Band Workouts

10 Minute Solution: Belly, Butt, & Thigh Blasters
Jessica Smith
Year Released: 2009

This dvd has already been broken down pretty thoroughly in the reviews section, so I will just post my overall impressions. I really liked it! This dvd has some fun ab, butt, and thigh using only the firewalker band. There are five 10 minute sections – 2 for abs and 3 for legs. I would rate the dvd solid intermediate. I think you can make it harder or easier by changing the thickness of the band.

What I Liked
This dvd is great for travel. Really got me in the glute and hamstring area. I like that each section was very focused. Jessica has a fantastic personality, and goes slowly enough that you can take the band on and off with ease. Loved the abs sections!

What I Didn’t Like
I came into this workout thinking it was strictly toning, and while the cardio section was fun, I wish that the dvd had remained all toning and the cardio section taken out. Additionally, I don’t feel that the thighs were worked as hard as the glutes, hamstrings, and abs. It might just be that my thighs have gotten stronger and I need a thicker band, but if that’s the case I cannot switch the bands quick enough to compensate for my stronger thighs.

Overall, I really like the workout and can see myself using it for travel or if I just want to change up my lower body routine.
Instructor Comments:
Jessica was very encouraging and down to earth. She just seems so NICE!

bubbles76

12/28/2014


This is an ab and leg focused workout from the 10 Minute Solution series, which utilizes a small loop band (they give you two bands with the DVD, but I found they broke quickly, and got higher quality replacements from Perform Better). I really enjoy using the loop band and was really excited to get this DVD (I got it when it came out in 2009 and have used it fairly frequently since) and Jessica uses the band really creatively and effectively. There are three toning chapters (two for legs and one for abs) as well as two cardio chapters (one leg focused and the other ab focused). I like to use individual chapters add-on style after heavy leg work, to really burn out the legs and work on endurance, or for a lighter cardio/leg day, or for travel, because the bands fit right in the DVD case and no other equipment is needed.

There is a small annoyance with the loop bands (which is consistent with different brands of the band) in that it bunches up and feels uncomfortable on your legs, and requires some readjusting every few minutes. Jessica didn’t seem to have hers bunch up too bad, but even her band slipped down her legs quickly. But I still enjoy working with the band too much to let this deter me.

Jessica moves things right along with a fairly short (0:30 minute) warm up and cool down in each chapter, and the music in this is fun. Lindsey already broke this down, so I’m just going to add my opinions.

-Better Booty Camp: As suggested by the title, this toning chapter really focuses on the glutes. All of the exercises are done standing. The band and choices of exercises really does allow you to work the glutes without working the hamstrings and quads, something I know people really enjoy about Beachbody’s Brazil Butt Lift (I have that too and think they are a similar style, but with some different exercises, and work nicely together).

-Strong & Slim Thighs: This all standing toning chapter works the entire legs, and when it is performed after already doing the first chapter (BBC), you will continue to feel it in the glutes. I particularly like that Jessica moves slowly enough in this section for you to achieve a very large range of motion (deep squats often touching the ground), while also working on your balance – you are often balancing on one foot in this one.

-Trim & Toned Tummy: Performed all on the floor, this toning chapter works the abs and core nicely. I thought it was pilates inspired and included long lever crunches with the legs which really worked the lower abs. There is also some side crunch and side plank work with the band around the knees. The pilates work uses the band around the ankles, and held in the hands while doing moves like the roll up. Very effective for the core area!

-Lower Body Makeover: This is an all standing cardio chapter focused on the legs. Using the band around the ankles (or mid-calf area, but it slips down on Jessica and on me too!) you do some faster paced toning moves mixed with some jack and jumping variations – very effective to keep the heart rate up, and if followed directly by the BBC and SST chapters, really works leg endurance by this point!

-Belly Flab Fighter: This is a primarily standing cardio chapter focused on the abs. You use the band in your hands in this one and Jessica does lots of twisting, crunching, and knee ins which really engage the abs. For some reason I do not enjoy the choreography as well in this one (although it is easy enough to follow), so this is my least used chapter.

Like the majority of the other 10 Minute Solution workouts, this is solid Intermediate level with some wiggle room to make it easier or harder, depending on the thickness of the band (I can use the slightly thicker hand for the toning sections but use the thinner band for the leg cardio). This is also one of those workouts that you get out what you put into it – if you put a lot of energy and large ROM into it, you are going to feel it a lot more (and get a more intense toning and cardio benefit) than if you just went through the motions. I really think this DVD fills a unique niche in that you get 40 minutes of varied and creative exercises using the band (discounting the BFF chapter which only uses the band as a prop in the hands) that I have not seen another exercise DVD offer. If you are interested in this type of exercise, I think it’s worth the (inexpensive) investment. Grade A!
Instructor Comments:
I think I have nearly all of Jessica Smith’s workouts by now, and she has yet to disappoint me. Her style seems to lean on standing core engagement, fairly high intensity cardio (with easy to follow choreography), moderately high rep exercises, large range of motion, and Pilates influenced core work, and she really has a knack for putting a creative twist on all of her exercises in her different videos (she has several 10MS videos and some other newer ones) which sets her apart from some of the other mainstream workouts. She is enthusiastic, upbeat, encouraging, and has good form pointers.

Emily B.

08/18/2011


This dvd has five 10 minute segments that can be mixed and matched to create a 10-50 minute workout. Jessica leads in the cute 10 MS studio looking set with no backgrounders. The dvd is packaged with a resistance loop. You won't need any other props for the workout.

Jessica does a really good job at utilizing the band in unique ways- really keeping the workout interesting and adding new twists to some traditional moves. She also does a great job of incorporating the band into most all the moves. All the segments flow really well.

Better Booty Camp: This is a standing LB section that has lots of great combo moves. Exercises include: bow & arrow, squat & rear glute pinch, squat leg lift, balance stick, pulsing pliets, attitude ballet leg lift, squat walks, side lunge- leg lifts, and concludes w/ standing donkey kicks.

Strong & Slim Thigh: This is a standing LB section that includes some nice pilates inspired moves w/ the band. Exercises include: balance beam squat leg lifts, single leg squats, floor touch squats, standing pilates leg circles, flamingo balance touch down, squat- inner thigh sweep, etc.

Trim & Toned Tummy: This is a nice little floor core routine. Moves include: heel drop crunches, circle crunches, long leg hip lifts, leg drops circles, criss cross/ scissor legs, side plank, bicycle variations, side crunches, etc. My core was well worked.

Lower Body Makeover: This section includes some great cardio in with your lower body work. Exercises include: squat- floor touch, band skaters, jacks, heel push- toe taps, skis, squat w/ 180 jumps,

Belly Flab Fighter: This is an awesome core cardio workout! Moves include: walk up w/ knee pull down, side step-figure 8's, plank knee pull ins, Mt. climbers, torso twists, oblique twist w/ the band behind you & a knee pull, etc. Jessica does a great job of keeping the core work active and adding in core work to the cardio moves.

I would rate this an intermediate workout that is very versatile. Love that each section is targeted and that it includes a core cardio routine. Jessica is a wonderful lead and does a fantastic job of cuing, providing modification tips, and her form is great. Really enjoy this dvd (as I do all the new 10 MS w/o's) and will be getting a lot of use out of it. I received this dvd from Anchor Bay to review.
lindseylu8

03/03/2011

As Strong As Possible: Band Camp
Paul Katami
Year Released: 2006

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of this workout.

Finally! A workout by Paul Katami that I enjoy and will keep. I have tried one or two of his other workouts and found well done, well planned workouts that were simply more advanced than I want to do. They left me feeling more beat up than I wanted.

I read that this workout is more intermediate and decided to try it. There are some things I really enjoyed about this workout:

1. I didn't have to modify on my own at all. There aren't high impact moves and he gives the minor modifications - like keep your other foot down if you don't want to balance on one foot - things I probably could have figured out on my own.

2. The workout is moderately paced and I had the time to shift the band and/or ring into new positions and be ready when they were. In some band workouts, the transitions between moves and/or positions are so fast that I am constantly stopping the DVD and then restarting once I'm in position.

3. He seems to use just enough reps. There are enough to fatigue my muscles, but not so many that it seems endless.

4. There is a modifier that shows the easier versions of the moves, when he gives options. She is on the front row and on the/my right side of the screen. She is usually on the screen when I'm looking for an option.

5. There are a lot of combination moves, upper and lower body at the time, in this workout. If you don't like them, don't try this workout!


For this workout, you need a band and a foot band, or ring. I ended up using my lightest band, because I had trouble with shoulder moves with the medium strength. That meant that I majorly choked up on the band for most of the other moves - biceps, triceps, etc.

The workout has the following sections:

> Upper body moves with the band
> Lower body moves with the ring/foot band
> Strength moves with using both the band and the ring/foot band.
> Standing core moves. You replace the ring with the end of the band wrapped around your foot.
> Back pulls on the floor
> Core on the floor - mainly crunches with counter moves with the band wrapped around the foot.

I tend to stop before the core on the floor because I HATE crunches. Fortunately, there is enough standing core work that I feel like I get the core work I want before that section. Keep in mind that core work is one of my least favorite types of fitness moves unless it's standing.

Just to let you know a little about me, I'm a 48 year old intermediate and long term exerciser who has bad hands, wrists, and feet (psoriatic arthritis) and bad knees (osteo arthritis). Consequently, I look for low-impact workouts - or workouts that I can modify easily - that don't require body weight to be supported on my hands/wrists.

Instructor Comments:
His communication skills are incredibly good. I can just listen to him describe how to position the band and get it right every time. Plus, he's encouraging and motivating to do more while reminding you to stick to your limits and consider the safety of how you are moving.

Laura S.

10/24/2011


I have been looking for workouts that are a change up from heavy lifting. This certainly fits the bill. As other reviewers have already noted, the workout uses only tubing and a leg band.

I found this video provided a nice workout that got the job done. I have only very heavy tubing so I had to use bands which worked too and was very easy to substitute - except for the move with the side planks. Overall, I felt nicely worked out, but didn't experience overkill nor did I feel "repped to death." The workout as was about 45 minutes or so and the time flew by for me.

The music was very bland and uninspiring.

Paul's voice seemed to fade out a couple of times, but it was only a slight distraction and I could still hear him, and the fading only seemed to last a few seconds.

The set was fine. The workout was in front of a large window covered brick wall. Outside the window it seemed to just be foggy.

Instructor Comments:
This was my first time doing a video by Paul Katami. I found him to be appealing and a great coach. He did a great job illustrating the set up with the band. He has a very nice demeanor and was encouraging without being too peppy. At the beginning of the video I found him to count a bit too much, but as the workout went on he either stopped doing it as much or it quit bothering me. Overall I quite liked him as an instructor.

ivorygorgon

04/07/2011


Band Camp is another great addition to the A.S.A.P. Fitness video library. This workout, which is approximately 46 minutes total, only uses resistance bands. You'll use handled tubing and foot bands throughout. Anyone can do this since you choose the level of resistance and can lengthen or shorten the band as needed.

A non weighted warmup performing moves similar to what you'll be doing begins the workout. Very unique exercises are demonstrated. (many work more than one body part at a time) Paul goes quickly from one exercise to another creating a small cardio affect. Great cues and instruction ensure safety. This would be an ideal take along workout for travel, since bands/tubing are easy to pack. Bands provide resistance both on the concentric and eccentric parts of the move. (which can make the exercise harder) The moves have a functional feel to them, such as the move Paul does called Golf Swing which will help you in your game. Paul ends with floor work such as rows & crunches. You'll still use the bands for innovative moves for the entire core region. (some moves are tough such as side plank with tubing around top foot and you'll push the other part of the tubing up and over to the side while remaining in the side plank) A quick stretch wraps up the workout.

Instructor Comments:
www.asapfitness.com

Great form tips throughout the entire A.S.A.P. Fitness series, both verbally and written. (tips appear on screen when needed)

Thanks to Paul for sending me review copies. These are great workouts that I recommend highly!

DeniseR

02/20/2007


This is a total body muscle conditioning workout using tubing with handles and a foot band (a large, thick rubber band). It’s 45 minutes long. The setting is a large room with brick walls and a bare, gray floor. There are five fit-looking background exercisers - two men and three women. The music is just there to keep everyone on the same beat, nothing special.

Breakdown:

~ Warmup - simple movements to get the blood flowing; very short, less than 2 minutes.

~ Using the tubing:

- Core rotation & shoulder lift
- Front lunge with overhead shoulder press
- Skater lunge with lateral shoulder raise
- Side-to-side lunge with biceps curl
- Triceps press and kickbacks
*Repeat sequence with tubing under the other foot

~ Using the foot band around feet:

- Side steps
- Staggered steps
- Knee lifts
- Standing leg extensions
- Skate extensions
- Tick tocks (standing side leg lifts)

~ Using both the tubing and the foot band:

- Biceps curls with hamstring extension
- One-arm biceps curls (both handles in one hand!) with hamstring curls
- Front shoulder raises with rear leg extensions
- One-arm biceps curl with split squat
- Double time one-arm curls to the front, inside, outside (my biceps failed during this one!)
*Repeat sequence on other side except doing lateral shoulder raises instead of front raises

- Lat pulls from various angles with side steps

~ Using the tubing only:
(the following exercises are functional, whole body moves)

- Golf swing
- Standing oblique crunch
- Chest lift
- Cross lift
*Repeat on other side

- Seated rows from various angles

~ Abs:
Using foot band around feet:

- Basic crunch with leg abduction
- Oblique crunch with knee-ins

Using tubing around foot and hand:

- Long lever crunches
- Side planks
*Repeat on other side

~ Cool down - static stretching for the major muscle groups.

Overall, I liked the workout. It would be great for travel. It really hit my shoulders, biceps, core, outer thighs, and sense of balance. Chest was a little lacking however. Paul is an encouraging instructor who I didn't find annoying in the least, but he could have offered a few more form pointers; I wouldn't recommend this workout to a beginner. I do not regret buying this dvd and I can see myself using it when I want a total body, moderate rep workout that's challenging but not dread-inspiring.
Instructor Comments:
Encouraging and professional

Bliss6789

12/24/2006

Everybody Fitness: Exercise Your Options
Dana Pieper
Year Released: 2013

I wrote several posts reviewing the workouts on Dana Pieper's Exercise Your Options DVD one at a time. Those posts are below. Hopefully, they will give the info needed for you to know if you would like this DVD...

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OK. I did one segment of Dana Pieper's new DVD today and I thought I'd post thoughts and info as I went rather than waiting to write one big review.

The main menu has these options:

Introduction
Warm up
Concentrated Core (20 minutes)
Simply Strength (30 minutes)
Cardio Quick Fix (40 minutes)
Interval Tube Conditioning (50 minutes)

You choose what you want from the menu. I saw someone asking if it's easy to skip the tubing section. Yes, don't choose it from the menu.

In the introduction, she gives an overview of the DVD. In it, she points out the warm up and suggests that you do it before any of the segments so that your body is ready for the workout. She also states that she will be giving directions, "left" and "right", which are HER "left" and "right". And, I thought, "Uh oh." That's one of the things that drove me NUTS in her first two workouts. However, it wasn't a problem in the segment I did because she seemed to have decided that instead of using those terms, she would use terms like "this direction", "that direction", "this leg", "that arm", etc. She only slipped twice and used the word "right". Once, it looked like she realized it and so she gestured with her chin in the direction she was going (which made it flow with no problem for me) and in the other she cued as she did the move and I just had a couple seconds of adjusting.

I did the Simply Strong segment. My rotation called for a high rep workout and I figured this would fall into that category (and it did). The workout lasts just over 30 minutes. In the first half (around 16 minutes), you use one heavy weight. My understanding was that I needed to choose one heavy light weight rather than a weight I'd actually use in a heavy strength workout. I used 10 pounds for most of this section and dropped to 8 with a couple of moves. The second half is using a set of light weights. I used 5 pounds until the end when she was frying my arms and shoulders and I dropped to 3 pounds. There are a LOT of compound moves in this segment. She usually would get started with the lower body and then add in the upper body.

There is one chapter point in this segment, at the 50% mark. At that point in the workout, words appear on the screen that tell you that you are 50% done and that is where the chapter point is. It falls almost at the end of the segment with the one high weight before you transition to the two light weights. It would be difficult to do more because she does a set of moves, does something else, and then comes back and does the other side. And, it's not always done in a set pattern. So, if I were to choose one or two logical places to chapter, this would be the one I would choose. A lot of the chaptering that should have happened in the first workouts has been accomplished on this DVD by her breaking up the different segments into menu options you can chose one at a time. I'll be interested to see how the rest of the segments are chaptered.

At the end, I was totally sweaty and smiling. I thought it was a fun workout and the time just flew. I'd rate it intermediate.

I'll post more info on the other segments as I do them.

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This morning, I did the Interval Tube Conditioning workout. It uses tubing and includes both cardio and strength moves. It seemed to be more of a conditioning workout than pure strength building. She uses the tubing in many different ways - you hold it at different lengths, you stand on it, you lay it on the floor and do moves along and over it, you have it behind your back while doing push ups. The workout moved at a pretty good clip, but I didn't have much trouble keeping up with the set up of the band. She was very descriptive and gave time for the set-up of the band.

The workout is actually 50 minutes plus. I quit at the 51 minute mark as she moved into a last set of planks/push ups. The workout is actually 53-54 minutes long. She uses the relative references as she did in the strengh workout giving directions like "this way", "the other side", "this leg", etc. She did a lot of gesturing with her chin and hands. She only actually used the term "right" once or twice.

There are messages that appear on the screen at the 25%, 50%, and 75% marks of the workout. And, there are chapter points at each of those moments. They don't really correlate to anything in the workout (they're not starting a significant new section), but it would let you jump into a later part of the workout.

For people with joint issues, there are some things to keep in mind. There is a LOT of high impact. However, she always either starts with the low-impact version and then goes high impact or she tells you what the low-impact option is. There are a couple of modifiers who do low impact. Unfortunately, they are at the back and sides of the group of exercisers, so they aren't always on the screen, but you can usually see one of them. There are quite a few squats and lunges. There are also a lot of moves where your body weight is supported on your hands. I found ways to modify in most of these cases (chest presses instead of push ups, bridge lifts instead of tricep dips on the floor, etc.). They usually do not show modifications to these moves, so you're on your own with these. It is mostly a standing workout, although you do go to the floor in two segments (I think it's two).

I absolutely LOVE band workouts, so I thought I would LOVE this workout. Rather, I liked it the first time I did it. I did start with a medium tension band and dropped to a lighter tension and did better with it. I look forward to trying it again and seeing how I like it when I'm not figuring out modifications as much.

I also took a look at the core section. It is 20 minutes, give or take. There is 4 minutes of standing work. Then, she moves into plank work. At the halfway point (give or take), she moves info floor work.

I'm not really into core workouts, so I did the first four minutes and then watched some of the rest of it to get a feel for it.

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I did the cardio workout - well, most of it - this morning. This is the last section of the DVD that I haven't done so far. It last about 40 minutes and almost all of it is high impact with low-impact options given. It is a cardio workout that I probably wouldn't buy on its own because there are just too many cardio workouts I prefer. But, it is a good option for me on this DVD that has so many options.

Like I said, it's almost all high impact, but she is very deliberate about giving low-impact options throughout the workout and presenting them as a perfectly viable option. Many times, she starts with the low-impact option and then morphs into the high-impact version. When she starts with the high-impact move, she will quickly show the lower-impact option once people get going. In several places, she will say something like:

Walking people/low-imapct people will look like this. (And, she'll do the move.) Running people/high-impact people will look like this (And, she'll do the move.)

And, since most of the low-impact moves just require you to keep your feet on the ground rather than lifting them, it's not a hard workout to modify. There are two lower-impact modifiers. The first is the the older guy on the right side of the screen and he is almost all low impact. Once in awhile he will shuffle instead of walking. I found myself following him a lot because he is on the screen a lot and I wanted to do the options he was doing. He's not the best at keeping the beat and once in awhile got a little off the beat, but he was having such a good time and it didn't happen too often that I just rolled with it. The other low-impact modifier is the woman on the far left side of the screen in the back row. She would sometimes to higher-impact moves (like jumping jacks) and often stick with the lower-impact options. She wasn't on the screen as much as the guy and it was good they were on opposite sides of the room because usually one of them was on the screen.

The moves are athletic rather than dancey and range from quick and shallow lunges and squats to boxing/kicking moves to various types of shuffles to running/walking in place to jumps/side steps, etc. I really like how she puts moves together and thought the workout was more fun than most high-impact workouts like this one. The moves got my heart rate up and kept it threre. It's not a killer workout, but a steady-state cardio workout that is designed to keep you breathing hard. Remember, I did the low-impact options, so I did NOT explore how hard the workout could be.

And, she just seems to have a blast in this workout. To me, there was nothing scripted about her exclaiming how much fun she was having (just once in awhile). I really like her as an instructor. She's genuine. She motivates you to work out hard, but lets you decide what "hard" is for you and encourages you to exercise at your own level.

Don't ask me about the music; I remember NOTHING about it. That should tell you something. The workout is set in a gym and it's a good basic set.

Instructor Comments:
She is enthusiastic and encouraging and seems committed to everyone getting a good workout for them.

Laura S.

07/25/2013

Shape Pilates Workout: Makeover Your Abs, Butt, and Thighs Fast!
Lizbeth Garcia, Yumi Lee
Year Released: 2006

I’m reviewing this workout after doing both sections 3 times each.

General workout breakdown: This DVD has two workouts: a 30-min. Pilates workout that focuses primarily on the lower body and a 10-min. “gym-style” workout for the upper body; both use a resistance band to “shape” muscles.

- The 30-min. Pilates workout begins with a warm-up of about 6 min. that’s done standing and contains these moves: raising and lowering band, tap outs, raise on toes, squat with lat pull and then chest expansion & roll up, running (heel lift) with close & open arms, demi plie, a kind of standing saw, plie w/ oblique twist / arrows, upper body circles (around the world), and standing spine twist with calf raise in grand plie. The workout then moves to the floor for matwork exercises: half roll-up, oblique twist, single leg circle, single leg stretch, double leg stretch, and rolling like a ball into a teaser. The side-lying leg series includes single leg lift, (large) circles, front & back, up & down, hot potato, knee to chest & side leg lift, diagonal knee in & reach out, and double leg lift, then moves onto all fours for a variation on the double leg kick (but with single leg only) & a swing to the side, then leg pull down with knee to chest (in plank). After a quick child’s pose / shell stretch / little piece of heaven, you do the other side. For the last 6 min. you stay on the floor for a bridge with arms & then leg extension, bridge with raised leg, 2-leg reach (sometimes called frog; it’s adapted from the reformer’s leg strap series), and reverse plank, finishing with a mermaid series as a final stretch.
Lizbeth incorporates exercise adapted from the reformer as well as traditional matwork; there are also a few dance-inspired moves. Overall the workout flows from one exercise to another, with little down time or pauses to set up. The pace is fairly quick but never so fast that you feel like you’re racing through everything. As you might expect from a Pilates workout, the emphasis is on quality over quantity, so there’s never an exercise done with more than about 4-8 reps.

- The 10-min. bonus workout begins with a quick warm-up of wood chop-like movements. You then move right into push-ups, seated wide row, more push-ups (different tempo), standing low row & lat press, shoulder overhead press, quick chest & back stretches, lateral raise + diagonal raise (halfway between side & front) & hammer curls, and overhead triceps extension. The segment ends with lat pull back for a stretch, side bends, and chest stretch. Again, the focus here is on putting effort into move, using fewer reps.

Level: I’d recommend this to intermediate exercisers with prior experience in Pilates. Although the enclosed booklet discusses some of the basic Pilates principles, there is not enough proper form and breath instruction in the video for beginners to Pilates. Beginner/intermediate exercisers can use a lighter resistance band, while high intermediates can keep challenging themselves with a band of high resistance. I consider myself an int. / adv. exerciser who’s also at the int.+ or even int./adv. level of Pilates, and I find some parts of this easy, some parts challenging (especially the shoulder work and long leg series). The band does add an additional level of challenge and interest to some of the same ol’ exercises.

Class: 2 young women join Lizbeth; one shows a few modifications. Yumi is by herself for the bonus.

Music: standard instrumental exercise video fare. It’s pleasant but not noteworthy.

Set: brightly lit interior set made up like an overlarge living room with fitness equipment and plants along the back wall.

Production: super crisp picture, clear sound. The instructor’s voice is louder than the music. The camera angles are for the most part helpful.

Equipment: a mat (or equivalent, if needed) and a resistance band of your choice of resistance. (A 5’ may work better for you if the resistance is less and/or you’re shorter; your 6’ band is probably best, especially if yours is higher resistance and/or your height is average or above.) You’ll want to be barefoot for the Pilates workout; you can wear shoes or not for the bonus.

Space Requirements: enough room to move your arms and legs around while standing and lying down.

DVD Notes: The main menu allows you to select Play All, Play Workout, Bonus Workout, and Additional Material (About Shape, About BCRF, About Your Instructors, About Sponsor Under Armour, and Credits).
The DVD comes with a 6-foot pink resistance band of a moderate level of resistance and a short booklet. The booklet includes several short blurbs: Welcome to Shape’s Pilates for Pink Program, Why Try Pilates?, The Core of the Matter, Perfect Your Pilates Posture, The Cardio Connection, The Diet-Disease Connection, and A Few Facts about Breast Cancer. There’s also ads for Under armour’s Power in Pink wear and Shape’s workout materials.
As with the original Shape Pilates for Pink, $1 from every new DVD sold goes to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Comments: I’d especially recommend this to someone looking for a Pilates workout or just floorwork in general to work the lower body. Ideally you engage your core for the entire video so that it is also worked. What little upper body work there is in the Pilates workout is primarily for the shoulders. The bonus upper body segment is fairly well rounded, although again there’s a good bit for the shoulders. Overall this video would be a good option for someone who can’t or doesn’t want to use weights for whatever reason, such as travel.

The two Shape Pilates for Pink videos are different enough to justify having both. The first one is much more fluid, with exercises building one on top of the other, and feels more like dancing on the floor, as Pat said. The focus there was more core and total body, while the focus here is definitely the lower body and abs. Because of the added resistance from the band I found Makeover Your Abs, Butt, and Thighs slightly more challenging.

Since this video came out about the same time as 10 Minute Solution Slim & Sculpt Pilates, which also uses a resistance band to mimic reformer and cadillac exercises and to punch up traditional matwork moves, I’ll post some thoughts comparing the two workouts. The major difference between the two is structure: the Shape has the 30 min. workout that incorporates lower body, abs, and some upper body plus the 10 min. segment for upper body, while the 10 Min. Solution has 10 min. segments for lower body, upper body, abs, total body, and stretch. Interestingly, the instructors sometimes use the band differently, even for the same exercises; for example, Lizbeth has you wrap the band around your curved upper body for rolling like a ball while Suzanne of the 10 Min. Solution has you ball it up and stick it between your feet as you roll. The Shape has more of a fluid, dance-like feel to it, while the 10 Min. Solution feels like a series of exercises performed one after another. The 10 Min. Solution uses Pilates exercises for the upper body instead of the gym-style or more athletic exercises in the Shape bonus; that said, the 10 Min. Solution total body segment seemed more gym- than Pilates-inspired, and its stretch is yoga-inspired. The Shape devotes slightly more time to the lower body, and that leg series can be rather grueling by the time you get to the end of the line for the one leg, but it doesn’t include the nice final stretch that the 10 Min. Solution does. Suzanne is more talkative than Lizbeth, but neither start babbling inanely or saying ridiculous things. I wouldn’t be surprised if people who have both find themselves pretty much evenly split between those who like one vs. those who like the other. I personally prefer the 10 Min. Solution because I like the flexibility of the DVD, with its ability to program the number and order of segments; the organization into neatly divided segments; and the fact that it’s evenly divided between body parts and includes a final stretch to boot.

Instructor Comments:
Lizbeth has a low key, pleasant, encouraging personality. She focuses on cueing moves without a ton of time spent on breaking down the moves. She mirror cues.
Yumi also has a positive personality, although her enthusiasm is a tiny bit forced in a few spots. She also mirror cues.

KathAL79

04/05/2008

X-TrainFit: Toning
Karen Gentz
Year Released: 2014

This DVD has 3 half-hour-ish workouts: upper (25 min), lower (26 min), and core (30 min). In each workout, after a short warmup, she goes through a round (or circuit) of exercises. There is a modifier in each workout. In the upper body workout, she uses a band (which I loved since I really enjoy band workouts). She's worth following even if you stick with dumbbells. In the lower-body workout, the modifier uses either lower weights or no weights. In each workout, the first set is 16 reps, the second is 8 reps with 2 counts, the last is 4 reps with 4 counts. There's an on-screen timer and caption for each exercise. The core workout includes Pilates type floor workout without traditional crunches.

Unfortunately, the DVD isn't chaptered, so you can't skip ahead in a workout. You have to fast forward, if you want to skip ahead. From the menu, there are options to do voice only, music + cues, or cues only, where Karen only cues the moves. I don't think I even heard the music, so I can't tell you what it's like. She gives quite a few form pointers throughout the workout, which I like. She leads the workout with two background exercisers, one who modifies and one who does what Karen does. When there is a third more advanced option, Karen does it.

For an intermediate exerciser, these are very doable workouts and the modifier really makes them accessible. I like the no-nonsense, straight forward instruction. The pace is slow enough that you can go heavy with the weights, whatever that means to you. If I had to describe these workouts, I'd say that they are almost like follow-along paper workouts - no glitz, no chatter, no unique twists, and no big "personalities".

Instructor Comments:
She is calm and low key and practical. She gives lots of form pointers and allows for exercisers at different levels. I really like her in this workout.

Laura S.

03/06/2015