Customer Reviews

Hilary Burnett's PILATES ADVANCED [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Hilary Burnett's PILATES ADVANCED is a Master Class in Pilates. I was amazed at the intensity and heat the workout created! I am a Pilates and Yoga instructor and thought I would be able to do all of the exercises in this video the first time through, but I must humbly admit that I could not! Hilary progresses through the workout like a dancer as she flows from one sequence to another. There are many Pilates exercises and variations in this video that I had not seen before (such as the Boomerang and Crab - impossible to describe, but amazing to see Hilary perform them). The workout moves quickly from one exercise to the next without rest so your core muscles are constantly engaged. As the time flew by, I felt I had worked my entire body to a degree I had not in other Pilates videos.

The setting is nothing short of stunning, with a backdrop of candles, African inspired decor, lowlighting, brass and marble. Hilary herself is a joy to watch and performs all exercises flawlessly with appropriate cuing and precise instruction. I wound up purchasing 2 other Pilates videos by Hilary because the advanced is so classy and inspiring.

You will not be disappointed in this challenging workout that will be there for you to aspire to as you become stronger and leaner at the same time.

Sometimes videos labelled as "advanced" are doable for those at earlier levels, but not this one; it is definitely designed specifically for the advanced Pilates student. You will need two prerequistes in order to successfully complete this video: 1) familiarity with the entire range of Pilates movements, including advanced exercises such as the Jacknife, and 2) enough pre-existing core strength to allow you to perform the aforementioned advanced moves at a fast pace.

This advanced workout is performed in the traditional Pilates style, which means there are a very low number of repetitions (even less than most other Pilates videos, sometimes only 2-3) combined with a flowing pace to the workout. Each movement flows into the next without any pauses, which means that you are in constant motion for the entire duration of this workout. While this IS how Joseph Pilates intended these exercises to be performed, it can make the video a bit difficult to follow, despite Hilary Burnett's excellent voiceover cuing. Hilary provides little explanation of how to perform each movement, but she does offer metaphors to assist you. At just over 20 minutes, this is a very good Pilates routine for those looking for a fast-paced, very challenging workout.

I have done many Pilates work-out videos, as well as classes, both at spas and in gyms. This is by far the most exciting and inspiring routine I have ever experienced. I love Pilates and have been practicing for five years. I try to do some form of Pilates or yoga daily, but with time constraints I was often left devising my own mini-routine. It is very difficult to find a challenging work-out for the time pressed individual, also I find that many videos, though enjoyable tend to drag. I had been looking for a video that was faster-paced and had elements of both difficulty and balance. This video was the answer to my dilemna. I found the presentation, the setting,and Hilary's holistic emphasis fantastic. This is not a video for those unfamiliar with Pilates. If you are not familiar with all the postures you will never be able to do them quickly enough, and the degree of flexibility required is not for the novice. I love the fact that it is only about twenty extremely fast-paced minutes long. At the end of the work-out my body was literally humming. I felt entirely energised and re-vitalized. If you are looking for something to kick you out of your exercise rut this is the video for you! I cannot recommend it highly enough!

I really hated Burnett's Zen Stretch, but I have to admit that this is a wonderful tape. It's very challenging even five minutes into it because of the speed of the repetitions. For me, the most difficult exercises are the ones that emphasize upper body strength: Leg Pull Front, the Underwater Series (Scissors, Bicycle and Bridge), the Side Bends and Twists and, of course, the dreaded Pilates pushup. Give this tape to anyone who complains that Pilates doesn't provide an upperbody workout and then let them get back to you after they've done it. This tape has been great to use as a cross-trainer with my Ashtanga Yoga practice, and people familiar with Ashtanga will notice a lot of similarities between this tape and a vinyasa practice (as well as some of the movements themselves).

This tape definitely assumes knowledge of the advanced Pilates exercises. If this is your first exposure to them, watch the tape a few times before even attempting it and make mental notes of where you need to modify. Also, if you can, get your hands on Alycea Ungaro's Pilates: Body In Motion or Brooke Siler's Pilates Body to use as a reference.

What a great video!! I recently became interested in Pilates after having done dance for several years. While I like some of the other video series out there, I found even some of the "intermediate" ones to be geared toward the beginner in terms of the pacing and all the explaining. I wanted to find something that would be intense, but not impossible! This video was perfect. The movements, while challenging, do not require a god-like amount of flexibility (the high backbend is the only movement I cheat on), only attention to form. The workout comes in Hillary's arrangment of the low-rep movements. The entire routine flows from one end to the other.

What I liked most about the video was the production quality. Hillary's voice-over instructions are always on cue, and give motivation rather than dumbing down the movement (i.e. she will say "feel like your leg is moving through water up, then push through clay back down"). And I LOVED that they printed the name of the movement along the top of the screen. For a routine with this pace with so few reps, it would have been impossible to keep up without memorizing the whole routine. But thanks to Hillary's voice-over and the screen cues, you could glance at the TV and be prepared for what was next. I was able to keep up pretty well the first time I tried it.

The routine is a solid, 20 minute total body workout that will warm up your body from head to toe. I felt a difference the first time I did it. If you are looking for a challenging, full workout packed into 20 minutes, this is definitely it.

This tape is a pleasure. The best time I've ever had with a pilates video. I would recommend it to people who have a good foundation in pilates. Hilary gives evocative and precise instruction - but I wouldn't call it detailed.... I ordered the Intermediate, Advanced, and Zen Stretch - and I love all three tapes.

Unlike most pilates videos, there's never a dull moment! The program is short - less than 25 minutes and moves very very quickly through an advanced mat series that includes some of the more exotic routines (the crab, the corkscrew, jacknives). Part of the work of pilates is learning to hold your core while moving with grace and speed through the various exercises, and thats what Hilary emphasizes here.

The set is really lovely - dark, candlelit, with animal prints - a bit on the ski lodge side - but it works. The music is very nice, original, classical guitar. Hilary is poised and elegant. You feel like she's letting you in on dancer secrets Jennifer Kries would never tell you. The core abdominal work is very powerful and effective. The movements are beautifully executed. She's an inspiration.

I felt noticeably better after I did this tape. Tall, strong, stretched and centered. The next day I actually found myself daydreaming about doing the tape again! Some might balk at the $19 price tag for a 25 minute tape, but wow, its 25 minutes that will change your day, and your body.

...which I sure am not. This video was very challenging and fast paced but would be a great workout for those advanced at pilates. This workout is 20 plus minutes long and packs a lot of exercises in a short amount of time. You move from one exercise to the other very quickly. The exercises you will see in this routine are the hundred, rollup, rollover, single leg circles, rolling like a ball, single and double leg stretch, scissors, double leg lower lift, twist, spine stretch, open leg rocker, corkscrew, saw, swan dive, single and double leg kick, neck pull, scissors (advanced), bicycle, shoulder bridge, spine twist, jackknife, high bridge, side kick series, teasers, hip circles, swimming, leg pull front, leg pull, kneeling side kicks, sidebends, twist I & II, boomerang, seal, crab, rocking, control balance and pushups. There are few reps for each exercise and literally no rest or stopping in between.

I like Hilary as an instructor, here she instructs as a voiceover which I normally don't care for but it doesn't bother me here. I would think it would be pretty tough to call and cue the moves while doing them. She makes the moves look effortless too, I was impressed with her, plus I like her style.

This video is far too advanced for me, but would be a good choice for those who practice pilates that are looking for a challenge. Hilary's intermediate video is another good choice for those not quite ready for this one.

I'm new to the pilates game (1 year) and bought Hilary's Basic Pilates tape to start. At 35 years old and in fair shape (I had no workout routine previous to this but do a lot of running around "mommy stuff"), I was very happy to do some of the moves. I was also very pleased with Hilary's very easy instructions and beautiful backgrounds and after 2 months I jumped to her Advanced tape.

Although the flow of the tape was challenging at first, it moves very fast requiring some background knowledge of basic pilates or watching the tape several times, I kept at it. The first couple months I did the routine everyday until I memorized it. Now, after a year, I haven't tired of the tape because Hilary emphasizes quality with every move and I can challenge myself each time to do better. There's always room for improvement with these moves! Hilary is encouraging and the voice overs are clear and easy to understand. As with the first tape, the background is beautiful and relaxing with candles and gentle guitar sounds.

During the tape, along with Hilary's voice-over instruction, there are titles to let you know what pilates position you are starting. And at 20 minutes, you will do lots of them. Being a mother of 2, this was the perfect tape to squeeze into my day to get my figure back. And speaking of which, if you do this everyday you WILL see results!

This is a terrific advanced pilates workout. The atmosphere is very soothing and relaxing. Hilary moves quickly from exercise to exercise with an amazing flow and gracefulness absent from other pilates videos. I can't do every exercise yet, but hopefully someday! I highly recommend this video, it's my favorite of her pilates series.

This is an excellent tape which demonstrates what Pilates is all about- few reps performed with accuracy that emphasize the core muscles. Hilary is experienced, her voice is soothing, and the visual imagery she provides is super. You really need to be familiar with Pilates to appreciate this tape. It definitely is a mind/body experience.