Search - STOTT PILATES: Pilates for Men on DVD

Great, effective workout in a short time!

J. Lavia | Long Beach, CA USA | 06/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I shopped around for a decent Pilates DVD to use in a home workout routine. I looked at all of the ones here on Amazon and decided on Stott Pilates: Pilates for Men. I'm not the most flexible person, or at least I wasn't before the video, so getting a Pilates workout for guys was key.
When I first saw this DVD and read the description, I was impressed. I felt like I was working one on one with the instructor, who does a great job. I plan on buying more of her videos.
I'm becoming addicted to pilates and felt the difference in my body after the first workout.
The only thing I would caution you about this video, is that it requires you have two 3 pound toning balls. I didn't know that until I got the video."

Is this even pilates????

Donald G. Hite III | Houston, Tx USA | 09/11/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I was really disappointed with this video. As a disclaimer, I don't have toning balls so I did the moves without them, which I'm sure decreased the difficulty. However, lack of difficulty was not my problem with this video

I'm generally not a huge fan of stott pilates videos. I don't like the live commentary (it's annoyingly chatty and works against the flow of the workout). The videos do stress flow between reps of a move, but not between the moves themselves (they often pause to laugh and make witty comments between moves). I do, however, really like their Reformer Workout for Men (of course, there are few other reformer workout DVDs on the market - other than the classical pilates ones, which are wonderful to watch and learn from but not so great to exercise along with - so I don't have a many other choices for the reformer).

That said, I thought this Pilates for Men video would be great also. I was hoping for a traditional pilates workout with more focus on the upper body (maybe more side planks or leg pull front type stuff). What I got was a video that bore little resemblance to the pilates I've practiced for over a year! Almost all the traditional pilates moves are gone. There is a modified hundred, with legs on the floor and toning balls in hand, and a few "series of 5" abdominal moves. Other than that, this didn't seem much like pilates to me... There were many standing moves including squats and the push ups weren't pilates push ups (although I could see how lack of flexibility would make the traditional pilates push-ups, which began standing, difficult... so maybe that was a good choice). Also, many times they would do a move, then do a stretch, do a move, then stop to stretch again. A well designed pilates workout doesn't require you to stop and stretch (aside from the occasional rest position) because you stretch WHILE doing the moves. Most pilates moves contain a strength and stretch component. While they do mention using your powerhouse while doing the other exercises, the concept of core stabilization alone does not a pilates workout make.

I guess I was a little insulted by this video because it seems to imply that "real men" either can't or don't want to do a traditional pilates workout. I could see the "can't" in terms of flexibility perhaps, but there is no pilates move that lack of flexibility will prevent you from doing. You may just have to shorten the range of motion to whatever feels comfortable for you. Even the pilates push ups (as mentioned above) can be done if you aren't super-flexible... you just have to open your legs wider.

Personally, I started doing pilates because I dislike traditonal forms of exercise (squats, lifting weights, anything involving grunting and traditional gym lingo) and I LOVE the flow and more artistic qualities of pilates, so I don't want a pilates video that reverts back to a more traditional workout moves. Traditional pilates is perfectly capable of accomplishing everything a man wants to get from his workout, and it can be done without sacrificing the flow and beauty that make pilates great. Just as a comparison, Rael Isacowitz's pilates videos (at least the advanced system 27) are much harder than this video (especially on your core) while still maintaining the pilates philosophies of flow, beauty of movement, full body integration, etc... I also dislike that with almost every move the instructor makes some reference to how this move will help you in the many other sports and athletic activities you do. This is a minor issue honestly, but it just seems like this video is desperately screaming "PILATES ISN'T JUST FOR WOMEN! PLEASE DO PILATES... WE WON'T MAKE YOU POINT YOUR TOES!! IT WILL HELP YOU WHEN YOU DO LEGITIMATE, MANLY FORMS OF EXERCISE LIKE BASKETBALL OR SOCCER". Haha, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point hopefully. It seems that, in an attempt to pander to an audience not all that interested in pilates, it is reducing pilates to merely a way to get better performance in "real" sports, rather than a comprehensive fitness approach that is perfectly wonderful for it's own sake.

I'm probably just bitter because I'm not a sports person, but I feel like if your goal is to attract men to pilates, you should present pilates as it was designed by manly man Joseph Pilates. You could throw in tidbits about how joseph pilates was a tattooed, cigar smoking boxer and general sports enthusiasts to quiet the viewer's subconscious anxiety that pilates is for women and that doing it makes him less of a man. You could also offer modifications or tips to make traditional pilates moves more suited to men's different body types and flexibility levels. Pilates has plenty of moves that focus on upper body (in the traditional sequence, everything after the hip circles is pretty upper body intensive), so maybe ramp these up a bit if men want more focus on upper body. There is a book "Pilates for Men" by Daniel Lyon Jr. which takes this approach and discusses men's specific strength and flexibility considerations without watering down the exercises, so it can be done!

I will give them credit for a few things, however. In both this video and the reformer for men video, I have gotten ideas about how to incorporate the toning balls (or hand weights) into traditional moves for an added challenge. So I'm thankful for that. Otherwise, I'm just happy I got this video from netflix and didn't buy it, because I certainly do not plan on doing it again.

ENJOY!"