Search - Pilates For Indie Rockers on DVD

Not recommended

J. Garza | 07/29/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"As an old school punk and alternative rocker and not-so-old-school exercise DVD enthusiast, I was really hoping that Chaos's series of workout DVDs would be cool, fun, and get me a great workout without the dorkiness of other DVDs. Unfortunately, she's not really a Pilates instructor. Although she does give a modicum of alignment instruction at the beginning of the workout, she does not really know how to put together a Pilates routine. The moves alternate between too simple and too advanced, and there is not enough cueing in proper Pilates form. There is a reason that the best Pilates instructors put together exercises in a certain order, and zero in on exact precision of moves - all that is what makes Pilates effective, and safe! You do NOT get that here, and you could potentially hurt yourself. And while I like the idea of having cool background music instead of the dreck on most exercise DVDs, honestly, as a former rock critic, none of the music here sent me into throes of indie rock ecstasy (it wasn't bad, just not fab), and even worse, considering that this is an exercise DVD, it does not help you keep count with your moves. And that is really the main reason for music on an exercise DVD - to keep your workouts on rhythm and on count, so you're doing the right amount of reps and keeping each side even. I know somewhere out there, there is someone who knows how to put together a well-taught exercise DVD with great music. This one isn't it."

Too basic for Pilates folks, too advanced for beginners

Heather | 06/22/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I have done a lot of Pilates, and I found this session too basic (as have other reviewers). But I think this workout could be very problematic for beginners -- trainer Chaos includes some fairly advanced exercises without proper emphasis on form. In particular, the Teaser (which I think she calls the Vee-Up or something like that -- it's the one she's doing on the cover of the DVD) is an exercise that requires far more focus on form than she gives, if you want to complete the exercise without messing up your back. It is good that she offers alternatives for beginners (and, to be fair, she does offer an alternative for the Teaser), but I fear that there is a big gap between the beginner option and the main option on several of the exercises, and the lack of focus on form will make it easy for folks to hurt themselves."

Great work-out,

A. Sherman | Olympia, WA | 08/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While I agree with the other reviews that this is more of an introduction to pilates, I gave it five stars because aside from it being a good work-out, the video was appealing to look at and time efficient. I know some people like to work out to videos for an hour or more, but I'm a student and it's nice to have a 35 minute work-out I can do in my dorm., shower, then head to class.
There is also the option of turning off the music and then you can use your own. Also the instructions were pretty good. I didn't feel like I had to stare at the screen to know what I was doing, although occasional looks were necessary.

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