly do it again.

Two thumbs up!

This is a great workout tape. Easy to follow. I enjoy all Lara Hudson's workouts

The good bit: I found that the DVD was well structured with 10 min sequences that provide a good workout at an intermediate to advanced level.
The not so good bit: I personally found the music and atmosphere of the DVD rather hectic, that is to say not relaxing, and rather lacking the elegance and harmony of what Pilates, in my opinion, is all about.
I would not recommend this video for beginners as it is rather lacking in cues for breathing, and seems to assume a prior knowledge of the techniques of employing one's core strength.

This is my first "10 Minute Solution" DVD and I am impressed. I was skeptical but it's well put-together and you do get a good workout in 10 minutes, or a more thorough workout if you combine the segments.

THE GOOD:
The strength here is Lara, the instructor. As a physical therapist I really appreciate that her form is stellar, and her cueing is spot on. She may not be the most charismatic person but she knows what she's doing.

The other strength is the format: 10 minutes is easy to find in your day, and it goes so fast that I almost always wind up doing two or three 10-minute segments. There are four toning segments: Abs, Upper Body, Lower Body, Total Body - and one Flexibility segment. You can combine them in any way you choose, although of course you want to do the stretching at the end. The flexibility here, as well as the ease of fitting the workout into your day, make this a workout DVD that stays in my rotation.

THE COULD-BE-BETTER:
This is not a workout for beginners. I know they don't say that it is... but they don't say it isn't either, and I think that beginners may be attracted to the "10 Minutes". The workout intensity level is intermediate, but some of the moves are fairly advanced and difficult to perform correctly. This is not for anyone new to exercise. I think this should be stated on the box and also in the short intro clip.

There is no warm-up or closing stretch. Obviously, there's no time for them, I don't have a problem with that. But again, the intro clip should explain not to start a workout cold, and to do either the 'flexibility' segment or your own stretches afterward.

A little bit boring - Lara is very monotone.

BOTTOM LINE:
A good workout that's extremely well cued, and extremely customizable according to your schedule and fitness level. 2 or 3 segments together will give an intermediate exerciser a tough workout, 4 or 5 segments together provide an advanced workout. Caution: Make sure you stretch afterward, and this is too advanced for the truly new beginner.

I haven't done a pilates DVD for a while but this is definitely a breath of fresh air and even challenging but not so much that I had to stop or couldn't do something. There is plenty of familliar pilates exercises like criss cross , roll up etc. and the ball add extra resistance to those exercises. There is even a lunge move with one leg on the ball behind which was pretty challenging. Lara does a great job explaining everything and doesn't waste time and moves straight from exercise to exercise in those 10 minute segments. My favorite segements were the lower body one , with those lunges and a series of bridge work on the ball that fried my hamstrings and the stretch which was great.

I ordered this video online after redaing some of the reviews and was a beginner but I figured I'd gve it a shot!

The first segment I did was the 10 mintue Abs workout and let me tell you, my abs were quivering and shaking from minute one! After the 10 minutes of wailing on my abs I just wanted to lay on the floor and strech! The next day, my stomach was SORE and I don't know about anyone else's body but it takes a lot for my abs to really feel a workout but I felt this one!

I was too sore the next day to try the abs again so I thought I would do the upper body/lower body segment. Much to my delight (yea right), by using the ball you are engaging your core muscles during almost every exercise. I fell over a few times while in plank on the ball and my abs were very sore but I did the lower and upper segement and then by day 3 my whole body was sore, haha!

Getting my body into a routine of using this 3-4 times a week has been very beneficial though. Your body becomes much stronger very quickly and after the soreness fades, you're left with tightening muscles, better posture, balance and - for me - no more lower back pain.

I used to wake up so stiff in the morning, but using the ball and the core engagement you get from pilates, I'm able to support myself better and I wake up feeling great.

I'd recommend this to anyone, even if you're a beginner. You won't have perfect form when you stanr and it's hard, but you're at home so who cares who sees you looking goofy at fisrt. You'll see results fast!

This video is excellent. I was apprehensive despite good reviews, because everyone works out differently, but I was not disappointed. The instructor is extremely clear throughout the entire video, making sure you know exactly how to get into position and when to breathe. She moves quickly to make the most of the short segments, but spends enough time on each position that you definitely feel it. The strength required to do these exercises correctly (staying strong, keeping the ball controlled) may preclude beginners from enjoying this. However, beginners can certainly understand and follow along, as no prior pilates or exercise knowledge is required. I have worked out consistently, but never done pilates before. When I purchased it, I though ten minutes did not seem long enough for each section, but when I'm doing them, it seems too long.

If you're interested in challenging yourself, using that exercise ball you bought and is in the closet, getting toned and flexible, and especially if you are busy and need to work out creatively, purchase this.

A great twist on pilates exercises. I've done this DVD from start to finish a few times already and it's so much fun! As with the other Lara Hudson's pilates DVDs, time flies and before you know it the workout is over.

The butt/thigh segment is good. The stretching segment at the end is quite decent - probably the best I've seen so far in the 10 Minute Solutions series. I particularly liked using the ball for hip stretches - I now use always use it as a prop for that particular stretch.

I would warn beginners off this DVD though: get a few months of regular pilates/yoga under your belt before attempting this workout. It would be quite easy to hurt yourself in some of the balance exercises, or just trying to keep up with Lara. If you are a beginner and do insist on trying this DVD, make sure you do all the exercises at your own pace and not that of the instructor - it's better to do two repetitions correctly than rush through several and pull a muscle in the process.