25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Goddess Workout, January 16, 2004
This review is from: The Method Pilates - All in One Workout (DVD)
In-between whipping up magic in the kitchen (cooking), keeping your life organized (cleaning, errands), securing a paycheck (work), and making everyone happy (family responsibilities), it may sometimes feel like you are much less than an exercise goddess. After all, who has 90 minutes to exercise?
My solution has been to make time to escape to the workout room. I've found that I can get more done because of the increase in energy. So, technically, I don't have time "not" to exercise.
Once I start the "All in One" workout, I know I am going to feel like a goddess, move like a dancer and feel like I really did work every muscle group in my entire body.
The precise movements in this video do take time to master, yet are fun and creative. With three instructors and constantly changing exercises, you will never be bored. You will in fact experience a new dimension in total physical conditioning. A combination of yoga, T'AI Chi, classical and aerobic dance, and exercises inspired by Joseph Pilates will encourage the integration of the entire body.
You will also find yourself feeling more balanced. Of all the workout videos I have tried, this one excels in developing balance. Improving strength, endurance, suppleness and flexibility are also included in the game plan.
There are three sections or if you add "lengthening," there are four sections.
1. Warm-Up Conditioning is an innovative variety of dance-based movements to firm every major muscle group. This is one of my favorite segments and is 15 minutes.
2. Aerobic Cross-Training (30 minutes) warms your body to fat burning intensity. You alternate between aerobic dance and weight exercises which are not overly challenging, but seem to work well.
3. Centering Makeover (35 minutes) helps you to become more aware of your body's center of energy, balance and strength. It encourages good posture, balance and poise. The anti-gravity techniques help to defy aging.
4. Lengthening (10 minutes) is a cool-down segment, which is reminiscent of yoga. I would have enjoyed another 10 minutes in this section if it had included more yoga stretching. At this point, I was not going anywhere and was flat on the floor anyway! This is a tough workout, but you will love the challenge.
Overall, you will enjoy the variety. The dance segments evoke a "from the beginning of the earth" tribal feel (drums alternate with a more Jazzy track) and make you feel centered. The footwork is challenging at first.
If you keep your feet moving you can work your way past the more complex routines which are not that complex on your third use of this video. They are actually quite fun and the dance is alternated with weights so you get a break from the dance segment to catch your breath. The dance steps do demand your full attention.
I rate this an intermediate to advanced workout. If you have been walking on a treadmill a few times a week, you will have no problem completing the 90 minutes.
Jennifer Kries makes her appearance in the beginning and end of this video. If anyone is a fitness goddess, she is! Soon after she begins instructing you in the Method Techniques, you will realize why. She also seems to have a subtle humor and enjoys encouraging you to push your limits. I especially enjoy the Method workouts when she is the instructor. All the instructors in this video are easy to listen to and inspire you to keep going.
I give this my highest recommendation for all over body conditioning and enjoyment. I am very picky about workout videos, so you know this one is going to be good! The dancing in this video will really make you feel like a goddess and you don't have to have a perfect figure. Dance away and enjoy life, that is what is important!
~The Rebecca Review
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good workout, but not for beginners, November 25, 2003
This review is from: The Method Pilates - All in One Workout (DVD)
AFter I gave birth to my daughter I had some extra weight to lose. I have been going to yoga classes on and off for two years but I had never tried pilates before, so I got this workout dvd and decided to give it a try.
Starts off with 15 minutes of warm-up conditioning (basic stretch movements).
Next is 30 minutes of aerobic cross training to burn fat and firm major muscle groups.
Centering Makeover - 35 minutes of abdominal and back exercises that I think really do work.
Lengthening - a 10 minute cool down to stretch all the muscles out again to keep you from cramping and from bulking up.
I thought the warm-up was very basic and as extensive as it should have been for the exercises that follow.
I hate aerobic exercise, but realize that it's part of losing weight... the 30 minutes of dancing around isn't exactly my favorite, but it's not bad. Every once in a while I have to walk in place to take a breather.
The Centering work out is difficult. Luckily I've had the yoga training, but even I wasn't able to do everything so I don't know how someone with no dance/pilates/yoga experience would be able to pull this off. NOT for beginners! You will be discouraged and annoyed -or even hurt yourself!- with this and never use it again if you are not in good shape.
I kept up with it, though, and gradually got better. I lost 13 pounds and three and a half inches by doing pilates and barely cutting down my calorie intake in about three months time (I did the pilates work out 4-5 times a week). So it definitely does work. It's just extremely difficult. Even after three months of doing it almost daily, I still have trouble with the moves.
The strength training part with 3-5 lb weights is pretty good if you're looking to tone but not bulk up. I don't like looking bulky, I just like not having that extra flap of skin hanging under my arms!! So this workout is pretty good for that.
I'm giving it four stars because it succeeded in helping me lose the weight that I wanted to lose. It's great for your abs and back strengthening. Picking my daughter up all the time really does a job on my back, so these exercises help with it a lot. I didn't give it five stars because of how difficult it is and it can get boring if you're planning on doing this video all the time.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable Excercise, wonderful for strengthening weak backs, January 11, 2003
This review is from: The Method Pilates - All in One Workout (DVD)
As a newcomer to Pilates, I found this DVD to be entertaining as well as a good workout. I also found that Pilates is helping strengthen my easily-injured back. On this DVD (my first and only Pilates DVD), the instructions, when combined with the video, are usually quite good, though some better verbal descriptions of some of the movements would have been helpful. There are times when the instructor tells you to make sure to look straight ahead for a movement, or at your belly button, but doesn't provide enough verbal cuing for you to continue the excercise as she does. There are also several segments where the demonstrators are confused about how to do a movement, and until the camera shifts back to the instructor, it's unclear how to do that movement. Once you've been through the dvd a few times you figure it out, but one would wish for more careful editing and more practice from the producers before they release the dvd.
The dance segments are fun and the weights introduced in the cross-training segment a nice change (and a good introduction to using light weights). I've found that doing the warmup + cross-training one day and warmup + centering the alternating day makes it very easy to fit excercise into my busy schedule, and the variety is welcome too.
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