Product Details

• Actors: Kristin McGee
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acacia
• DVD Release Date: December 2, 2008
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001HZ4K7G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,033 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Includes a 16-page booklet of “Eat Smart” tips and nutritious recipes from Cooking Light!

Lose weight and get a lean, toned Pilates body!

This simple program incorporates all the tools you need to reach your weight loss goals.

By fusing traditional Pilates exercises with fun, calorie-burning “cardio blasts,” you’ll keep your heart rate escalated throughout the entire workout. That means you’ll be toning muscle and burning fat at the same time for optimum results! It’s an effective and efficient way to get in shape fast.

Since healthy eating habits are key to successful weight loss, we’ve included nutritional tips and delicious recipes from Cooking Light, the magazine dedicated to helping you eat smart, be fit, and live well. We’ve also added a bonus section with simple moves you can do throughout the day to boost your calorie burn. This comprehensive program is easy to follow and designed to fit into the most hectic schedule. You CAN finally lose weight--starting today!

Kristin McGee, a Pilates master instructor, teaches at Reebok, The Sports Club LA, Clay, Equinox, and privately in New York City. She believes passionately in the profound effect Pilates can have on the mind and body and loves to share the discipline with others.

BONUS: Ab Blast (5 min.)

Stills from Weight Loss Cardio Pilates (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A challenging, flexible (pun intended) workout, January 10, 2009

By 

Doghouse (Nationals Park) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weight Loss Pilates (DVD)

Bottom Line: "Weight Loss Pilates" is a great value. The workouts are easy to understand, but challenging to do. You can adjust the length to fit a busy schedule. The instructor is positive and helpful without being chirpy. The production values are great for a fitness video, and there are a couple of nice extras. Five stars.

The Workout: The workout is a mixture of Pilates and cardio. Each segment alternates between cardio moves to get your blood going, and Pilates moves on a mat to increase flexibility and strengthen your core/abdominal muscles. This workout kicked my butt (in a good way!). I had no experience with Pilates before my wife got me to try this, but I do heavy cardio in my regular workout routine (mostly cycling--like most cyclists, I'm pretty inflexible). The cardio segments were fairly easy for me, but the Pilates exercises really challenged me (this first time I did this, I kept thinking, "when do we get back to cardio?"). It was easy to understand how to do the Pilates moves, although I'm sure that it'll take me a long time to make it look as easy as it does on screen. On each new move, I quickly went from "Oh, I get it..." to "Ow! I have a muscle there? Argh!" It's the best sort of fitness routine: easy to learn, but hard to master. A real strength of the workout is how it's organized. There are four pieces: a warmup, two 20-minute "fat-burning flows," and a cool down. You can mix and match the pieces any way you want: play each piece individually, play both 20-minute workouts with warmup and cooldown (for a 50-minute workout), or play either 20-minute workout with warmup and cooldown (for a 30-minute workout). I really like having these options, since you can tailor the workout to the amount of time you have to exercise or to the level of energy you have that day. As my wife often reminds me, my schedule isn't an excuse not to work out (there's even a 5-minute mini-workout in the extra features). Five stars.

The Instructor: According to the box, Kristin McGee, "believes passionately in the profound effect Pilates can have on the mind and body." Well, it certainly comes through in the video. She's positive and encouraging, without being too chirpy (my pet peeve with fitness instructors). She's careful to offer little tips on form throughout her workouts, and I don't think she'll get annoying after 10 or 20 times doing the workout. My only complaint is that she makes it look so easy! Seeing how steady Kristin is in these exercises, I can't imagine how strong her core must be. It gives you something to aim for! Four stars.

The Extras: The disc comes with a pair of bonus workouts, a set of "moves on the go," and a cross-promotion from Cooking Light magazine. The first bonus workout is a five-minute "Ab Blast" of concentrated Pilates ab-torture that's even easier to squeeze into spare moments of a busy day than the 20-minute segments. The second bonus workout is actually a 5-minute preview of another title by the same company, "Weight Loss Cardio Sculpt." The "moves on the go" are a set of pliometrics you can do while sitting at a desk or standing around doing chores. Lastly, the Cooking Light cross-promotion is a 16-page booklet in the box with 7 recipes from the magazine and some basic tips on "eating right." There's also one of those "two free issues! 80% off!" subscription cards. The "Ab Blast" and "moves on the go" are the real value here for me. Four stars.

The Production: The workouts were nicely shot. They cut back and forth between an outdoor garden setting and some kind of converted loft space that looks like it might be a hip downtown restaurant. The sets are decorated with candles and plants, so it was pleasant to watch while I was lying on the mat with my stomach muscles on fire--a nice change from the grim-looking gym floors in some workout videos. The menus were clear and easy to navigate with attractive fonts. Production is hardly the most important part of a fitness vid (and most titles show it!), but this one really shines. Five stars.

Overall: The workout is accessible, challenging, and flexible. The instructor is good, the extras are okay, and the production is top-rate. Five stars.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very (almost too) challenging!, May 1, 2009

By 

SAB "Sheila and Boys" (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weight Loss Pilates (DVD)

Positives first: I very much like the flexible format (select combinations of workouts of ~30 minutes or full 1 hour, warm up and cool down that can be selected separately). I also like the instructor -- as others have said, her enthusiasm comes through strong and clear, and she is encouraging and positive without going "over the edge" to annoying. On the minus side: the pilates elements are tough moves, that are challenging (good) but hard for a beginner. I believe this would benefit greatly from a second on-screen participant who provided some alternatives to the moves that Kristin is using. I frankly just can't keep my butt in the air as long as she can, or my neck and shoulders curled off the floor, without giving out. I've attempted to invent some alternatives of my own while my strength/stamina is building, but it would be great if there were "approved" alternatives demonstrated. I'll keep trying, and I hope I can manage the moves Kristin is doing in some future time!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME WORKOUT!!!, January 13, 2009

By 

CT "loves to workout!" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weight Loss Pilates (DVD)

I have a ton of workout dvds - and this is by far one of the best I own! Kristin is one of my favorite instructors. Her Power Yoga dvd is also fantastic. She's so positive and INCREDIBLY strong. Her energy is definitely contagious! This is a surprisingly tough workout. Kristin really gets your heartrate going and the pilates moves completely target your abs. Mine were so sore the next day - in a fantastic way! I love it!! The time factor is also awesome. I love having the flexibility to do one or both depending on how much time I have. I really hope Acacia produces more like this one. I think there are a lot of of us who enjoy pilates/yoga, but want to have cardio incorporated as well. NICE JOB KRISTIN!! :)