| | |  | Pilates DVDs | | Home » » | | | | | | | Description: | | "Remember what Joseph Pilates said," instructor Ana Caban says. "'You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions.'" Pilates has become very popular and for good reason. By working the core muscles (the abdominal and back muscles in the center of your body) you improve strength and posture and develop a lean, long line. Certified Pilates instructor Ana Caban is a splendid teacher. First she demonstrates alignment and technique for 10 minutes, explaining the cue words you will hear and how to do the basics, emphasizing how to use the core muscles to strengthen the abdominals and back throughout the workout. Then she introduces a challenging 20-minute series of Pilates moves, instructing clearly, demonstrating beautifully, and continuing to advise you about technique, breathing, and form. Even though this is a beginning Pilates workout, Pilates is never easy, so these moves will feel extremely difficult if you're new to this kind of exercise. For example, you learn to hold your abs tight whatever move you're doing, and you move only the muscles you're working at the moment, using your stabilizing muscles to hold the rest of the body still (much harder than it sounds!). Another participant demonstrates modifications throughout in case Caban's moves are too difficult or your muscles fatigue. If you've been wanting to explore Pilates and you're willing to put in the effort and concentration, this video gets our top rating. --Joan Price | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Ana Caban | | Format:
| Color, DVD-Video, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Living Arts | | Run Time:
| 60 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| July 20, 2001 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 260 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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Good dvd for a beginner is hard to findAug 27, 2008
Ana Caban's Beginning Mat workout DVD is clearly divided into three sections: A 10 minute intro, pilates exercises, and an energy boost section. The introduction provides information about what effects pilates has on the body, pilates principles, common terms heard throughout a pilates workout, and what you need in a workout. The energy boost at the end is a 12 minute challenge which begins with some standing exercises. Some of the exercises in this section will give you a taste of the intermediate version.
As an instructor Ana Caban is very personable and encouraging, she consistently says the name of each exercise before it happens (which other videos leave out), and she gives a challenging workout even for intermediate students.
Down Side: With the focus being on keeping her audience moving, she does not incorporate the principles as much as I would like to see in a beginner level video. I would particularly like to see her focus more on the pelvic placement and alignment in each exercise, as it is essential to fully understanding most exercises.
* Pace - The pace is too fast for complete beginners
* Level - High beginner
* Clear breath cuing - Fairly clear breath cuing
* Inclusion of pilates principles - The pilates principles are mentioned in the introduction but not incorporated into the workout as much as I would like to see, especially considering it is a beginner level workout
* Explanation of the goals of an exercise - The goal of each exercise is not always clear.
* What you get out of doing an exercise - Occasionally she mentions changes that you might see in your body.
* Target muscles - The basic amount of muscles used are occasionally mentioned.
* Common errors in specific exercises - Common errors are rarely mentioned - and they are important for a beginning student to know.
So, it's not the best beginner's video, but if you have taken some pilates classes before and are already familiar with the pilates basic principles within your own body, this is a great video to supplement your training at home. Its pace will ensure you finish well refreshed. Once you have mastered the Beginning Mat Workout you can segue to Ana Caban's Intermediate Mat Workout.
Also, if you know anything about pilates, you will find it's not the quanity of reps you do, it is the quality. So you do not need an hour long work out to get results with pilates or 100's of reps!
good beginner's dvdAug 13, 2008
I've never tried pilates before and I thought this was a good workout. It was interesting enough to keep my attention, the exercises were easy to follow, and I definitely felt it in my abs. I've been doing it for a few weeks and I really like it.
 Love it!Jul 21, 2008
I am a Pilates beginner. I read the reviews and decided to start with this one. I absolutely love it. After doing the 25 minute session, I feel great. I have also tried the 12 minute energy boost and did have more energy after doing it. I would recommend this dvd to any Pilates beginner. I am looking forward to moving on to Ana Caban's intermediate dvd in a month or so.
 Fine reference materialJun 26, 2008
My review will be a little contradictory. I don't think I would have understood the Pilates principles by only watching this video, because Ana Caban doesn't really explain very much about the principles. But, since there is only one main workout, the routine stops while she gives instructions on the move. For people like me who are lazy and impatient, there's too much time for my mind to wander once I understand the move. There is a bonus workout that probably benefits those who really have the moves in the main routine down pat. I'm not coordinated enough to follow the bonus workout.
I got this video after someone suggested it to augment Brooke Siler's book and kit, The Pilates Body, which gives excellent explanations of the Pilates principles and good mental visualizations for what the moves should feel like. Both of those things are helpful for people doing Pilates at home. Ana Caban's instructions tend to focus a little too much on what the moves look like. That really doesn't help me when I'm doing it, because I don't have a mirrored wall.
However, for those times when I need to reassure myself -- "I put my arms where? How fast should I be doing this? Am I doing this right?" -- this video has been very helpful. I just wouldn't use it as my primary Pilates workout.
I gave it three stars for its usefulness as a reference and the bonus workout, which will be a nice variation in my regular Pilates routine when I'm finally coordinated and strong enough to do it.
Decent for beginners but lacks info on overall pilates methodApr 16, 2008
I bought this DVD several years ago with good intentions, but never ended up using it until now. I wanted to extend my workouts at home, as I have been part of a weekly pilates class at a gym for over a year and have taken courses at a pilates studio for further instruction. This DVD involves very basic pilates moves that can be done with modification. The instruction is easy to follow. Some of the camera angles and shots try to be edgy and cool but instead they are distracting and corny. At times I looked up to check the pose and found it hard to see what the instructor was doing.
I also think this entire DVD is lacking on instruction for proper breathing technique and should involve more explanation on how the moves effect your body. The "C" curve and rolling up movements could be explained in more detail, especially considering the rolling up should be done with a focus on using the abdominal muscles and not just rocking and rolling. This has always been a hard move for me and my previous instruction from the pilates studio is the only reason I felt comfortable doing those movements from the DVD. I would caution people who are new to pilates to always start with the modified moves and perhaps use another pilates DVD along with this which includes more instruction on pilates method overall.
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