Search - 10 Minute Solution: Pilates on the Ball on DVD

The most challenging yet

Mrs. W | USA | 04/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I began working out 4 years ago when I tried the 10 Minute Solutions Pilates DVDs and have been hooked on the series ever since. I have tried other pilates (and other workouts) DVDs, but few have been as fun, enjoyable or effective as those in the 10 Minute Solutions series and this new one is no different. I love the idea of using the ball in pilates, as it presents more challenging ways to get more out of the classic moves and it provides more innovative moves that are not as common. I really love all sections of this DVD. They are as follows:

Pilates for Abs-This section focuses of course on the abs, but the ball intensifies the movements. The other thing I enjoyed was that while I was familiar with many of the moves, there were some that were new or that put a new spin on the classic moves.

Lower Body Pilates-One of the areas of the body that I find especially hard to work is the inner thighs. This workout enables me to focus on them as well as the rest of my lower body.

Upper Body Pilates-I was expecting to use weights with this section, as with the other 10 Minute Solutions Fitness Ball workout, but was surprised when they were not going to be utilized. I wasn't sure if I would be able to work my upper body effectively or efficiently without weights, but I was pleasantly surprised. This workout is a departure from many upper body workouts that I have done and really enjoyed it.

Pilates for Flexibility- This section I used at the end of my workout. It was very relaxing and I could feel the muscles stretch after a very challenging 40 minute workout. I can see me just popping this on after a hard day at the office. It is relaxing, but stretches and relaxes all of your muscles very well.

Total Body Pilates-It's just that, a great mixture of exercises to tone and work the entire body. I really thought there was a nice variety of moves to work every area very well.

Overall, I completely recommend this workout. I consider myself at an intermediate/advanced level and I found this to be very challenging. Some of the exercises that are more difficult I will have to work up to, so I can continue to advance with this DVD. I also love the instructor. She was pleasant without being obnoxious. Her cuing and instruction was impeccable. This will be in regular rotation in my workout schedule. I can't wait to see what other gems will be released in this series."

Another great workout from the 10 Minute mob :-)

Little Miss Cutey | Melbourne, Australia | 04/26/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have practically all of the 10 minute dvds, and the vast majority are great and this is one of them. It's cued very well by Lara and it's in the usual format of four workouts and a great 10 minute stretch segment.
Obviously, each segment makes use of a stability ball and that enhances the effectiveness of the workouts. It's great for your core and they use it in here to help increase your range of motion and it adds a balance element. My favourite workout here is the abs section and like all the other workouts they do, you can program the workout to be done in any order or do only one or two or three etc workouts in one hit. It really is a no excuse workout because anyone can find the minimum of 10 minutes, and before you know it, you might even increase it to the maximum 50 minutes and while you're doing this, you're having fun. Lara is a great instructor and motivating too.
I highly recommend this to practically everyone. It's mainly intermediate to advanced, but doing shorter sections, beginners can gain a lot here too. It's great for a total body workout and it's fun. I enjoy it and hope you will too."

That's what I'm talking about!

dnk | Boston, MA United States | 05/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I loved Lara Hudson's 10 Minute Solution Yoga, so my expectations have always been high. I didn't love her Pilates or Rapid Results Pilates from this series, and I was also underwhelmed with her Prevention release. Still, I wanted to see what she could do with the ball, and I have to say she was great.

The first time I used this, I used the Abs, Total Body and Flexibility workouts. The DVD earned five-stars that night. Hudson effectively combined traditional mat Pilates with Reformer on the Mat movements in both the abs and total body sections. Yes, I have done the majority of the exercises before, including the difficult Pike and Shell, but her explanations and set ups helped me connect them to their Pilates origins and get more out of the exercise. The Flexibility section was deceptively thorough- I got off my mat feeling like I had stretched every muscle in my lower body, and that has been evading me for months.

In the interest of thoroughness, I did the Upper Body and Lower Body sections the next day. Wow- in the good way. The Upper Body segment used a lot of movements I've done before, but this time with just the right set up to get the most out of every muscle of my upper body. The Swan, Side Plank and Twisting (not sure of the actual name) felt amazing on my upper body- worked into the smaller muscles, but not so much that I couldn't move them afterwards. The Lower Body workout was also very effective, although probably a little bit more recognizable, with variations on the Single Leg Kick, the Double Leg Kick and Bridging. Regardless, I felt just as good when I got up off my mat the second time around as I did the first.

In addition to being tough on Lara Hudson, I am also someone who generally turns my nose up on workouts that use the ball (or band or weight or what not) in every single exercise. But I still loved this and would willingly do it again.

Two thumbs up!"

Excellent

debbie | 05/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great workout tape. Easy to follow. I enjoy all Lara Hudson's workouts"