Denise Austin: Mat Workout Based on the Work of J.H. Pilates
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Movie Reviews of Denise Austin: Mat Workout Based on the Work of J.H. Pilates
Movie Review: A great combination of exercise and relaxing yoga.
Summary: 5 Stars
I really enjoy this video. I do the second 20 minute workout a couple times a week and always feel incredibly relaxed afterward from the deep breathing and stretches. If I skip the workout for a few weeks then go back to it with gusto, my abs even become pleasantly sore the morning after doing one of the workout sessions again. After an 8 week yoga class 4 years ago the yoga poses come back naturally every time I do the video, and the addition of pilates to the workout makes it an actual workout instead of the just being focused on relaxation as many yoga videos tend to be. The first workout on this video is more of a traditional workout, with lots of stomach work and not much yoga, so I stick to the second, which is a good enough workout and relaxation that I would recommend getting this video and doing the same.
Some other reviewers have complained about her directions during the exercises (such as when to switch legs and change positions) but in the second session these are perfect until the very last position. Then you're on the floor extending one arm and the opposite leg listening to her tell you to extend and stretch, and by the time you look back up at the screen she's onto the next pose. I don't know what happened to her there, but after doing the tape a few times I got used to it and now know to watch her while doing that particular position so I can catch when she switches legs. Overall this is a very good video and I wouldn't let this minor problem prevent you from getting it. I have a few other workout videos and this is the only one I do with any regularity, so I recommend it.
Best wishes for good workouts!
Movie Review: Simply the best
Summary: 5 Stars
This is what sets this video apart from the rest and this is why you MUST buy it: Denise pairs strength training with flexibility work. She has you contract the muscles and then relieves the tension with a looooooooong stretch immediately afterwards. This is far superior to the neck-crunching pilates workouts and the easier yoga workouts that don't seem to do enough strength work and it feels GREAT as you do it (so we're not just slogging through another workout).
Buy it because it really works. This program is perfect if you're looking for something to do a couple times a week. It's low impact overall and you can pick and choose between the first video ("easier" imho) and the second (lots of core work). I can do this in the morning and feel the burn in the afternoon. If you're having an off day, do the easier versions of the exercise (Denise demonstrates).
It's a very mellow and relaxed workout that incorporates breath, well-paced and you still work up a sweat!
You feel great afterwards - looser, leaner, stronger, improved posture - that's enough incentive to do it a few times a week!
I've been using it for years & nothing has come close to the quality workout this video gives. I always come back to this one.
If you don't like her voice (it's not so bad), turn it down low and put on some music.
Money well spent. Definitely add this one to your library.
Movie Review: perfect for beginners to intermediate
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great workout. I was a rank beginner when i started and i could manage the first workout right away. Doing it daily I built up strength to do the second workout, which was my first introduction to yoga. I alternated the two at first; later I began to do both workouts together, a total of 40 minutes. After using this dvd for about 4 months I had dropped two sizes (of course also radically changing my diet).
the great thing about it is the introduction to yoga. No, she does not have the best technique, and I have recently moved on to do Bryan Kest yoga workouts, now that I have gained the strength and flexibility to do them. But Denise Austin is superb for getting you started and inspired. She is not overly perky in this dvd, but is very encouraging.
BTW, I do NOT like the Pilates for Everybody dvd, which I subsequently bought. I see that it is also a fantastic workout, but you need one of those bands, and you also need a chair, and a good part of it is ballet. nothing wrong with that, but I really liked the simplicity and focus of the pure pilates and yoga, which also use breath and mental focus.
I'm really grateful to Denise Austin for making pilates and yoga accessible to beginners and getting me into this form of exercise, which has made an incalculable difference in my strength, flexibility, mental clarity, and fitness.
Movie Review: New to yoga, but I like the tape.
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems like the biggest complaint about this video is that it's not a good Yoga workout. Well, I know nothing about yoga, but I enjoye this workout anyway. The poses stretched me out, and after only five days, my flexibility has improved. Now, maybe it's not traditional yoga in any sense of the word, but I can tell a difference after a very short period.I'm incredibly out of shape, and uncoordinated is a very mild ajective when applied to me. The second time through the workout, I managed to figure out what she was doing in every exercise/pose series. I still lose my balance on the balancing stick poses sometimes, but I can reach past my toes for the first time in a few years. That's quantifiable change.
The second big complaint for the Dense Austin workout videos is her voice. She does talk the whole time. My first thought on that was "How can she talk when I'm practically panting" (like I said, I'm out of shape). I don't really mind her voice. I do like the continual commentary because it frees me up to concentarate on balance. Now that I've been through the workout several times, I can just use her words as a guide instead of having to watch the screen constantly.
Overall, I highly recommend this dvd to beginners. When I get more yoga experience, maybe I'll come back and recommend it to other levels.
Movie Review: great pilates workout for beginners
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great workout for pilates beginners, with options for more intermediate levels as your strength and flexibility increases. It was just enough to make my abs a little sore, but I was still able to do it again the next day. The second workout definitely requires more ab strength, but the exercises can be modified. Overall, this dvd is great for building the core strength to move on to more advanced pilates with more reps. This dvd does not do a lot of reps per exercise, and the workouts are only 20 min each, but that was just fine for me until I had built up the abdominal strength to do more advanced dvds like those from Jennifer Kries. I still do this dvd sometimes after my cardio workouts if I feel like I need to get some quick abs in. Also, this dvd does do a few exercises for legs and butt, but not enough to where I could tell I had done anything in those areas. The primary focus of this workout is core strength and neck and back health. I could definitely tell a positive difference in the way my back and neck felt after doing this dvd for about a week. Denise focuses on areas that most workouts do not focus on, neck, back and spine. It made me feel great overall and I would highly recommend it.