Customer Reviews

Maintenance Pilates for Weight Loss

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This pilates workout is the best pilates video I've come across so far. I've been doing Winsor Pilates for a couple years now, and Caban's Maintenance Pilates is a welcome contrast. Caban is very calm and soothing (unlike Winsor's peppy and rushed style). The motions are slow and deliberate, yet Caban goes through each exercise quite swiftly and fast enough for the non-beginner. This has become my regular pilates video, and Winsor Pilates does not compare to this in rigor or style. This video has marked the beginning of an improvement in my quality of life. I have increased mobility and flexibility, and my back and hip stiffness significantly decreases after I complete the workout everyday. What is different about this video is that when I'm doing the exercises, I'm not thinking, "I can't wait for this to end." I enjoy the full stretch of the each exercise, and I don't even get bored or unattentive during the +25 minutes of the video.

I don't think this particular workout would be suitable for beginners. Caban's explanations are great, but they are not thorough enough for the first-timer. The exercises can be difficult at times.

While this is a low impact workout, it is far from a day at the beach. Ana Caban leads you through a series of challenging Pilates exercises designed to boost your metabolism. While you are burning calories you are also developing lean muscles and testing your endurance.

The exercises move at a rapid pace so there is no time for a beginner to learn the exercises. This was created for anyone familiar with Pilates and especially anyone who has been through the "Quick Start Pilates for Weight Loss" workout. Ana Caban provides enough variety to make this routine interesting for intermediate to advanced students of Pilates.

There are many traditional exercises like the hundred, single leg circles, rolling like a ball, swan, teaser, spine stretch forward, roll-up, corkscrew, plank, open-leg rocker, scissors, seal, Ronde de Jambe and neck pull. She also includes some new exercises (crab and snake) to test your creativity.

~The Rebecca Review

Wow! Ana sure knows how to pack a wallop in just under 30 minutes!! Maintenance Pilates definitely takes the Pilates exercises to a whole new level! Some new moves I never seen before have been included in this workout, such as the crab (it'll take a while for me to master this move). Anyway,everything is included in this workout,leg work, arm work, including cardio (jumping jacks). In addition, Ana has also included a 15-minute bonus workout. This one has a fun move, like the rolling like a ball around the clock. I can't wait to practice this move. Ana, you are SO good!!

Another feature I noticed is that there is a langauge option in doing this work-either regular English or Spanish. I think that's an awesome thing to.

I have several pilates videos which I use regularly, and since I own one of Ana Caban's earlier videos, I decided to get it. The routine is fast-paced - not for beginners - and it's filled with new twists! Some of the exercises are challenging, but I am confident I will eventually master them. The 15-minute bonus workout is good for when I don't have much time. I like Ana, she is a no-nonsense instructor and takes great care in producing quality workouts.

I use this DVD on days I just want focused pilates ab work. While it is a whole-body routine, I don't consider it one of those "complete workouts" like the ones where you will get some cardio, strength and cool-down all in one. This one is calm and focused...I think of it more as a supplement to my fitness regimine but not a crucial part. That is not to say that this DVD isn't difficult; you will definitely feel this one the next day. It's great for what it is but not meant to be a DVD for weight loss as the name would suggest. But get it if you want to have a really strong, flat stomach.
Bonus: there is a storter routine included that is only about 15 minutes and there is even an audio version of it to take with you anywhere...pretty convenient.

After two years of consistently working out, I was starting to get bored with my usual handful of pilates and yoga DVDs. I received "Maintenance Pilates for Weight Loss" this past Christmas, and look out! This is a pretty tough 30 minute routine. Ana is great at cue-ing, but does move quickly (so beware!). Even though I like to consider myself pretty fit, my muscles were shaking during some of the moves so I knew I was really working. It's tough, but I'm looking forward to working at it until I can look as smooth and fluid as Ana does when she performs the exercises.

As a side note, my mom (who has never done pilates before) tried doing this DVD with me and it was way too advanced for her. I loaned her my beginner DVDs to work with until she tries this one again.

I found Caban's first two workouts, Pilates - Beginning Mat Workout and Pilates Intermediate Mat Workout, useful and effective. However, I thought many of the workouts she put out after that were on the gimmicky side (I blame Gaiam more than Caban). I've shied away from her offerings in recent years, but I decided to give this a try after it became available. Excellent workout.

This 30 minute workout goes at a brisk pace that allows for adequate instruction. It includes many of the movements you'd find on her Intermediate workout, with some additions, such as Crab(!), Snake, Neck Pull, Teaser 5, Side Kicks, Mermaid and preps for Leg Pull Up and Leg Pull Down. She also includes One-Leg variations on the Pushups and adds in Ronde de Jambe to the Side Kicks series (but she doesn't do a lot of the other side kicks, so be warned).

I felt very nicely worked out after this one- my muscles felt like they'd done something, but I didn't feel like I wasn't going to be able to move. My whole body- my powerhouse, my legs, my arms- all feel evenly worked. This shouldn't be such a big deal for a Pilates workout, but so many of the workouts out there today are of the "parts" variety or just so badly designed that, unfortunately, it isn't a given.

I liked the ending movements with the bent knees, kicks and jumping jacks, but I wouldn't get excited about their cardio value- I believe they are intended more to test power and endurance after the initial workout. Still, though, they add a nice amount of authentic variety.

Recommended even if you don't have weight to lose.

This is a great workout but only if you already know the principles of pilates. It goes at a fast pace without time for figuring out the positions. It assumes that you already have a decent pilates background and remember to tighten up.
Those who say that this was too easy obviously have no idea about pilates and how it works. If you fall in that category please start with beginner level so you can understand it better. Every move, every breath in pilates has a purpose, there are many nuances that cannot bee seen by untrained eye, like holding the midsection tight and still, not rocking your hips while doing leg work, sitting straight up, lengthening your limbs as far as possible, etc. If you really want to get all the benefits that pilates offers take a class or get a beginner DVD. This workout is for high intermediate level.
The overall workout was similar to another Ana Caban DVD - Pilates Intermediate Level. She uses a lot of the same moves in the same sequence but at a higher pace and with addition of a few more challenging moves.
Unlike the Intermediate Level DVD she was using a soundtrack and her voice was a bit annoying. The music on the other hand was very calming and relaxing.

I love Ana Cabán's videos - I have her Intermediate Mat Workout video, her Pilates Body Band Challenge video, and now this Maintenance Pilates for Weight Loss. I felt that I was ready to move-on from the intermediate workout, so after reading the reviews on this page I went ahead and ordered the video. I was not disappointed - this workout is a challenge! She incorporates all of the exercises from her intermediate video, but at a much faster pace, and she also introduces a few new exercises (crab, snake, one-legged Pilates push-ups, etc.) that will definitely take me a while to feel comfortable with. By the end of her intermediate video I would "glisten", but at the end of this maintenance video, I was definitely beginning to sweat! My heart rate was up for almost the entire 30 minutes, and I felt energized after the workout.

If you're ready to move on from Ana's intermediate video, this is a great video to try. Like the others have said, you must be comfortable and familiar with all of the exercises and be able to follow a quick pace, because Ana goes quite quickly from one move to the next.

The ONLY thing I don't like about this video is that she is not narrating in real-time like she is in her intermediate video. This video has Ana on a wooden platform on the beach, without her assistant Tara, and she does a voice-over narration while you watch her perform the exercises. I think she does this because the pace is quicker and she can go faster without having to talk through the workout, but I just prefer a real-time narration. This is only a minor drawback for me, however. It's still a great video!

I'd highly recommend this - it's fun, energizing, challenging, and like all of Ana Cabán's videos, stays true to the Pilates principles.

Love this DVD because it gets your heart rate up due to the pace. I have been doing another pilates DVD for months so was already familiar with the exercises. I wanted to get something new but love the results I have gotten with pilates. I would consider myself and "intermediate" level person when it comes to pilates and this DVD is perfect. Can't do all the exercises yet but with practice know I will get there. I also like the length (about 30 min).