Product Details

• Actors: Liz Gillies
• Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: KOCH VISION
• VHS Release Date: March 9, 2004
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001610NO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #511,060 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good mix of dance and Pilates, July 8, 2004

By 

dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Liz Gillies Core Fitness - Progressive Pilates for Weight Loss (DVD)

Once again, Liz Gillies draws on her extensive dance and Pilates background to deliver an effective, unique workout.

The first section of the DVD is supposed to be based on Physical Mind's new Standing Pilates syllabus. While it is included in the middle, it's more of a cool-down/break from the meat of the workout, which is more ballet-based.

The second segment is the matwork. This is different from most of the other Pilates offerings out there, and on its own is worth the purchase price. This section is based on about ten or twelve traditional reformer exercises (as opposed to the traditional matwork). Included are: Footwork, Coordination, Rowing, Tree, Elephant (think Downward Dog with a rounded back), Side Plank and Twist, Leg Circles (different from the mat version), Pulling the Strap, and a few others I'm forgetting. I was skeptical about this keeping my heartrate up after the standing section, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still felt like I was "working" at this point.

The Abs section is very similar to the Abs section on her Target Tone DVD, with an emphasis on the Pilates Abdominal Series. While some of her modifications look more like crunches than Pilates, she does instruct that the emphasis should be pulling up rather than pushing down- so think navel up, then in. If you're familiar with traditional Pilates matwork, this section may not be too challenging, but it might be a nice break from your usual routine.

I wouldn't recommend this as the sole workout to help you lose weight, but it is an interesting and different way to work Pilates into your workout rotation.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great connection to mat!, May 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Liz Gillies Core Fitness - Progressive Pilates for Weight Loss (DVD)

I have been doing Pilates tapes of all kinds for years now and my body has been staying the same in the middle . I just realized with this tape making such a difference .I was getting too used to the same routine, even with props.
liz Gillies routines have great basic ballet style standing moves first to warm up and raise heart rate once you get used to it ..Youre still using the same pilates technique principals used in the mat.interetsing perspective!!.
This workout can be challenging to your balance at first,and liz could have maybe made clear modifications for that with chair etc.. but you like how it feels more with practice..Ive been doing this tape 3 times a week for 3 weeks now ..I notice such a difference in my thigh definition and abs! I feel that my core is strongerand flattening now for doing mat work. I break a sweat and now heart rate gets up, and my body keeps slimming down !
you definetely need to have focus and concentration with this tape which pilates is known for, I also learned some amazing new insights into my postural form from Liz ..She delivers new and important cues to really get it, as she puts it , an inside scoop! thanx liz , This is one of the few tapes I will repeat over and over

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars just awful, December 27, 2007

By 

pilates fan (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liz Gillies Core Fitness - Progressive Pilates for Weight Loss (DVD)

I agree with the other reviewer who gave this a single star--chaotic is the best way to describe the workouts here. The instructor spends a lot of time talking in between exercises, but what she has to say provides no help with the execution of the exercises. It also interrupts the flow of the workout in a very irritating way. The one time I did the workouts, all I kept thinking was, "get on with it, woman!!" The faces of the other people in the video seem to say it all -- they don't look to be enjoying themselves in the least.
I would consider myself to be an advanced pilates practitioner, but I don't think this has anything to do with my judgment of this dvd: I fear it would turn off any beginner from pilates!