Element’s Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners DVD Review

by Natalie Belford

Element: Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $14.98

The first chapter of Element’s Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners includes some standing work that allows the body to open in lateral flexion, rotation and extension. Additionally, you warm the body with some strength from Pilates-style planks/push-ups. The matwork is a beginner/intermediate level and provides wonderful abdominal exercise. With proper attention to form, your body should respond with this one quickly, not to mention it is such an enjoyable form of movement.

I love this DVD for several reasons. First, there are very few pauses in the narration. The constant instruction makes for a truly thorough understanding of the movement, what it should feel like, and what it should look like. This is exceptionally important when embarking on any kind of home workout, since there are no instructors to say when one is doing something wrong.

Brooke Siler (the instructor) is likeable, not irritatingly energetic and yet she shows enough enthusiasm to keep from being boring. She has a pleasant voice and her pace is slow enough for you to keep up but not enough to bore you. Even though the moves may seem simple, it takes a lot of effort do them CORRECTLY, and when you do them correctly, you feel the burn.

The workout itself is paced very well. It moves quickly enough that it keeps the heart rate elevated without sacrificing the relaxing and energizing benefits that pilates has to offer. Beginners will be able to keep up without too much trouble but intermediate pilates students shouldn’t write this off either. It’s a challenge.

Clear, concise and helpful tips and guides all throughout at a pace that is not too slow nor too fast. Brooke’s body was also a very good visual aide – she was able to demonstrate the nuances of tucking your pelvis in, etc. Really liked the cardio section in the beginning which when connected with the mat class really made it a fulfilling workout.

The matwork that follows is a solid intermediate workout, including variations and modifications for such classics as the Teaser, Side Kicks and Pushups as well as more basic exercises such as the Roll Down. As in other form-focused releases, she proves again that “basic” doesn’t mean “beginners only”. If you do even the simplest moves properly, your muscles should burn.

Final Verdict: Recommended!

If you are a beginner to Pilates, this is the dvd for you. This is a fantastic video if you are trying to learn the right technique for Pilates and even if you consider yourself intermediate. The technique is explained perfectly and the exercises are challenging.

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