The Bottom Line
New Body! Pilates, beginners mat workout DVD from Jennifer Kries hits the mark. I am perfectly comfortable recommending it to beginners. It starts with a good review of the fundamentals of Pilates movement and carries on through a clearly taught set of traditional Pilates exercises at the beginner level. I also like Kries' style as an instructor. She has a strong presence -- authoritative yet sensitive to the experience you might be having at home.
Pros
- Jennifer Kries is an expert instructor
- Includes an excellent introduction to key Pilates concepts
- Exercise demonstrations are easy to see
- Includes a Pilates mat workout and a magic circle workout
- Provides a good introduction to traditional Pilates exercises
Cons
- Demonstrations of modifications are inconsistant at best
- There is a significant level difference between the mat and the circle workouts
Description
- Pilates Beginner DVD
- A 35 Minute Pilates Mat Workout
- A 10 Minute Magic Circle Workout
- Price: $19.99
Guide Review - New Body! Pilates DVD - Beginner Mat and Circle Workouts with Jennifer Kries
"It's all about how you address your energy." - Jennifer Kries (in the middle of the mat workout)
I like to hear phrases like that in a DVD. It shows me that an instructor is working on different levels, and communicating what I call "the inside of the movement". Kries does this naturally throughout the workouts she presents.
The mat workout is based on traditional Pilates exercises and builds from an introduction to important concepts like Pilates breathing, neutral spine, and head and arm placement. These are important parts of any preamble for beginners and Kries shows them very well. It does mean the workout doesn't really get going until about 7 minutes in. That's OK. Once you've seen that part a few times, you can skip ahead.
So, a definite yes for beginners, though I would have liked some of the exercise modifications to be clearer. If you get this DVD and find you need help with modifications, refer to my article Exercise Modification Tips.
The 10 minute bonus magic circle workout is definitely worth having. It is a little harder than the mat workout, and I wondered about that for beginners, but it really shows the full-body toning potential of the magic circle.
You can find New Pilates Body! Beginner Mat Workout on the Jennifer Kries website. If you go there, tune into some of her other work as well. The New Pilates Body! material is more traditional Pilates, but Kries is doing a lot of interesting cross- over work with other body/mind traditions.
Jennifer Kries has also just published a full set of training DVDs for Pilates instructors, the Pilates Method Master Trainer Series. Additionally, many DVDs featuring Jennifer Kries can be found at Pricegrabber.com.
I like to hear phrases like that in a DVD. It shows me that an instructor is working on different levels, and communicating what I call "the inside of the movement". Kries does this naturally throughout the workouts she presents.
The mat workout is based on traditional Pilates exercises and builds from an introduction to important concepts like Pilates breathing, neutral spine, and head and arm placement. These are important parts of any preamble for beginners and Kries shows them very well. It does mean the workout doesn't really get going until about 7 minutes in. That's OK. Once you've seen that part a few times, you can skip ahead.
So, a definite yes for beginners, though I would have liked some of the exercise modifications to be clearer. If you get this DVD and find you need help with modifications, refer to my article Exercise Modification Tips.
The 10 minute bonus magic circle workout is definitely worth having. It is a little harder than the mat workout, and I wondered about that for beginners, but it really shows the full-body toning potential of the magic circle.
You can find New Pilates Body! Beginner Mat Workout on the Jennifer Kries website. If you go there, tune into some of her other work as well. The New Pilates Body! material is more traditional Pilates, but Kries is doing a lot of interesting cross- over work with other body/mind traditions.
Jennifer Kries has also just published a full set of training DVDs for Pilates instructors, the Pilates Method Master Trainer Series. Additionally, many DVDs featuring Jennifer Kries can be found at Pricegrabber.com.
