I coulda sworn there was a thread about Pilates here.. but maybe it got lost in the crash.

Anyways, I was thinking about starting Pilates. Now, I could take it at my gym, but I have to pay an extra 5 per session on top of my membership. Plus its at not that best times.

Sooo... does anyone know of a good Pilates DVD that I could use instead?

What kind of equipment would I also need? (You can tell I know next to nothing about)

Thanks ladies!

I just started taking it. I bought a really beginner video, a mat, and that resistant band. The video is 70 mins long, but I get only about 2/3 of it done for now... I'm concentrating on the breathing. Maybe you could start with a beginner video, too?

What video though? Who is it by?

Thanks!

I just started doing Pilates. I am doing "Pilates for Dummies." It is about a 25-minute workout. It's very basic, which I need. It's still tough for me starting out to do everything, but I'm improving.

I've been doing pilates on and off for about a year and faithfully for the last several months. Here's my advice:

* Use videos/cd's/classes only if the instructor is Guild or Stott certified. There are a lot of people out there willing to "teach" but what they teach can be harmful - Denise Austin's terrible tapes are a good example of what untrained teaching can do.

* I recommend to everyone that I know to invest the $15 and buy The Pilates Body Book by Brooke Siler. Brooke is on the Pilates Guild advisory board. She was trained by Joseph Pilates' protoge. Her book will explain things to you that you will not find in any video. Thanks to her book, my workouts are significantly more effective and I can rest assured that I'm doing this correctly (without the $165 private lesson!)

* Don't be alarmed if you can't do it at first. People who are in great shape have a hard time when they're learning. You're learning a whole new way of moving and controlling your body - you'll gain strength faster than you think!

* If it hurts, find a way to modify or stop! This is not your traditional "no pain no gain" mentality. It's ok to feel like you're working, but you should never feel pain during or after your workout.

Ok, there's my two bits! Good luck!

???? I have Pilates videos, and me and my sis have tried to do them, but we crack up laughing....its different. We are used to doing high impact aerobic type workouts and its really diffrent from anything we have ever done.

Starprincess: thanks for the info! Very helpful

age 25, 5'11
SW 201
CW 168
GW 150

spillthebeans - Just to clarify, I'm not looking to replace my cardio and weight lighting.. just adding to it to increase my flexibility.

Star - thanks for the advice. I'll look into the book. Do you have any suggestions for videos or do you go to a class or use just the book?

jdogg - Do you find the Pilates for dummies too slow? I worry about getting bored with it too quickly. I have heard its a bit slow (which is good in the begining I guess).

I bought the Winsor Pilates tapes when they were really big on the infomercials last year (yes, I actually bought from an infomercial). I like the tapes, but I only used them twice. I can't do my workouts at home... I just can't do it. I either have to be outside or at the gym.

Tonic: It's not slow for me -- at least yet. I've never done anything like Pilates -- ever. So, I'm finding it really challenging. I've only been doing it for about two weeks. I think it's a good place to start, anyway. On the video, they show more challenging moves and more basic moves, depending on where you're at. So, you could keep making it more challenging. I'm staying very basic right now!

I have been doing the Gaiam pilates abs workout tape for a week now. I really like it. i started pilates last year using Brooke Siler's book, which I agree is a really good background for doing Pilates from a video. It tells you in writing what the exercise is actually supposed to be doing, which is important, but it is hard to follow exercises from a book. So I stopped doing that, and then found the Gaiam website, and ordered two Pilates videos. In fact I just checked the site and they're having a sale on the Pilates abs video I have for 4.99, so check it out. It is taught by Ana Caban, who was trained by the same Pilates protege who taught Brooke Siler.

I was looking around and I saw that Gaiam has Brooke Siler's book, the Pilates Body, on sale as well. If you are going to order from them, don't bother with the kits, it is cheaper to get a mat and resistance bands separately at your local sports equipment store. But they have good deals on the videos.

Thanks for all the suggestions ladies!

anna - I'll check out those dvds you suggested Thanks! I also think I saw mats and stuff at TJ Max.. so they should be pretty cheap.

I've used the Ana Cabon video with the body bands and thought it was ok.
I've also used Gaiam's Pilates Condition for weight loss which was ok as well.

I'm currently using the Windsor Pilates series and love it. But my new thing is using Brooke Siler's Pilates Body Kit which has flash cards to explain the moves and modifications. It also has cd's instead of videos so she can talk you through the moves, but you don't throw yourself out of position by trying to watch a tv screen. Very nice!

Oh - a special note! Don't bother with a yoga mat! They're too thin for pilates work. For pilates, use a thicker mat or thick carpet so your bones are properly cushioned.

StarPrincess, when I tried Pilates, the rolling stuff hurt my lower back (nearest my tailbone... maybe it was my tailbone). You know, when you curl into a ball and roll backwards? Anyhow... could it be just that I didn't have proper cushioning? Should I give it another try with a thick mat?

Formia: LOL, that move is ridiculous! I have the Windsor pilates and I avoid that move, I have had back problems in the past. I mean really, are humans supposed to tuck and roll backwards???????

age 25, 5'11
SW 201
CW 168
GW 150