Crunch - Pick Your Spot Pilates

First of all, I really did(do) like this DVD workout & do it often, so I don't mean for my title to sound negative. I just wouldn't necassarily clasify this as a Pliates DVD. It has Pilates elements & some of the exercises on it are def. Pilates(such as the "hundreds", a Pilates standard) but overall if you're looking for a workout that's just Pliates, I wouldn't recommend this one. That being said, if you're just looking for a good workout that's not too time consuming, I'd def. recommend this one. The biggest pro to me about this DVD is that it's very easy to do. I don't mean all the exercises are easy(though honestly, I don't find it on the whole to be very challanging, however that's not necassarily a bad thing & I'll explain why)...I just mean it's a very user friendly workout. At first I was a little confused about the setup...I took the "pick your spot" literally & thought when I clicked on that section it would give me a choice of stomach, thighs, or butt but it's actually just all of them one after the other, each one ten min. long. I also assumed the "total body workout' would be longer but it's actually also only ten min(& incidentally I find that section to incorporate the most Pilates exercises).Once I understood & got into the rhthym of the workout, I really did like it. I usually just do both the "pick your spot" & the "total body workout" together, for a total of 40 min. But what's cool is that if you're having a day where you feel like you need to push yourself to workout(or you haven't worked out in awhile & are trying to get back into it), it actually makes it a lot easier. Sometimes I tell myself I'm just going to do the total body for 10 min...& it actually really helps motivate me. I used to be very all or nothing, like I'd have to do the whole thing or not do it at all but finally realized I actually worked out less that way b/c I'd end up feeling so pressured I just wouldn't do anything. But now I find if I'm just having trouble getting myself motivated, this Dvd is actually really helpful. And most of the time after I do the 1o min I actually end up wanting to do the rest. However, even if I don't for whatever reason, it's still better than doing nothing & I actually do feel I've worked each part of my body in 10 min, even more so if I do the "pick your spot" also or instead of(though if I do the "pick your spot" I usually also do the total body, mostly b/c as I mentioned I feel it's more Pilates oriented & Pilates is my fav type of exercise). The other good thing about it is if you just don't have much time to workout but want to at least do something, it doesn't seem as daunting w/ this DVD. If you have 30 min you can do the pick your spot, if you only have 10, do the total body.For me, it makes me want to do more the next time I workout, esp. when I haven't been for awhile & want to get back into it but need to start off slow. Now as far as my saying it's not that strenuous a workout, that's only my opinion & I'm basing that on the fact that I find other Pilates DVDs or classes to be more difficult. I'd written another review about "Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners" by Brooke Siler & I just finished doing the entire thing before writing this review. I hadn't done it in awhile as I had taken a break from exercising & then got back into it the other day w/ this Crunch DVD. Just having done both of them recently, I was really struck by how much more difficult I found the Brooke Siler one. So basically, if you're looking for a moderate workout that isn't too time consuming & has Pilates elements, I would def. recommend this Crunch Pilates DVD. If you're looking for hard core Pilates, I'd say look elsewhere. But I am def. happy I got this one, since I usually only do Pilates, it adds a little variety to my workouts & as I said, I find it to be very motivating & a decent workout!

Purchased this years ago. One of my FAVS! This is a great beginners Pilates tape. Posture and breathing technique is everything when doing Pilates. This tape may seem fairly easy for the people that work out on a consistent basis but it WORKS! It targets the specific areas and it will definitely tone you. I am proof of that. Continue to do it at least 3 x a week initially and then daily if it’s possible and I can guarantee you will see results in as little as 30 days. I was able to completely get rid of the muffin top after a c-section. Never did I think it was possible to firm that area because of cut muscle but with this tape I am back to myself but better! Do it as often as you can and I promise that you will see results you never thought were possible. Because of some issues with family illnesses I have stopped my routine. This is my go to work out to getting back in shape so I’m at it again. Recently purchased for a family member who it’s trying to get back in shape after a recent pregnancy. I’m hoping she will find this DVD as beneficial as I have. GET IT! IT WORKS!!! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

This is one of the best Pilates workouts I've seen. It is challenging and contains a good variety of exercises. There are actually 4 different 10 minute workouts on this DVD, one for abs, butt, thighs and then a total body workout. I've always done all 4 of them. It gives you a great workout and by the time you are doing the 4th one, you can really feel it.The instructor is very energetic and encouraging. Her cues are clear and well timed. She does a good job of explaining the exercises either before or while you are doing them. The only complaint I would have is that I feel she doesn't do enough reps on some of the exercises. The way I remedied this though is to go ahead and begin doing reps as she is explaining some of the exercises. For some of the exercises, she takes a little time to tell you what you are going to be doing before you actually start doing it. So, after doing the workout a couple of times, when she calls the next exercise as the criss-cross, I just start doing it, while she explains the form and the exercise. For those exercises where I can't start before she does, and I feel I need more reps I just do them a little quicker. For instance, she has you hold the bridge for a long time on each rep. I feel I get more out of doing more reps than holding for longer, so I just do them quicker and get about twice the reps in that she does.I haven't been doing Pilates for that long, so I don't feel that there is anything in these workouts that a beginner couldn't do. It is challening enough though that an experienced Pilates exerciser would not be bored with it. It really is my favorite Pilates workout, and I have several of them.It looks like all of the Crunch workouts are put together very well. I have Sara Ivanhoe's Perfect Yoga workout DVD that contains the Joy of Yoga and Fat Burning Yoga workouts and it is fantastic. I would highly recommend it if you are looking for a yoga workout to compliment your Pilates regimen.

I have tried many pilates DVD's and this is the best so far. My husband and I enjoyed it so much (quick/easy with great results) that I have bought for 3 other family members.

Whenever I purchase a Crunch workout DVD, I know I am getting a good product of high quality. This video is no exception. In addition, it is lead by one of my favourite fitness host: Ellen Barrett. Ellen is fun and animated (but not annoyingly so), provides great instructions (including modifications for people who want a less challenging workout), and she just seems intelligent so that you believe whatever advice she provides (I have seen too many exercise videos where the IQ of the host seemed smaller than her waist circumference).Ad advertized on the cover, this workout consist of 10-minute-ish pilates workouts, one focusing on the abs, one of butt, one on thighs. This was my first introduction to pilates and it is now one of my favourite forms of exercise. I even convinced my mother, who rarely exercises because she abhors it, to do it with me once and she loved it. The exercises are not super challenging (you hardly feel as though you are working out during the workout), but the next day, you feel the results. ...and not in a bad way. There is no pain. Just a general sense of well being, increased strength, and improved posture. This video is a great introduction to pilates. I'm glad I found it!

This is the first Pilates DVD you should invest in. It is easy, fun and effective. The instructor is easy to be with and offers a modification for each exercise. I have purchased this DVD twice, once for myself and one to give to a friend, who no doubt will do the same. I have a stack of Pilates DVD's, but this is the one I reach for consistently.

I had originally had this on VCR, but liked it so much that I re-bought it in DVD just recently. This is a good beginner workout, I like to do this when I don't feel like doing a heavy workout. It is only 30 min. (10 min. each)abs, butt and thighs. So you can do all at once or whatever you like. They are all floor exercises. It is effective, when I do it I do notice my body tightening up. Would recommend.

Really wish that there was a longer workout besides the 10 minute workouts. It's nice with you have both options.