Customer Reviews

Karen Voight - Pilates - Total Body Training [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First let me say that this is not a video for absolute beginners. Secondly, let me also tell you that this tape must be used in conjunction w/ a Resist-A-Ring & a Yoga Mat. That said, I must tell you a little before & after story. My thighs that once resembeled a lumpy mass of undercooked oatmeal is now sinewy, long & rock hard. My buttocks which looked like a sack of dead rats are now perky, tight & smooth. Karen has you do moves that have to be seen to be believed. She has you do endless repetitions of Resist-A-Ring thigh excercises that will make you almost wanna scream at the TV. Then, if that weren't enough, Karen has you do these lying, open legged inner thigh moves that is so intense that by now, you wanna start throwing things at the TV. All this & for what? Well, the payoff is immense. My legs, butt, thighs(especially thighs) & abs are solid & lean. My whole body is lithe & I have more energy PLUS I'm more relaxed & focused. With videos like this, who needs to go to a gym? Surely not me.

Karen's calm voice has such a subtle way of enticing you into challenging exercises. The workout goddess herself will guide you through the workout while you are lying on your back, stomach or sitting. But don't think that because you are on the floor, this is going to be easy.

Let me tell you, this is definitely intermediate and will give you a great lower-body workout. By the time you hit the pushups, I guarantee you will be panting. Yes, the transitions are easy and the workout doesn't have any fancy steps. In fact, the entire workout consists of smooth distinctive movements based on Pilates, Yoga, Ballet, and Karen's unique and fun body-sculpting techniques.

First you wake up your muscles and head into a session of squeezing your thighs together with a "Resist-a-Ring" providing the resistance. You need a "Resist-a-Ring" (14" spring-polymer circle with inside and outside padding) and a yoga mat to do this workout. Both can be ordered from Karen's site.

There are 8 minutes of stretching, 36 minutes of seated and lying toning and another 6 minutes of stretching/cool down. During the 50 minutes, you will work on your upper body for 4 minutes. The lower body emphasis lasts for 26 minutes with a concentration on Abs for 6 minutes.

The use of the "Resist-a-Ring" helps to inspire mental concentration, proper form and precise movements set to smooth, yet upbeat jazz music.

While you will feel the burn, upon completion you will also feel a subtle energy flowing through your entire body. Karen's workouts really do make you feel good and you can see the results.

If you are looking for special attention to help slim and firm your butt and things, this will give you the leaner look you desire. While you are not using weights in this workout, Karen recommends combining this exercise video with your regular routine of weights and aerobic exercise.

If you enjoy this video, you will love Core Essentials and Abdominals & Back, which are part of the Body Reform/Pilates Series. YogaSculpt and Streamline Fitness are also favorites.

If you want to feel the burn, this is for you! You will also feel calm and in control for the rest of the day.

~The Rebecca Review

Absolutely Amazing!

This was my first Karen Voigt video but def, not my last! I have since got the other 2 tapes in the series but this one is my fave.

I don't have the exact 'resist-a-ring" (can't find it in Canada!) that she uses, but I found one at Sears that is padded both outside & insidefor about half the cost.

I work out 5-6 days a week at an intermediate level doing all sorts of different things (cardio machines, light weight training, winsor pilates) so I thought this would be a good chnage to do to shake up my routine.

After the first time using it, I could barely walk! It hurt to even sit down nd it was worse to get up! I thought I was in some shape but OUCH!!!!! So if you are a beginner I would try sometyhing a bit less intense.

But WOW...now that I have incorporated this tape into my weekly schedule i can feel a difference in my INNER THIGHS! Muscle and firmness and tone....amazing!

Highly recommended if you want to work your thights, esp inner. The ring is a neat tool. Does a fantastic job for something so deceptively simple!

You will enjoy this tape. Karen has a dry sense of humor and I like how she admits that she can't do everything (like a full stretch on one side). It makes her with the perfect body all the more likable and enjoyable to watch!

A+++++

The only thing keeping me from giving this video 5 stars is the minimal amount of upper body work, as stated in other reviews. I would also agree Karen's cuing, especially as respects breathing, is a bit lacking in some segments, which is no big deal to me because I'm an experienced exerciser, but it might affect a novice somewhat. Overall, I find this to be an enjoyable but good workout for the abs, legs, and butt. (I've made it tougher by adding ankle weights for most of the leg work.) It is definitely killer for the inner thighs! Some of the moves appear deceptively easy, but if you really put forth your best effort, they should be challenging. I think the video is worth having, you just need to throw in another 5-10 minutes of upper body work.

This is a fun tape but make no mistake, you need to fitness ring with inner and outer padding to do it. You cannot fake it. Nothing else will really do. It is 50 minutes long and contains 4 minutes of upper body work (just 4), 26 minutes of super duper lower body work, and 6 minutes of targeted abs. There are also relevant stretches for all body parts worked. While this is not necessarily total body toning, if you are looking to tone your lower body, this is the place. It is hard and you will yell at her in places but, if you stick with it, those results will be coming!!

If you're someone who would like to learn how to perform the Pilates mat movements, this is not the tape you want to start with. It struck me as I did this tape for the third time that while Voight is one of the most precise exercise instructors I've ever seen on video, she is not a great Pilates instructor. I'm not sure whether that's a big deal or not- on the one hand, she does say on the back cover that this is for people who don't have time to do Pilates, yoga or ballet in their pure form. On the other hand, she does call this "Pilates- Total Body Training".

If we take it as a workout that's "Pilates-inspired", it's pretty good. Her instructions are very precise, and it's easy to follow along (even if what she's asking you to do isn't easy).

However, "Total Body" it's not. 24 pushups and one set of planks do not an upper body workout make, and while we do work the abs through some variations on crunches and the Pilates Corkscrew, I wouldn't use this as an abdominal workout. The focus is clearly on the lower body.

I'm in the minority, but I am not very concerned with my inner thighs. Therefore, the fact that the majority of the exercises that were performed here focused on the inner thighs annoyed me after a while. However, if this is your "problem area", you'll love this tape. I was hoping that the work for the buttocks would be just as intense. Though she does include some targeted exercises for the glutes, it wasn't nearly as much as it was for the inner thighs. The inner thighs are a tiny group of muscles compared to the buttocks; I would have thought a balanced workout would have been designed the other way around.

Again, if the pet peeve of your body is your inner thighs, this will be a great tape for you. Overall, it's a good tape, just not the same "great" I've come to expect from Voight. If you want to balance the workout for your lower body, cross-train with the Lotte Berk Method Muscle Eats Fat and High Round Assets.

This is a wonderful workout and most importantly it does what it promises. My only complaint is that You should not by the VHS because buying the compilation DVD that has this workout plus Karen's Abs and Back is a better value. You will definitely want to purchase the abs and back workout in addition to this one.

This is an excellent workout. As my trouble spot is my lower half I am grateful that I found this workout. I had been looking for a long time for a workout that focuses mainly on the inner thighs. My problem is not so much my glutes but my inner thighs. So again, I thank Karen Voight for this exercise video. And I am sure that all women who has a hard time toning their inner thighs appreciates it too.

First of all, I want to note that although this video is currently being marketed as "Pilates" (it was originally called "Body Reform"), it is definitely NOT a Pilates workout--at most, there are some Pilates-inspired moves. Secondly, although the video is called "Total Body Training," despite some minimal abdominal and chest work, the workout mainly focuses on the lower body and specifically the inner thighs. Finally, the resist-a-ring is definitely necessary to the workout; although it is not used for every exercise, when it is used, it is vital for make the movements more focused and TOUGH.

All that being said, this is a challenging workout for the lower body. It begins with a brief warmup to lengthen and stretch the muscles and then moves on to some beginning inner thigh moves combined with concentrated abs work. Although the latter consists mainly of traditional crunches, the resist-a-ring is incorporated to make the moves more unique and more targeted.

The next section comprises the heart of the workout and mainly targets the thighs. The exercises are are done lying on the side and using the resist-a-ring to specifically focus on the inner thighs. The moves are small but tough, with a high number of repetitions at an increasingly quickened pace. Following the thigh work, it's onto the hands and knees (without the ring) for some tough buttocks moves, and then the entire thigh-buttocks sequence is repeated on the other side. Then, just when you think you can't take any more, there are several sets of pushups plus some plank moves for the abs. Finally, the workout ends with a brief stretching segment.

At 50 minutes, this workout is a definite challenge to your strength and endurance. Instructor Karen Voight is extremely encouraging, constantly reminding you that the workout is difficult but worth the results and saying things like "hang in there with us for just two more." Karen's form is impeccable, and she provides flawless cuing to match her excellent instruction. I know that I will continue to challenge myself with this workout and that the results WILL be worth it.

Many people have said "total body" is misleading, and I agree. However, I didn't really expect to work my "total body" despite the title. I expected to work my thighs, and there are not enough thigh/ring exercises to justify what I spent on the ring (over $25). If anybody wants to buy my tape/ring, it's listed here under the Used tapes!