Customer Reviews

5 Day Fit Pilates

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

 

 

I contacted Gaiam about the mysterious disconnect between the order of the 5 workouts on the back cover vs. the actual order on the DVD. Following is the correct sequence:

1) AM Pilates with Jillian Hessel
2) PM Pilates with Ana Caban
3) Pilates for Weight Loss Maintenance with Ana Caban
4) Cardio Pilates with Ana Caban
5) Easy Pilates with Ana Caban

and this DVD is a great place to start. Each routine lasts between 15-30 minutes and offers a variety of different exercises and levels of difficulty.
The beginner work-out (15 minutes) is just that. It starts out with modified positions and a shorter range of motion for most of the workout. It is all mat work and a good place to start.
The 2nd-4th workouts are all around 30 minutes and are mostly mat work for intermediate to advanced exercisers. The AM Pilates (4th) is different in that is starts with a series of jumps (scissor jumps, hops, jacks) etc., which I thought was too high of an intensisty before even warming up. The Cardio Pilates (3rd)is my favorite. It is all mat work with traditional (The Hundred, Double Leg Lifts, The Teasers, Side Leg Series etc) pilates moves. I can feel this one afterwards.
The 5th workout PM Pilates is a lower intesity level that would be appropriate for beginners. The back cover says that it is 27 minutes long, but it is actually about 15 minutes long.
I like the face that, if I have time, I can use this DVD for an all-over hour long workout, or if I'm short on time, a quick 15 minute workout. Overall, this is a good place to start and you will grow with this DVD.

This one DVD has 5 different workouts on it. I already had a couple of them, but it's handy to have them all together. They are all well done and motivating. It is a beginner-level production, but gets into some kind of energetic movement, and it might be best to sit and watch the whole thing first, before actually doing the workouts - you can eat ice cream while watching, you'll burn it off after you start faithfully doing Pilates every day. I'm an old lady, and I do it!
The ladies are attractive and make you feel you can achieve what they have by following along. To a great extent, it's true. You just have to become a Pilates addict, which is not too hard.

I love doing pilates, but I did not love this DVD. My main problem with the DVD is that the numbers for the workouts do not match the guide on the back of the DVD. Therefore, I had to watch each workout and the time for each workout to figure out which one was which. On top of this, the time for each workout does not match what the back cover of the DVD says. For example, if the back cover says a workout segment is 27 minutes, it is probably about 20 minutes. I am familiar with and skilled at most basic pilates moves so the actual workouts themselves were OK. However, I realize I am not a big fan of Ana Caban. Even being an experienced practitioner of pilates, I like the reminders on breathing and stance and that is not something that I found too much with this DVD. If looking for good full body pilates DVDs, I would highly recommend any and all of the 10 Minute Solution DVDs. I own them all and love mixing it up.

I love pilates and find this mix fantastic- you can choose a workout you like- morning or pm. The cardio one is great as are the others. You get a great work out in 25-30 minutes. Highly recommend this. Have tried other pilates videos, but this really stands out, if you enjoy pilates, and are home wishing you were doing a pilates class- this will fit the bill and really make you happy you ordered it.

I enjoyed this series of pilates workouts. The outdoor settings were great and the instructors, Ana Caban and Jillian Hessel, clearly knew what they were doing. The odd the was the difference in difficulty. I didn't even break a sweat during Easy Pilates, but I was completely floored by Pilates Maintenance for Weight Loss, even without the push-up sequence (I have a bad wrist). These workouts were also released separately, so if you have more than one of them, this isn't worth it, but otherwise it's a good addition to your repetoire. Note: In AM Pilates, the instructor uses an exercise band, but this is not absolutely necessary.

This DVD offers a well rounded variety of workouts for someone who wants a little extra to add to their fitness rountine. The level is intermediate but it can be done by a beginner who wants to improve core strength.

I am quite new to pilates but have done ballet for many years. This DVD is a little strange in that the level doesn't seem too advanced (aside from one or two moves) but there is very little instruction on how to do the moves. Ana and Jillian are shown doing the routine with a voice over that doesn't give much guidance on correct positioning or breathing.

I was also as confused as everyone else about the random order of the workouts compared to the list on the back of the DVD. Also, why wouldn't they start with something easy and build up? It would make much more sense to have one introduction workout first which explains some of the moves.

That being said, I like that there are a variety of workouts. However, they are all fairly short so you may have to do two in a row to get a real workout.

This DVD Pilates teacher was recommended by my awesome Pilates instructor and the DVD given to my son's girlfriend. The two of us took a mat class together at the same facility where I take individual lessons for physical therapy due to an injury. She and I loved the class and this was one of the recommended home use videos! Get moving and enjoy life!

This presents of good variety of short workouts. Unfortunately, Ana Caban, who presents 4 of the 5 options, does a massively annoying voice over, really one of the most irritating I've heard. Only for those days when I feel like I can stand to listen to her!