10 Minute Solution Rapid Results Pilates
Four 10-minute toning segments and a concluding 10-minute total-body stretch work your upper and lower body and your core to strengthen all of your muscles, improve your posture, and increase flexibility in this new workout from Lara Hudson.
Hudson is a Pilates Method Alliance Gold Certified Instructor, and her teaching emphasizes proper technique, stabilizing the body through controlled, deliberate movement, and breathing reminders in all exercises. Her instruction is clear, and the captions are properly paced so that following along with the workout--including when and how to breathe--is manageable.
The 10-minute workout concept is terrific in theory. Just about everyone can find such a short window to do a few exercises...but in practice, you'll need to do all five of the 10-minute sequences on this DVD to complete a full-body toning routine.
Because there is no warmup--the only drawback to the 50-minute workout--and plunging into strength training when your body is cold can increase the risk of injury, marching or jogging in place before and during the introduction is helpful. This workout is also a good strength training option to follow after a cardio session...if you've got the time for both.
The sequence begins with lower body training including plié pulses using body weight for resistance, and moves into upper body exercises such as "shave the head" and the Pilates saw, done with light hand weights. The core routine is killer, with crunches, twists, and variations on "the hundred" theme that will make you acutely aware of your midsection for hours afterwards. A 10-minute "Total Body Blast" follows, designed to raise the heart rate while toning the legs, back, and arms. The terrific and thorough 10-minute stretch concluding the workout loosens every body part from the neck on down.
Segments are efficient and move along quickly without feeling rushed; Hudson wastes no time transitioning from one exercise to the next, or between the 10-minute routines. Keep a water bottle close by, because you won't have time to run to the kitchen for hydration between each section unless you pause the DVD.
Rapid Results Pilates is an intermediate-level workout, and Hudson demonstrates modifiers for a few exercises to make them easier or harder. The only pieces of equipment necessary are a mat (or a carpeted surface; many exercises are done from a seated position or on your back) and a set of one- to three-pound hand weights. You won't need shoes--Hudson does the workout in bare feet--so this DVD is a good one to try if you don't have or want a lot of gym equipment in your living room.
The set is uncluttered and new-agey, with painted clouds on the walls and simple, neutral-colored feng shui-type decor adding to the tranquil feeling generated by the Pilates exercises. There are no other instructors or exercisers in this workout, so Hudson's teaching gives the sense of having a private lesson at home. If you have been itching to try Pilates, this DVD offers an approachable, enjoyable, and effective method from which your body can benefit in short and fun workout sessions.
Released in 2006; about $15 (DVD only). See Anchor Bay Entertainment for ordering information. Also available from online DVD rental services.
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