Customer Reviews

Am & Pm Pilates

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, this is not a Pilates class for beginner's video. Do not buy this video (at least not yet) if you have never done Pilates before or you are still fairly new to it. You will be lost, as you do need a decent knowledge of properly performing Pilates movements to keep up. This video was not produced with newbies in mind.

However, with that being said, this is an excellent video for using your Pilates knowledge and experience to benefit you and your lifestyle. I purchased this DVD a while back and enjoyed doing the AM Pilates with Jillian Hessel - and I was still fairly new to Pilates. I had the basic knowledge that I learned from the Beginner's Mat Workout (with Ana Caban) to help me along. The AM workout left me feeling energized and refreshed - a feeling that stayed with me most of the day long.

I found the PM Workout more challenging and is more geared for the more experience Pilates user. (The PM workout is an end goal for me...what I want to be able to do eventually, but it certainly is not for me right now as a novice.) Definitely not for me right now.

I purchased this DVD before, but then sold it, then I decided to buy it again as I really did enjoy the AM Pilates. No regrets. I plan to keep this video. I still won't do the PM Pilates until I feel I'm more competent in Pilates.

If you're looking to do an AM/PM exercise that doesn't require prior training, but gives you that wake-me-up or de-stressing benefits you need in your life, try AM/PM Stretch with Madeleine Lewis (also by Gaiam). Since I haven't fully pursued and learn Pilates like I want to, I've gone to this gentle workout and absolutely love it.

However, if you do know Pilates and looking for great ways to use it to benefit you, this is very much a viable option.

These workouts are definately not for someone who has never done Pilates, nor do I think this is implied anywhere on the package. Instead, they are perfect for someone who has some experience with Pilates but wants a greater challenge. Both Ana Caban and Jillian Hessel have excellent beginner workouts (Easy Pilates, Beginning Mat Workout, and Pilates for Beginners) that would be more appropriate to start with.

The first workout, A.M. Pilates, is Jillian Hessel's workout for experienced beginners. It includes a quick run through of basic Pilates moves such as the hundred, roll ups, leg circles, rolling like a ball, single leg stretch, criss cross, spine stretch, saw, bridge, swan, and side kicks. I did not like this workout as much because, while many of the exercises were done very quickly, they were not especially challenging ones. Further, five minutes of the 25 minute workout was wasted on instructing you on how to breathe. If you're experienced enough to do this workout, you should already know Pilates breathing techniques.

The P.M. workout, instructed by Ana Caban, was much more challenging. This workout was almost totally ab-focused, omitting the side kicks series, but containing all of the Pilates ab-buster exercises. I like this workout because it works you hard in a short amount of time, and no I can't do all of it yet. It gives me something to build towards.

Another thing I liked about these workouts was the lovely scenic background. They took place on a platform overlooking a rocky beach. I do not think either of these workouts are particularly suited toward morning or evening. I think they are interchangeable.

This DVD contains three workouts, AM Pilates, PM Pilates, and Energy Boost Pilates. I've given descriptions of each of the individual programs below.

AM Pilates is sort of an odd blend. On the one hand, instructor Jillian Hessell spends a lot of time focused on the breath, which would be very helpful to Pilates beginners. Furthermore, she provides a rather abbreviated mat sequence--for example performing "50s" instead of the tradional hundred exercise and doing only two quick side series exercises. On the other hand, she does not give much detailed instruction about form, shows no modifications, and performs a few of the exercises at a very quick pace, including the criss-cross and swan dive, which would make this workout more ideally suited to advanced beginners or lower intermediates (most likely on a light day). The DVD breaks the workout into three segments, Breathing, Matwork, and Centering. The Breathing segment, about 4.5 minutes long, is performed seated in a chair, and it includes both breathing instruction and a few simple stretches. The 16.5 minute Matwork sequence begins with a controlled sit-down and roll-back. A band is used to modify the roll-up and single leg cirlces, and few repetitions are performed for the exercises. Finally, the workout concludes with a 3-minute Centering section, which involves additional breathing instruction, basic stretches, and a tiptoe balance, all in a standing position. This 26-minute workout would probably be best suited to Pilates beginners who have some prior familiarity with the Pilates exercises and are looking for a relatively basic workout.

Ana Caban's PM Pilates is designed as an evening Pilates routine to help you wind down and de-stress at the end of the day. It's perfect for this purpose (although a bit too strenuous to be used right before bedtime), but it would also serve well as an energizing routine in the a.m. or almost any time. Ana begins the workout in a seated position to perform several neck stretches. She then moves to the floor for a traditional Pilates mat series, starting with the hundred. Although Ana mostly follows classic Pilates sequencing, some of the more difficult moves (e.g., rollover) are left out, and other moves are done in a modified form (i.e., a rolling prep and an open-legged rocker prep instead of the full movements). Despite these modifications, the routine is still challenging: she does a higher number of repetitions than usual (particularly with the series of five, or stomach series), and the workout proceeds along at a steady, moderately quick clip. There is a concentration on abs moves, as Ana skips the side kick series, Pilates push-ups, and other full-body moves; personally, I liked this, but those who prefer a more complete matwork program might not. The mermaid and a standing stretch bring the routine in at 25 minutes. This was my favorite of the three workouts on the DVD, as it is well-suited to my intermediate level.

Energy Boost Pilates, also taught by Ana Caban, is kind of different in that it begins in a standing position with a few aerobic-type moves such as jogs, knee lifts, jumping jacks, and jumping lunges. This segment is very quick--no more than 1-2 minutes--and is designed to warm you up, but you could easily skip it if needed. Ana then proceeds to the floor for some traditional Pilates matwork moves. She leads you quickly through reclined exercises such as the hundred, the roll-up, and part of the stomach series. Moving to a seated position, Ana then performs an additional series of moves, a few of which I had never seen before (and I've done A LOT of Pilates videos). Then it's a quick stretch and you're done, for a total of about 11 minutes. This practice struck me as sort-of a shorter, more fast-moving version of PM Pilates; it's a nice alternative for getting in a full-body Pilates workout in a limited amount of time.

Overall, this DVD contains a nice variety of practices that would be appropriate for experienced beginner to intermediate Pilates practitioners.

I gave up on this DVD about 5 minutes in. It moves SO fast, if you have no prior knowledge of pilates you'll find yourself going "What? How? What do I..?"

I haven't tried pilates before and was really looking forward to this DVD, but with Hessell bolting through "Breathe in 2-3-4, out 2-3-4, now bring your knees up to your abdomen, move your hands down, breathe out and do this, do that..." at a million miles a minute I had to give it up.

This DVD contains three workouts: AM Pilates with Jillian Hessel, PM Pilates with Ana Caban and Energy Boost Pilates (1) with Ana Caban. I really liked Energy Boost Pilates, but 1) the workout was only 12 minutes (or a touch less) and 2) I didn't think it was so good that I could recommend buying it bundled with these other two workouts.

AM Pilates was about 25 minutes long and had a little bit of something for every body part- abs, back, legs and arms. I also liked the breathing exercises and the rolldown prep at the beginning. If you follow her breathing instructions, your lower abdominals will burn from the get go. I also liked the ending sequence which tested balance and integration. However, when I was done I was left scratching my head, not sure if I had really "worked out" or not. I like to feel a little bit sweaty when I'm done with a Pilates workout, but if you want more stretch, then you'll probably like this.

No problem with the sweat for PM Pilates, but I really couldn't stand this. One of the things I love about Pilates is that you can work every part of your body in a reasonably short amount of time. Of course, there are lots of releases out now that focus on one body part, but that wasn't advertised in this title. This workout is all abs- not mostly abs with a little bit of back and/or legs, but all abs. Caban includes a lot of repetitions for the Stomach Series (another thing that annoys me, because I believe in the original Pilates philosophy of doing a few reps of many exercises) as well as some tough exercises, like the Teaser 2 and 3. Instead of stretching out the abs by including some back exercises, she focuses solely on "counterstretching" by using rolling exercises and some twists. I didn't think this was the best approach. Finally, I was very annoyed that the voiceover instructions were out of sequence with the movements. I can understand getting caught up when you're "live", but it seems inexcusable when you're speaking over pre-existing footage.

Happily, Energy Boost Pilates perked me up a bit. It was a combination of old-fashioned calisthenics (that I've got to wonder whether Pilates used them with his original clients), mat movements and reformer-on-the-mat movements. Some reformer movements I haven't seen on too many other releases were the short box series and the hinging back. I felt this quite a bit in my upper abs. Again, at only 12 minutes, this would be pretty easy to squeeze in during the day.

I'd like to note that even though I wasn't a fan of this DVD, Energy Boost can be purchased separately.

I am so totally in love with Ana Caban-she's motivating, fun and serious at the same time. I have done alot of her workouts, and wanted to give this a try. Her P.M. workout, at first, I'll admit, had me screaming at her, saying, "Ana you are crazy! This is a P.M. workout!!! This is not soothing at all! However, over the next few weeks, I developed a real love for it. Like everybody else, I strive to do this workout as well. Having practiced for 6 months (since March), I was able to do almost all of the moves. I'm still working on it, though.

I have to be honest about the A.M. workout-I liked it, but it was blah, boring to me. I would consider doing this workout when I'm too tired and want something quick, but not overtaxing. Breathing is important in Pilates, but she talks about breathing too much.

I'm the kind of person that has a lot of energy. I need to be moving, need to be occupied. I loved this DVD! This allows you to get a great Pilates workout if you don't have a lot of time on your hands.

The AM workout is gentle and chiropractic-like. It aligns your body, releases tension from your back and allows you a good morning stretch.

The PM workout is great to do at the end of the day to burn more calories while you sleep. It is not easy to do at first and I suggest moderating some of the moves until you become more advanced. I also suggest ending with the seated "lotus" stetches rather than the rainbow stretch. It's more relaxing.

But this is great, the music is relaxing and the workouts are fun. If you've never done ballet or Pilates, take a class than buy the DVD to continue.

This DVD contains three workouts, AM Pilates, PM Pilates, and Energy Boost Pilates. I've given descriptions of each of the individual programs below.

AM Pilates is sort of an odd blend. On the one hand, instructor Jillian Hessell spends a lot of time focused on the breath, which would be very helpful to Pilates beginners. Furthermore, she provides a rather abbreviated mat sequence--for example performing "50s" instead of the tradional hundred exercise and doing only two quick side series exercises. On the other hand, she does not give much detailed instruction about form, shows no modifications, and performs a few of the exercises at a very quick pace, including the criss-cross and swan dive, which would make this workout more ideally suited to advanced beginners or lower intermediates (most likely on a light day). The DVD breaks the workout into three segments, Breathing, Matwork, and Centering. The Breathing segment, about 4.5 minutes long, is performed seated in a chair, and it includes both breathing instruction and a few simple stretches. The 16.5 minute Matwork sequence begins with a controlled sit-down and roll-back. A band is used to modify the roll-up and single leg cirlces, and few repetitions are performed for the exercises. Finally, the workout concludes with a 3-minute Centering section, which involves additional breathing instruction, basic stretches, and a tiptoe balance, all in a standing position. This 26-minute workout would probably be best suited to Pilates beginners who have some prior familiarity with the Pilates exercises and are looking for a relatively basic workout.

Ana Caban's PM Pilates is designed as an evening Pilates routine to help you wind down and de-stress at the end of the day. It's perfect for this purpose (although a bit too strenuous to be used right before bedtime), but it would also serve well as an energizing routine in the a.m. or almost any time. Ana begins the workout in a seated position to perform several neck stretches. She then moves to the floor for a traditional Pilates mat series, starting with the hundred. Although Ana mostly follows classic Pilates sequencing, some of the more difficult moves (e.g., rollover) are left out, and other moves are done in a modified form (i.e., a rolling prep and an open-legged rocker prep instead of the full movements). Despite these modifications, the routine is still challenging: she does a higher number of repetitions than usual (particularly with the series of five, or stomach series), and the workout proceeds along at a steady, moderately quick clip. There is a concentration on abs moves, as Ana skips the side kick series, Pilates push-ups, and other full-body moves; personally, I liked this, but those who prefer a more complete matwork program might not. The mermaid and a standing stretch bring the routine in at 25 minutes. This was my favorite of the three workouts on the DVD, as it is well-suited to my intermediate level.

Energy Boost Pilates, also taught by Ana Caban, is kind of different in that it begins in a standing position with a few aerobic-type moves such as jogs, knee lifts, jumping jacks, and jumping lunges. This segment is very quick--no more than 1-2 minutes--and is designed to warm you up, but you could easily skip it if needed. Ana then proceeds to the floor for some traditional Pilates matwork moves. She leads you quickly through reclined exercises such as the hundred, the roll-up, and part of the stomach series. Moving to a seated position, Ana then performs an additional series of moves, a few of which I had never seen before (and I've done A LOT of Pilates videos). Then it's a quick stretch and you're done, for a total of about 11 minutes. This practice struck me as sort-of a shorter, more fast-moving version of PM Pilates; it's a nice alternative for getting in a full-body Pilates workout in a limited amount of time.

Overall, this DVD contains a nice variety of practices that would be appropriate for experienced beginner to intermediate Pilates practitioners.

I agree that this DVD isn't great for beginners, but it is the one I started with and I got hooked! I'm not a fan of the AM program but I really enjoy the PM program. It's perfect for right before I prepare to go to bed-- it's challenging and it's fun! I think the music and scenery are great.

A great start and finish to any day...the workouts are done by two separate Pilates instructors. The music is good, and the scenery is serene and undestracting. A well put-together instructional dvd.