Search - Body Target: Hips & Thighs on DVD

What you need to know:

Valeria | Puerto Rico | 12/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this is supposed to target the hips and behind ,but one section doesn't, this is divided into 2 segments:
1- lower body yoga - running time (there is no real warmup , I started doing it with no warmup and I couldn't do it so stretch before doing this)4 min. "warmup" , "active workout stretches , tones and strenghtens your legs , hips and thighs, and improves your balance. 14 min." ( this isn't a targeted yoga workout for the "problem areas" this is just plain yoga that says for begginer and believe me it's not I couldn't do things well and I'm a ballet dancer and I've taken yoga clases, or maybe I couldn't do things well because I woke up like an hour and a half ago and I'm not warmed up, whatever let's keep going on , but I have to agree if you do this 2-3 times a week it will improve your balance.

2-Pilates lower body workout-warm-up exercises to help you identify your powerhouse 1 min.
the workout-mat exercises to strenghten hips , buttocks and thighs ,to redifine and reshape your lower body 22 min.
the cool down- 2 min.

this is a good yoga + pilates lower body workout overall and this has modifications for begginers , so it's great for any level

-How do I get the most benefit from this program?
First watch the program all the way through so you know what to expect. Then gradually do what you can , remember, you don't have to do the entire program at once. What is important is to be consistent , especially in the beginning

-What if the program is too dificult for me?
As you continue to use the program you'll be able to do it but don't get discouraged if you can't do it all.keep practicing you could use the modifications but you'll be able to do it in the long run hopefully

-when will i see results from this program?
Every person is different ,and this program is gradual process . If you are consistent and make a commitment to yourself to stick with it , you will see a change in your body and experience a more relaxed state of mind.

hope this answered your questions (ps if this helped you please mark that this review was helpful to you , hey this was hard and took time! , thanks ,Karla."

Easy pilates workout for out of shape & beginner/low interme

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 04/30/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These are from Gaiam which was Living Arts & has been repackaging their material for a while. The lower body yoga first came out on it's own years ago, then apart of a "The Total-Body Yoga Workout: Lower Body, Abs, and Upper Body Yoga for Beginners" * "Mind Body Solutions for Lower Body Conditioning - Yoga / Balance Ball / Pilates" dvd as well.
The yoga is with Susanne Season. The music is light, the scene is her near the edge of a cliff with gorgeous mountain range behind her. She is alone & there is no modifications.
There is no sun salutations, but a lot of downward dog, standing fwd bends, chair & mountain. Add is lunges, hand/knee with arm/leg balance, donward dog with 1 leg lifted, plank, upward dog, warrior 1 2 & 3, triangle, side angle, half moon, dancer's pose, bridge, reclined single leg stretch, boat, sitting fwd bend, wide legged fwd bend, reclined cobblers, etc.
If you own several yoga dvds, the pace is not power fast, nor does she hold it a long time. This is not for the first time yoga, but it is not intermediate level. I loved the workout though, there are many poses were if you do too many sun salutations, you never have time for many other poses.
The pilates workout is outside with Jillian Hessel & another woman showing the modifications set outside in a valley with a forest nearby. Jillian has a slow, strong, clear voice & shows a lot of concern for lower back strain by using props.
The workout was very easy with many rests in child's pose in between. Mostly it was learning posture when standing, then laying down & doing leg stretches, bicycle, leg lifts, leg splits, leg circles & bridge, but almost never picking your head up for added ab work. Then standing for ballet wannabe easy plies & standing on your toes. That's it.
I was bored with the very soft music that barely noticed, the slow pace, etc., I did not sweat, didn't feel a thing, barely noticed I was working out. I am not atheltic, but try to work out several times a week.

You can see a preview anywhere you see "Yoga lower body" with Suzanne on a cliff & can see Jillian's style on her harder workout "Pilates for beginners" at gaiam com"

Yoga workout is NOT for beginners...

T. McGoughy | Atlanta, GA | 11/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let me start with the good points about this workout.

1. There is beautiful scenery. The yoga workout is atop a canyon and the pilates is shot in the mountains near a stream.
2. The workout is divided into two sections so if you're short on time, you can do one or the other.
3. The Pilates workout is challenging and fast paced yet easy to follow. There were quite a few moves that I had not seen before. The instructor is easy to follow and gives form pointers throughout the workout. She starts with easier poses and progressively gets harder. I really enjoyed it and found myself wishing it were longer when the workout was over.

And now for the not so good parts:

1. The DVD is not chaptered so you have to watch (or fast forward) each workout in its entirety including the instructor's introduction which most of us only need to see once. It would have been nice to be able to pick certain exercises to do or mix it up for a combined yoga/pilates workout like other DVDs allow you to do. The way it's set up you're either doing yoga or pilates.
2. I have been doing yoga for several years with Yoga Zone and thia yoga workout is definitely not for beginners as it states. I could not keep up with this woman and found she was moving much too quickly. I do yoga for relaxation and flexibilty. There was nothing relaxing about this workout because you really have to hustle to keep up. After about 10 minutes, I just started doing the poses at my own pace and ignored the instructor. If you are a true beginner, I would stick with Yoga Zone or another true beginner's workout.
3. The instruction for the workouts are voiceovers so the instructor is not speaking while doing the workout. Sometimes the cueing is a little off because of this. This was more of a problem in the yoga workout than the Pilates workout since the Pilates instructor was more deliberate in her movements and the yoga instructor was moving as if it was just her (completely forgetting her audience is supposed to be beginners).
4. The yoga workout has no warmup so perhaps it seemed harder because I was still a little tight. I have never done a yoga workout where the first pose is downward facing dog! It completely caught me off guard. I was expecting some salutations, some forward bends, not downward facing dog.
5. The yoga instructor uses terms for some of the poses that I have never heard before. She referred to a warrior pose as "wide stride". I wasn't looking at the TV at that moment since I was still trying to get out of the last pose that we did. When I looked at the TV and saw she was in warrior pose, I knew that this woman really wasn't conscious of her audience. If she had just said warrior, I could have just gotten into warrior without stopping to look at the TV to see what she was talking about. This was a very frustrating workout!

Bottom line: Great Pilates workout. My only complaint with the Pilates workout is I would have liked more repetitions of each exercise. If you're a beginner and you like being frustrated, then try the yoga workout too."