Customer Reviews

Element: Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a mother of 4, and this Pilates Weight Loss DVD is the perfect workout to do at home. It's really helping me tone my saggy "muffin-top" waist area, while giving me the total stretching and strengthening I need. The visual demonstrations are very clear, and the detailed verbal instructions give me all the coaching I need to work on improving my pilates technique. This DVD is excellent as it's so easy to follow and has plenty of variation to keep me working out for months to come! It's amazing how these Pilates techniques, that make me feel so good by stretching my whole body, can really create a great cardio burn too.

I've been a fan of Brooke's for years -- I've done numerous Pilates dvds and have only been able to do Pilates with Brooke, thus far, with her books, flash cards, and CDs (in the Pilates Body Kit). I've loved her from the start and have been hoping for a dvd.

I did this one today and just loved it! Don't worry that it says it's for beginners if you've been doing Pilates for years. This is a solid Intermediate Pilates workout. It's approachable for Beginners, but isn't broken down slowly for explanations like most Beginner Pilates dvds. It flows wonderfully, is full of challenging exercises, and is a pleasure to do with Brooke. Just wonderful!

I'm a fitness instructor who reviews numerous DVDs. I heartily recommend Brooke Silver's Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners to anyone looking for a cardio and mat workout that can create a slimmer, stronger and leaner bodyline. If Brooke's body is an example of what Pilates can do for you -especially after 2 babies -- then everyone should try her beginner Pilates dvd routines. I particularly love the way Brooke instructs you --she has an extraordinarly clear way of articulating the mechanics of each required movement and what you should be feeling in your own body as you go through each movement. This is fitness instruction at its superb best.

I bought this DVD looking for a good introduction to Pilates. I dance, walk, and do yoga, so I am somewhat fit, but I am new to Pilates.

The first half of this video, Pilates-inspired cardio, is a nice 18-minute routine. It's a little too short, but it does increase the heart rate while toning and lengthening muscles. It was an accessible, enjoyable workout.

Most of the DVD is a "beginner" Pilates workout. I was clearly going to end up frustrated and/or injured, so I stopped. When I told a friend who is a Pilates instructor about the exercises, she agreed that they are not moves for Pilates beginners. She mentioned that some of the exercises, particularly the Scissor, could cause low back injury.

Proceed with caution.

I am a beginner using Pilates. I had already used 2 other Pilate DVDs I'd purchased elsewhere and was enthusiastic about the method but wanted something that was alittle longer and well rounded. I read some of the other reviews. Brook's instructions are VERY clear and concise and she reminds you all the way through how to stay focused and how to do each stretch correctly which is so important. This is my favorite by far. It has been a good stress reliever and I'm amazed at how much flatter my abs are and how toned my legs have become in such a short time---about 8 weeks. I've got 25 lbs to drop and I'm 54 years young.

I have taken Pilates classes on my own and decided to get a video, since I'm often bad about leaving the house to attend classes. This is my first exercise video ever, so my critique may not take into account what's normally expected from other exercise videos. I like this video a lot and I don't think the moves are complicated; in fact, they're pretty straightforward. But after taking Pilates classes that catered to rank beginners, I found aspects of this video frustrating at times.

First of all, the speed is intense. Sometimes, I forget to breathe trying to figure out the exercise -- Siler is either doing harder ones than I was taught or with some modifications. In my classes, there was typically a 2-3 minute pause for breathing between exercises; something that not only made it easier, but helped me push through a 50-minute set. This video has 45 minutes of exercise with little pause at all. So there's more moves than I am used to, and it's done really fast with no breaks. I could hit pause on the remote, but who wants to deal with that after your 20th roll-up?

Also, index skips would have been a nice feature. When I'm worn out doing roll-ups or their derivatives, I would like to move on to other types of floor work -- but I have to use a FFWD feature to get it done. My Pilates instructor, before we took a break from the winter said that in order to do mere upkeep, you needed to do three types of exercise for each of the following sets: the back series, the stomach series, the side series and standing. This is to help you keep your body in balance. Because there are no well-planned skips, it makes it challenging to try to balance your modified workout as you're trying to learn the series.

Nevertheless, the moves are simple, but some of them are intermediate or advanced forms,according to Brooke Siler's book on Pilates. I plan to do as much as I can until it gets easier. I'm kind of okay with the fact that it's a little too hard for me; but I also have the experience of having had some classes to try to make sense of it. Might be harder for someone just starting out.

This Pilates DVD is great! I am a beginner at Pilates and found this DVD easy to follow, yet challenging enough to get a great work out. The instructions were clear and every new move started slow and gradually got quicker. The diversity of stretches and head to toe movements kept me interested and concentrated. I felt a great stretching and lengthening as well as cardio work out throughout. I would definitely recommend this DVD.

Brooke is the only person who can keep my attention for 45 minutes! She does it by talking you through every step of the workout with such calm, clear and helpful instructions. She really gets me to work my "core" and I end up sweating and feeling exhilarated everytime I do it.
She never stops talking you through the lesson, therefore you are able to stay focused. I cannot get that great of a workout from even private lessons at my club. Brooke's DVD is the best instruction tape I have ever purchased. Definitely buy this DVD. You will not be SORRY.

My Pilates teacher suggested Brooke Siler's books as a good way to practice at home. I was a little put off by the idea of "cardio" Pilates, but once I did that section I enjoyed it and felt like it was aerobic without sacrificing the idea of concentration and core. Doing both programs (the cardio section and the mat section) gives a good total body workout without wiping you out for the whole day.

This is a great instructional DVD. I had taken Pilates for about 5 years with 2 fantastic and experienced instructors (none of those that took a weekend mat certification course and started teaching) and stopped when I had my baby and changed to a lower pay job (Pilates is like a crack habit - expensive and oh so addictive). This really took me back to a challenging mat class. Clear, concise and helpful tips and guides all throughout at a pace that is not too slow nor too fast. Brooke's body was also a very good visual aide - she was able to demonstrate the nuances of tucking your pelvis in, etc. Really liked the cardio section in the beginning which when connected with the mat class really made it a fulfilling workout. Highly recommend. I hope she'll come out with more because hers is the real thing.