Customer Reviews

Gaiam Pilates BodyBand Workout Kit with DVD

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are like me, you want to obtain maximum results in a relatively short time. Ana Caban's BodyBand workout does just that for me. I have been practicing Pilates for 12 years, initially in a class setting, followed by Videos and DVDs. This workout is always challenging to me. This may be due to the fact that I can increase the intensity by increasing (or decreasing - for abdomen work) the tension in the bodyband.

It is oxymoronic, but workouts with Ana Caban (or Moira Stott or Hilary Burnett) are *relaxing* to me, even if they are intense (intermediate or advanced). Knowing the Pilates "poses" in a DVD allows me to better focus on form, and correct form yields better results. I own approximately 15 Pilates workouts. This is one of my favorites and I use it often. I travel a good bit for business. When I do, I always bring this workout.

Length: Approximately 30 minutes
Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Results: Consistent use of this DVD once per week will result in well defined biceps, triceps and deltoids; increased abdominal and back strength; and toning in hips, upper thigh and calf.

Bottom line: a great workout, well worth the time and the price

This is a nice set with the three graduated bands. The workout is relaxing but seems to hit all muscle groups.

The workout in this DVD almost has no back extensions and no clear instructions for the posture. Therefore, some movements can easily cause back problem.

However, the DVD has a fitness approach rather than the traditional pilates approach. If you would like to have a real pilates workout, I wouldn't recommend this DVD.

This kit comes with three bodybands (latex bands) of varying tensile strengths, and I've been working with the least resistant band (purple) so long that I finally snapped it, and had to go on to the medium-strength band (green). The blue band is for long-time, well-conditioned exercisers.

Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany. It is estimated that there are now over 11 million people who practice the Pilates system regularly. The addition of the bodybands makes this version of Pilates a form of resistance training, which is supposed to be beneficial for everything from increasing bone density to lowering blood sugar levels.

Certified Pilates instructor Ana Cabán teaches the routines on this tape, which runs about 40 minutes with the introduction (I use the introduction to warm up). She and two other women demonstrate the various routines on exercise mats, which are located on a lawn under a beautiful California sun. My favorite participant is Charlotte, an older lady who uses the purple exercise band, and gets special dispensation from the instructor to cheat a little on some of the harder exercises.

You may think some of the exercises on this tape look easy, but if you practice them correctly, your whole body is going to get a good workout. The first few times I tried these Pilates routines, using the least resistant band (purple), and following Charlotte, my arms and legs were still shaking by the time Ana got to the cool-down routine.

Love this. I've been using Gaiam DVDs for a long time. I like this band workout because it builds muscle and is easy on the joints. Because of the three bands included, my kids do it with me!

Very affective on targeting areas with the body bands. Workout isn't as difficult as other pilaties videos I have. Only wish that it came with harder resistance.

This is a great pilates workout that uses 3 different levels of resistance. Ana Caban is now officially my new favorite pilates instructor! She is the real deal and her instruction is clear, makes you focus & concentrate on the pilates moves while getting a thorough workout. I've used the workout on 3 separate occasions and each time I felt a deeper pilates workout in my powerhouse, arms & legs. I will be purchasing more Ana Caban workouts in the future. I used the workout early in the morning and now feel lithe, limber, taller and leaner. Makes for a great addition to my exercise regimen.

This really is a great kit that comes with a good DVD. But am I the only one whose hands hurt from being squeezed by the bands?

This is a good video to learn pilates techniques. However, I think it was a little too expensive for what you get. After just viewing the video twice, I had all the moves memorized.

I received this kit in a big box in the mail. I opened to find another box. I opened that box and found the three bands and the dvd in a cheap paper casing. I thought, "Did they spend all the money on the box the kit came in?" The workout is okay, but I could return this and never miss it. Would much prefer doing Marisa Tomei's workout for a workout that was 100% more effective or if I was going to choose a totally different workout I'd pick Kathy Smith's kettle bell workout. To me this wasn't a workout. It was a bunch of stretches.