Classical Pilates Technique
is a 75 minute DVD.  It has a 2-minute introduction, and there is a 17-minute
discussion of the benefits of Pilates with 3 people, Bob Liekens, Alycea Ungaro
and Peter Fiasca.  The rest of the DVD is divided up into five sections
introducing different levels of Pilates Mat Workouts.  These are

• Modified Basic (6 minutes)
• Basic (4 minutes)
• Intermediate (13 minutes)
• Advanced (21 minutes)
• Super Advanced (4 minutes)

The mat used is not just the regular Pilates mat (which is
thicker than a yoga mat) but rather a T-shaped mat with a couple of extra
features.  This mat is available from Grantz-Pilates
online, where they call it the "low mat."  Other equipment that
gets used includes a short pole just to keep the hands parallel when doing sit
ups, and a foot loop attached to the top of the mat for doing sit ups. 
However, it is possible to do these exercises using a couple of yoga mats, one
on top of another, and improvising a way to hold your feet still when doing the
sit ups — such as putting your feet under your bed.

The workouts are demonstrated by
Peter Fiasca, Junghee Kallander, and Jamie Trout.  The DVD has very simple
production, with a mat on a wooden floor with a curtain in the background.  The
camera shows the instructor from a couple of angles, tending to hold the shot
for about half a minute before switching to the other angle.  Bob Liekens gives
instructions about how to do the exercises in a voice over.  For each different
exercise, the name of the exercise appears on the screen, along with the number
of repetitions that should be used.  So it is a very plain and static
production.  There are no special DVD features used, except dividing the
different parts into chapters so it is possible to select which chapter you
want to view.

This is not a particularly easy DVD
to use if you are looking to start out with Pilates.  The pace is fast, and the
switches between one exercise and the next is rapid.  If you want to watch
carefully and get the movements exactly right — and in Classical Pilates
there’s great emphasis on being precisely right in the movement — then you
will need to use the pause button on your DVD remote quite often, and you will
need to watch the exercises carefully first.  It might be more suited to people
who have gone to a few Pilates classes already and need a reminder about how to
do the exercises and what order to do them in. 

The individual workouts are short:
even the advanced one is only 21 minutes, and the most elementary one is just 6
minutes.  The exercises will be challenging for people who are not used to them
and who are not already strong and flexible, and they are probably very
beneficial so long as they are done carefully so as to avoid injury.  However,
most people who go to a Pilates class will be used to a longer workout — 30 or
45 minutes is quite standard.  It is not very clear how to use this DVD to
provide such a workout. 

So overall, some people may find
this a useful DVD if they want what it provides, but for those who are looking
for a more general guide to doing Pilates, they would be better off looking
elsewhere. 

Link: Classical Pilates, Inc

© 2006 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Christian
Perring, Ph.D., is Academic Chair of the Arts & Humanities
Division and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island. He is also editor of Metapsychology Online Reviews.  His main
research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: General, Movies