Customer Reviews

Romana's Pilates: Power House Mat Workout [VHS]

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

 

 

I studied with Romana Kryzanowska for many years during the 1970s and 1980s. This video is clearly not an adequate representation of Romana's phenomenal capacity to inspire students with passion and heightened expertise to accomplish excellence within Joseph Pilates' method. In real life, Romana is wonderful in so many ways, but this video does not bring her gifted approach to the audience. There is not a great deal of teaching, actually.

It must be very difficult to capture the magic and charisma of anyone, but I think Romana is a person worthy of the best production efforts. What happened. Yes, the old film footage of Romana and Joseph Pilates is interesting, but I don't think Romana's stellar presence is shown on this video.

This video is a documentary about Joesph Pilates with an introduction to the moves and a short 15 minute workout. The title leads you to belive that it is a "Powerhouse" workout. It isn't. My biggest regret is that I can't return the tape because I opened it.

The documentary about Joseph Pilates and Interviews with Romana are very inspirational and even funny a little bit, that really makes you wanna practice after you saw what an 80 year old woman can do, but the workouts aren't the best, it has a longer workout with romana at a slower pace and explantions which aren't the best and exersices aren't peformed at both sides so it's not fun to workout with it. The full 15 minute workout without romana is very fast paced and had very little repetitions to each exercise , there are some exercises you don't see often in pilates videos, like the snake and some transitions , there also a bonus standing warmup against a wall which reminded me of ballet and didn't seem good for the knees.

For over thirty years I've taken lessons from Romana's students, and sometimes from Romana herself. I've often watched Romana teach. She is a wonderful person. This video unfortunately does not live up to Romana's greatness. What's strange is that Romana only teaches a little bit. So, it's really not an instructional video. In addition, the exercise titles, which cover the entire screen, interrupt the exercises themselves so it's hard to feel a sense of flow. The demonstrators look great but there are some obvious mistakes recorded on video.

I so wanted to like this DVD but found it almost comically frustrating as soon as I started the actual workout.

The "One on One With Romana" section, I thought, would take you slowly and methodically through each move. Wrong! She whizzes through with one of her expert students as though everyone watching it is a seasoned Pilates pro. As another reviewer noted, I had no sooner gotten into the groove of a certain move than I glanced at the screen and realized I was several moves behind. I must have had to rewind and replay at least two dozen times throughout the course of the workout.

Many times you receive no verbal cues that you're transitioning into a new move. And there is one section where they only do the exercises on one side -- I had to stop the DVD, rewind, and switch sides on my own.

There is little to no instruction about how to position your body. At one point during some leg kicks things were moving so fast I threw my hip out. Thanks, Romana! I thought Pilates was supposed to be a healing exercise.

I have about three years of Pilates classes under my belt, and this DVD was way beyond me. I didn't feel like I got a very good workout because I was so frantic trying to keep up. And instead of feeling energized I was just frustrated and angry -- angry enough to write this review!

This video has good old timey footage of Joseph Pilates teaching Romana. They are both very inspiring. This archival film is probably the best part of the video, because the workouts seemed under practiced. The workouts didn't flow smoothly and strongly with confidence and style. I felt inspired to continue my Pilates practice, but I wasn't sufficiently instructed about what I should do or feel during the exercises.

Although inspiration is definitely a very good quality, I thought I would be taught the Pilates method more thoroughly. For instruction, I would recommend some of the other Pilates videos on Amazon.

I did not know much about Romana prior to buying this DVD. After watching the documentary and the One-on-One chapter, I felt it was such a privilege that I could experience her teaching on a DVD format. I found her to be charming, intelligent and inspirational. I did not have the expectation that the workout would be high calorie burning but after warming up, going through the one-on-one, I still burned over 100 calories in the 13 minute or so workout. A note about me, I have incorporated Pilates into my workout routine to add the stretching and extension component to my usual P90X and KettleBell workout routines, which are high calorie burning.

This video is a good tool for the experienced Pilates practitioner. Beginners need more explanation. Romana gives good cues and explains what some of the exercises are designed for. I especially like the documentary section.

These videos are not for those NORMAL people out there that are interested in doing pilates like they have learned in a class or studio and want to continue doing those exercises at home. I have NEVER thought of pilates as a CARDIO activity and by the time I have done my pose that worked my butt to acheive (and in good form!) I'm 2-3 poses behind the lady on the video. If I had attempted to go that fast with the video I'm sure I would have ended back into my Physical Therapists' office with my back or SI joints out of wack!!! I understand that Romana is the Queen of Pilates however, for those of us who have just started (1-2 years into doing pilates) this video is way out of our league. It's toooooo fast!!! Find something that isn't so fast or just keep going to your classes whereever you live.

I'm the granddaughter of Romana Kryzanowska, and I've been surprised by a few of the not so favorable reviews some folks have issued here. I think this video series is great, if you're a beginner and have not had much exposure to the Pilates method, then this is a great way to start the learning process and have something you can follow at home. From what I can tell, many individuals who possess more experience with Pilates than the average person or are instructors by trade have very lofty expectations and are looking for a video product that will help them learn more advanced exercises or become better Pilates teachers. Simply put, these folks are missing the boat; with the exception of the Mat Challenge Workout video, this series is geared towards beginners or folks who are new to Pilates, not certified instructors or experienced students. As my grandmother tells you at the very begging of each video, this series wasn't designed to replace a private lesson with an instructor, let alone a seminar of any kind. This is because you can?t put your hands on someone or adapt to their specific body type or ensure the student is applying the appropriate rhythm and dynamics on tape like you can in person. Also, the vast majority of Pilates exercises should be learned and practiced under the direct supervision of a certified instructor, otherwise individuals can take on unnecessary risk when trying to work out at home. While later videos may focus on more advanced pieces of Pilates equipment and exercises for more experienced Pilates students and teachers, this series does not. My grandmother has always been reserved about providing instruction through video, for one simple reason...SAFETY. As a result, her video series takes into account beginners are most likely to buy and use videos; therefore Safety was the primary driver of the exercises that were selected and taught in the first series. If you?re new to Pilates, buy it and begin your Pilates journey in a safe manner, while learning more about Joseph Pilates and Romana Kryzanowska in the documentary; experienced instructors and students get yourselves to the studio and take a lesson with a certified instructor.