Product Details

• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: January 6, 2004
• Run Time: 39 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00015GA94
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,396 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A strenuous Pilates practice with a strong focus on abs, July 28, 2004

By 

Beth Cholette "doctor_beth" (Upstate NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mtv: Pilates [VHS] (VHS Tape)

MTV Pilates is a strenuous Pilates practice led by certified Pilates instructor Kristen McGee. It is filmed in an attractive outdoor setting, and Kristen works out with three helpers who show different levels of modification (beginning, intermediate, and advanced). Once you get past the opening instructions, the actual workout is approximately 36 minutes.

At the start of the program, Kristen provides instruction on breathing while doing simple prep work for the abs area. She then moves on to a series of classic Pilates matwork exercises, including the hundred, roll-ups, rolling like a ball, and the entire stomach series. Kristen puts a unique take on the traditional Pilates workout by inserting some additional stretches before and after most of the movements. She also includes some of the more advanced Pilates moves such as the rollover and neck pull, although she generally does less repetitions of these more difficult exercises.

Kristen completes all of the abs work (i.e., lying on your back) before moving on to the side kick series. She includes a side plank to begin and also adds a walking leg movement to the end of the series. She transitions with several more exercises specifically targeting the lower body as well as some back work performed lying on your stomach. Kristen then returns to some further abs work with a modified teaser, spine stretch forward, and the saw, and the workout ends with a few short sets of Pilates push-ups and a brief stretch.

I have been practicing Pilates for several years now; I consider myself to be at an intermediate level, and I definitely felt challenged by this workout. Although three levels of modifications are offered, the camera rarely focuses on the modifiers, and there are no alternatives shown for some of the most challenging exercises such as the rollover. For this reason, I would not recommend this workout to someone brand-new to Pilates, especially since Kristen does not provide detailed instructions on executing the movements. However, Kristen does cue very well, and so advanced beginners and others should have no problem following along. I highly recommend this workout to anyone looking for an intense Pilates practice which will particularly work their abdominal area.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good intro to pilates BUT BE CAREFUL, January 10, 2004

By 

J. Duncan (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: MTV Pilates (DVD)

this is a good introduction to pilates and about as good as you will get without going to an actual pilates studio and using their various machines. the instructor kristin mcgee is probably the best one operating on video these days. the workout is lengthy enough that not only will your abs get a workout but your whole body should derive at least some aerobic benefit.

what concerns me is that there are many forward bending-type movements that require particularly limber hamstrings and if you're not loose in the back of the leg you run the risk of hurting the lower back. there's nothing offered here that will reduce that risk like, for example, a simpler way to do the pose specifically targeted at minimizing the risk of hurting your lower back. at a minimum, it would make sense to do some warm up and stretching of the hamstrings before doing this program.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great workout that's not hard on you, January 11, 2004

By 

[e-mail] (Cincinnati, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MTV Pilates (DVD)

I recently bought 3 workout videos to try and this one is the easist to follow and doesn't beat your body up,but boy can you feel the results the next day. Very good for someone who hasn't worked out in awhile. I had trouble with the other videos keeping up with the workout but not this one and I wasn't TOTALLY exhausted afterwards and I can feel the effect the next day. I will recomend this to my daughter who just had a baby about 9 months ago.