Malibu Pilates - What Do You Know?

I think that I personally would be wary about any style of working out that was more about looks than solid fitness principles. The article on Pilates principles that you linked to was really helpful for me; thanks!

I saw the commercial and asked my Pilates coach. She had seen the same infomercial so I asked her what she thought. She said it looked really good and the price was great. My coach owns her own Pilates/Massage studio (mind/body) and has the authentic cadillac, reformer, chair and some other equipment I cannot yet identify. Since I often use the chair in my sessions, along with the cadillac and reformer and box, I think it could be an enhancement for home use to those who may have a reformer or practice Pilates mat routines. In my research, I read many reviews and those who decided not to use them after buying, were astounded at the cost to ship back, due to the weight. Many reviews were very satisfied, no complaints that I can remember. Check it out yourself…do a search for Malibu Pilates!
P.S. Ebay is full of them at times, but the price is usually right in line with the infomercial.

I am a certified pilates instructor. I purchased the Malibu Pilates Chair for my own home use. I like it! It is sturdy, compact and easy to use. The price is great. The infomercial with all the young “Malibu” types + petite Susan Lucci is a little misleading only if you believe that just buying this chair will give you that body type. The Instructional CD’s are fine.

I too am a certifed pilates instructor. I have a malibu chair for personal use. It’s ok – tho’ not enough tension range in the springs. Neither is the same range of repertoire possible as on the standard, but enough to get a good workout. There seems little emphasis on alignment or the mind/body connection. In fact, there seems little overt mention of the principles. There are modifications and (limited) progressions offered for most exercises.
The thing I like most about the Malibu style is it tries to add a bit of an aerobic edge to the method – lots of pumps and more than the standard number of reps.
The thing I like least about the Malibu style is the repertoire they offer is way too challenging to those new to the method – pike (pull up), step backs (mountain climber) and corkscrew, just to name a few, are presented in the introductory dvd and are some of the “10 makeover moves”. There is little in the way advising the practitioner that these are exercises requiring a good warm up first, a strong grasp of foundation repertoire and competent instruction. Not only are novices likely to hurt themselves or aggravate physical issues, they are also likely to find it all too hard and give up pilates.

I bought the Malibu pilates machine and the first time i tried to use it; it broke. a small spring popped off and the top was twisted towards the ground . I am not too heavy about 170. Do not buy this product. Just follow Mari Winsor’s dvd’s and you get great results. I thought, oh a machine and the ads made it sound great; it is horrible.

i recently purchased the malibu pilates chair and love it. the videos are instructive, there are options for more challenging or less demanding workouts, depending on your level of fitness. i have had a more traditional pilates machine in the past and find this to be much more of a workout – the results i’ve achieved in just two weeks are impressive. it also makes you feel good – some of the stretching routines feel great.
there is a drawback to this apparatus. malibu pilates is not for everyone. if you’re not athletic and don’t have some degree of agility, i can see where people might have difficulty with the chair. there is a lot of balancing on small surfaces.
so, if you’re new to exercise and don’t feel that you’d be comfortable, quite literally climbing up and down as well as on and off a chair surface that measures app. 20″ by 12″ malibu pilates may not be for you.
personally, i like it very much.

I like it a loot. u can do nice training with it, and its just so funn. i dont feel the time on it. It realy speaks to me. I never dremt about thise results after 4 childeren and im back in trac. Might be a help that i tryed pilates before. My mum and uncle didnt feel like me with the machin, but they dont like training mutch…on u tube you can find other training because the dvd is based on supersafe, still very good dvds too.

I want to buy it on ebay, but the prices seem too good to be true. do you know how they can sell them for $150 when the site sells it for 400?

My experience with e-bay is that things get bid up very high at the last minute. If you try e-bay, make sure the seller has a good reputation. And let us know how it goes!

Marguerite, Your guide to Pilates here at About.com

I ordered one (new) on Ebay, and it should be delivered in 2 days. It started at 50.00 and although I was outbid twice, I learned not to bid until the last few minutes. This one was a final 100.00 with shipping. The seller got great reviews on all products and this seemed wholesale. Will update!

I ordered mine from Ebay and it was $149.75 including shipping. It came in a very short period of time from a seller with a too reputation. I haven’t assembled it but it does look like it might be a great product. Malibu Pilates is now offering an Accelerated Package that includes extended handles and two dvd’s for $60 plus s&h. I tried ordering this package but the computer was not setup for orders. I will give an update when I have resolved these issues.

Mine came today, great shape, everything as stated and I had my first workout. Some were easy, some very difficult, so I think I will enjoy it.

I bought one off ebay right before christmas for around $75 (including shipping!) and have been using it for the last 2 weeks. Love it! I’m already seeing results, the exercises go quickly and are challenging, and best of all, every workout feels like the best massage of my life. I’ve never tried pilates before and am not particularly athletic, although I am fairly flexible. It was much more difficult for my husband who has greater strength but less range of motion. Still, I highly recommend it, and ebay is a great way to purchase it at a bargain price.

I agree, the chair is great but not worth 300.00. Mine was new at 77.00 and for that a great bargain.I can even use it with my free weights in the future or a regular bench

Hi, I recieved my malibu pilates last week and have done three workouts, one x 20 minutes and 2 x 45 minutes. I was more than pleased with how it arrived, its assembly, and quality. I love this machine and can honestly say to anyonw that it does really work your body like it claims to. It is not all too hard but some exercises may prove difficult for some. Buy it, keep it use it and lose it! The bad reviews are predominantly coming from people who dont use it enough. its a great workout

Hi, I recieved my malibu pilates last week and have done three workouts, one x 20 minutes and 2 x 45 minutes. I was more than pleased with how it arrived, its assembly, and quality. I love this machine and can honestly say to anyonw that it does really work your body like it claims to. It is not all too hard but some exercises may prove difficult for some. Buy it, keep it use it and lose it! The bad reviews are predominantly coming from people who dont use it enough. its a great workout

I am looking for the Malibu Pilates chair but not for $300. Somwhere between $75 and $100.
Gabriella who did you purchase yours from?

I bought a Malibu Pilates Chair on eBay and I’m not sure it was the real deal. The pictures make it look like it has a silver/brushed stainless sort of finish and mine was more of a medium gray almost painted-looking metal. The real problem was that one of the brackets was bent upon arrival and the pedals didn’t go up more than half way so you couldn’t do some of the exercises correctly. Those of you who bought on eBay – did your MP Chair seem “real”?

Mine was new from Ebay and the real thing. Took me a while to get the wrapping off and still have plastic sticking out from the screws….anxious to start the first time!
All the DVD’s pamphlets, etc that are pictured on the malibu pilates site were ther and sealed, etc.
I like it but only as an addition to other things. I will use it without the dvds in the future once I get it down. The “cardio-blasts” are nice, but don’t really give you a cardio workout, there isn’t sustained cardio work, but again, anything helps when used with others.
I would never pay 300.00 for a bench with pedals…like it a lot, but not for that much.

I did notice a big jump in price on Ebay after December. I think they felt they could get the “I’m going to get in shape” crowd. : )
Maybe they will dip again in the next month.
Mine was new too but my seller sold out. I’d stay under 200.00 though.

Update – I just received my new MP Chair from HSN (bought with a 20% off coupon). The one I bought on eBay was definitely a knock-off. The seller had a 99.8% rating with almost 2,000 feedbacks but he sells lots of other things. When I asked him if it was real, he didn’t answer but offered to pay return shipping. Hmmmm. . . Most people probably wouldn’t notice that this was a knock-off because all the DVD’s and manuals pictured on the MP website were included, the logo on the chair looks the same, etc. But, the one from eBay did not say Gunthy-Renker on the box. It said Malibu Pilates on the box with the logo, though, so if you weren’t looking for it you wouldn’t know. The two biggest differences are the color and the spring length. The springs are shorter on the real model which makes the pedals go up higher (so you can do some of the exercises more effectively) instead of halfway as they did on my eBay model. So, if you’re looking to save money and buy one on eBay, ask the seller if it’s the Gunthy-Renker model if it matters to you that you get the real thing.

I think mine is the real deal, it looks just like it, the lighter grey, the springs match the ones in the photos/DVD and it had a “caution” sticker on one of the legs.
When I read about a a darker grey, I wondered if it was a refurbished one….you do have to be careful, but the good sellers usually wont lie if they want to keep selling.
Glad you have a good one now.

Gaby – if you’re also Gabrielle on previous posts – it sounds like you have the real deal because the real one was wrapped much better than my eBay model and it was hard to get the plastic off. Both models have the caution sticker on them but my eBay model was packaged in one big plastic bag covering the whole Chair while my HSN model had each pedal wrapped, the seat was wrapped all the way under the screws and the floor pad was wrapped separately. The box also opened differently. Sounds like you got a great deal for a real one!

Hey All, I don’t know how long this will last but I did just find the Malibu Pilates advertised on pricegrabber for 300.00 with free shipping. That’s a $45.00 discount. – not as cheap as some have found on ebay but it is new and the real deal.

I think I might sell mine soon….I need the money and I haven’t done it in over 2 weeks. I liked it, but enjoy my pilates performer a lot more and (soon) being outdoors. The routine is the same and I get bored easily and I need more cardio. Mine has always been hard to fold, so I will not ask as much, but it has everything else intact and is like-new. Luckily it isn’t that large and I can put it in the car easily. My husband loves to sit on it as an extra chair….not the purpose, but things do get to be “furniture” if you aren’t careful. : ) I hopefully will sell it before he gets too attached!

I got lucky and found mine at Kijiji.com. The seller was wanting 450 Canadian for it which is what it would cost through the site in Canadian dollars but I was only willing to pay $250 C which is about 200 US and mentioned to her that I could get it on ebay for about 200 but they wouldn’t ship it to Canada. She also sent it to me with a courier..FREE of charge. So I lucked out! Yay! You should definitely look on Craigslist or Kijiji.com or kijiji.ca (Canada) first before spending so much on the actual MP website. I got my chair today and boy, it was heavier than expected. I found it a workout in itself trying to set it up but once it’s done it’s easy to operate. I have done the 20 minute makeover exercise.. TWICE today! It was a lot of fun and I really felt it everywhere AND I built up a sweat. I do think that you need to have some form of experience with pilates or exercise in general in order to be able to keep up with the workouts and the machine feels sturdy and strong. The dvds were informative. I am sooooo pleased so far. I look forward to trying the other dvds out this week but it really was tough on my core, arms and legs. If you’re dedicated to toning and getting fit I would recommend this for sure.

I am having knee problems and will be having surgery soon. I enjoy riding a real bike and it seems like the Malibu hair might be a waya to rehab my knee and then go on to regular exercising later. anyone know if this would work? I have done pilates, yoga, etc. and am (was) in pretty good condition.

I recently purchased a MP chair from ebay. I paid roughly $150 for it, including shipping. Having used a similiar studio quality chair (the MVe), I am pleased with this home version. It’s sturdy, functional, and has a small footprint. Obviously, it’s not studio quality but I do not feel unsafe using it. Nor have I ever felt I wasn’t getting a great pilates-based workout.

As with any exercise, it’s important to “listen” to your body and know your limits and realize that it’s a cumulative thing. Therefore, it’s unreasonable to expect to get every movement on the first, second, or third workout unless you’ve had previous experience working out on this type of equipment. As this system/program is geared to the masses, it focuses less on the mind-body connection you’d find in a pilates studioclass and more straight forward in it’s presentation. I find the instructor to be explicit in movement alignment and she gives good cues. Additiohnally, there is a student doing beginner modifications.

I bought the MP chair knowing full-well I wouldn’t use it every day. That said, it’s quite easy to set up and I use it enough – 3x/week (and enjoy it) to justify the price I paid.

I bought mine off Ebay for about $200, which included shipping.

I found it incredibly difficult to use at first in some positions – too much tension in the springs, (I am 5′5, 125 lbs. and fairly strong) such that I could not even get it to budge for some of the side-lying adductor exercises.

I found that unhooking and releasing one spring altogether solved the problem.

Purchased one from eBay a few weeks ago. A little over $100, including shipping. Appears to be a “real”, new chair (not refurbished or a knockoff; wrapped as others say their new chairs were).

I am quite out of shape and working on weight loss (18 pounds down, 30-ish to go). I have had a few Pilates classes but cannot afford studio fees, so I am trying the chair.

The construction seems sturdy – not gym quality but reasonable for home equipment. I do think the exercise program they put together is a mix of basic, intermediate and advanced moves. I can do the basic ones, some intermediate but will need to grow into the more advanced as I get stronger (for example, I can maybe complete 3-4 pull-ups with decent form now). Some things are too hard for me to complete yet – there is lots of tension on the springs.

I think many are going to be fooled by some slick marketing and the miniature Susan Luci on the commercial and expect this to be easy and some miracle weight loss system. It isnt, but I am very happy with the purchase. The infomercial claims to drop a dress size in 10 days have to do with their 6 day a week cardio plan combined with a 1300 calorie a day diet. You can do that without this chair a9or spending a dime In my experience – at about that calorie level, with 4 – 5 workouts a week, I have been able to loose about 12 pounds in 1 month ( 5′6″, was 186, now 168). Anyway, back to the chair…

I am alternating this program with walk/running intervals to facilitate the weight loss and work on strength/flexibility.

If you are very experienced with Pilates or have had a lot of exposure to real Wunda chairs, you may not care for this. For me, it is great. Pleased with the purchase, though at the eBay price we paid. Feel over $300 is a little too much for this.

I’m trying to sell mine by putting flyers at my gym and workplace…been 3 weeks and no bites for 100.00 with everything.(almost new)I will drop it to 75.00 and try some free ads, but I didn’t want people coming to my home,I thought I could just bring it to the gym/work. I couldn’t see anything on it I couldn’t do with weights/bench already and it was hard on my knees.

Can someone help me with how to attach the springs to the malibu pilates chair?

THanks,

laura

I love the machine. It has changed my shape.

I bought mine on Ebay for $225. It’s a piece of crap, the springs couldn’t slide from light to heavy tension easily and the pedal took more than a twist to release or lock. It took so long to adjust everytime any cardio momentum was lost by the time I could begin the next exercise. Caveat emptor for me. It’ll be Winsor Pilates on the floor for me. You’ve been warned. Buy the real chair if you’re so inclined. If you can score an HSN deal that seems to be the least expensive way

Hi Im a Pilates Instructor-I think you diffo need to know the basis of Pilates before buying this chair-anybody that dosent know them wont enjoy the chair-I recommend going to 1 mat pilates class learn your basis and then you will love the chair- Can anybody tell me they say you will lose a dress size while using the chair in 10 days BUT do you have to follow the diet plan they recommend or Im guessing if you eat health that shoud do – Am I correct in this ??? Best of luck with yer Chair I love it

Ladies all I can say about buying the pilates chair on EBAY- make sure you get the DVDs too-I know alot of chairs on Ebay didnt enclude the DVDs and to be honest your only guessing each exercises then-

I purchased from ebay for $80, plus shipping.
The box had gunthy rinker on it and I put
together, used it and loved it! Went to use
a second day and it broke. The bar hooked to
the base broke. Contacted the seller, but he
insisted it was a user error. So love the
chair, but afraid to put more money in another one.

I guess the Ebay ones vary..mine was packed in plastic, but not just on the outside, like a bag, but it was stuck under the screws, etc. like a new one. The DVD’s were sealed on a piece of cardboard and none of the 3 were opened before. The poster/instructions were also in a bag.
It came from CA but my seller doesn’t seem to have anymore. I got mine under 100.00 and would sell it for 50.00…just not for me.

Deb – I’ll buy yours for $50 – let me know if you are interested.

Hey, for those of you that have bought it on Ebay, could you tell us what buyers you were impressed with or which ones to stay away from? I can post my email address for a private email with this info if that is easier. THANK YOU so much for your help. I recently lost my job & need to save money but still need to work out so if I could find a good deal on one that would be great!

I would sell it to you, just don’t know how to go about it. Where do you live? I live in Ct. Shipping is a pain, but would consider it.
Re the Ebay sellers, I checked a month or so ago and my seller didn’t have anymore at this time, but he was rated very well and out of CA. I will look up his name to post later.

Has anyone else developed foot problems from using the Malibu Pilates chair?

I paid $139 + free shipping on ebay. I think it’s a knockoff because it rattles a little and looks darker than the ones in the video. I am a certified Pilates instructor and bought it for home use and I’m having fun with it. Yes, it does hurt my feet a little so I don’t do the prances or calf raises.I’ve played around with the springs and learned what configuration works best for me but wouldn’t have a clue how to if I wasn’t already trained.

Help, need a set of replacement springs. Since I did not purchase it from Guthy-Renker or HSN, they will not send me replacements. I purchased it at a thrift store, did not realise it had no springs, till I tried to use it. I have Multiple Sclerosis, High Cholesterol and a Breast Cancer need to stay fit can anyone help!

Your best bet would be to buy springs from Balanced Body or Peak Pilates. Check their websites.

Similar to Kimberly’s comment, I am wondering if others would be willing to share which sellers on Ebay sell the authentic equipment. I would also be willing to share my email address.

I bought my MP chair used. I am recovering from a car accident and was not sure I could do it. I am always saying I am allergic to exercise, so there was a good chance this would join the list of unused equipment. It has not. I can do this. Does not injure my back or neck, and is actually fun.

I am a certified Pilates instructor and I have bought the chair for my own personal use.

The first thing I did was have the seat re-foamed and reupholstered so as to be a little bit more comfortable, and I also bought additional springs with different resistance off of a Pilates webstore.

That being said, the MP chair is a great buy. I use it for traditional Pilates, not the “cardio” crap (IMO) the DVDs are about. It is a slightly smaller apparatus than a regular Wunda or Exo chair therefore, if you are taller like me (5′9) you will find yourself limited on some exercises. But overall, this works wonders! I woudl strongly urge beginners to invest in a couple DVDs from Rael Isacovitz to learn proper Pilates technique because, when done well with control and mind/body connection, there is no more beneficial exercise routine than Pilates. it will tone, strenghten and make you more flexible in less time than it takes to write this.

I bought my chair through Amazon marketplace for $160 all told, and I am very very pleased.

I have read some negative comments (chair broke- can’t move the pedals b/c too much tension) but after using this for the past 2 weeks, I cannot chime in with the unhappy MP customers. I am very happy with my purchase!

Hi! I got my chair direct from Guthy Renker last spring. I didn’t lose the weight they promised, but it got me moving again, so I persevered. One of my springs broke and they promptly sent me replacements. Now, it’s seven months later, I love this thing, have lost 20 lbs, but tonight while working out, the bottom bar broke off. They will not help me at all. Can’t even tell me how to reattach it. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, they “couldn’t find one”.
We’ll see if they call back- I have my doubts. Not sure what I’ll do now. I can’t see re-investing if it’s going to fall apart again in less than a year. Maybe I’ll check eBaY.

I got mine off of ebay. I tried it a couple of times and it is so hard to do. Maybe I have a knock-off and didn’t know it. When I try to do the one where I lift my body up, like running up, I can not lift myself up. Granted I am completely out of shape, but it is so hard.

I was wondering if getting the handles would make a difference?

I plan to keep at it and try to recoup some of my money in toning my flab and getting healthier in 2010.

I am still trying to get rid of mine, just didn’t like it for my knees. After years of running, the tension was too hard on them and it seemed to me, like a fad even while I was doing it. : )
I had the price go from 100.00 to 75.00 at a community center/gym near me but no takers.

I bought my chair in Feb and have loved it. I did call to ask them anout a side to side “wiggle” in the chair. I was assured it was nothing. Last month the bottom bar that hold the pedals came out from the leg – the screw came out I think. It is not fixable and the compnay will not do anything to help me. They say the 6 month warranty is up and I am out of luck. I say thats an expensive 7 months. I am not giving up and really only want it repaired or replaced. It is not user abuse or wear and tear. Its a manufacturing problem that they will not rectify. be careful.