I like doing Pilates with MP3 downloads because I don't have to look at anything to follow along. Pilates instructor, Lynda Lippin, has created a series of Pilates MP3s. Among them are Pilates Exercises for Neck and Back Pain (read my review), and a Pilates Ring and Foam Roller Workout that I'll tell you about here.
The routines with the Pilates ring and foam roller will be fairly easy for you to follow along with as long as you have some familiarity with using the Pilates ring and foam rollers. I'm a little klutzy so I rolled over my MP3 player, but that's a different story.
The Pilates ring workout opens with a great butt and thigh toning sequence. I remember thinking: Oh good, bathing suit weather is right around the corner (it's December as I write this). Not to be outdone, the arms get a good workout too. The sequence is similar to the magic circle upper body toning workout here. So you can review those exercises and then take them with you on MP3.
All of the exercises in the ring workout engage the core. You can't do Pilates properly and not work your core, but I will say that some of the leg exercises Lippin includes are particularly good for strengthening the pelvic floor.
The only really hard exercise in the ring routine is a full roll up with ring. If you can't do it yet, that's OK. Just come up part way. And review Tips for Mastering the Roll Up, of course.
The foam roller workout is a nice combination of fundamental moves, inventive stretches, and massages with the roller. If you've ever wondered what to do with a foam roller, you will get good ideas here. There is a really interesting way to stretch the front of the hip and thigh near the end of the sequence. There is also a particularly um, painful, rolling "massage" along the outside of the thigh at the end. But it's soooo good for you.
These are not expensive downloads. $7.77 is not going to set you back a lot. Add to that the convenience of having a few Pilates workouts on MP3 and you've got a deal.
Pilates MP3 Downloads from Lynda Lippin
If you don't have an MP3 player yet: Compare Prices on MP3 Players
