20-Minute Pilates Abs & Waist

Very well presented and a delightful instructor. Everyone can do these with a bit of practice.

Great pilates workout.

This is a great workout. Very easy to follow. They also have beginner and intermediate levels. Very easy to graduate from beginner to intermediate. I would highly reccomend.

I bought this DVD because it was a good price, but I'm not overly impressed with the quality. There are two work-outs: beginner and intermediate, but they are taped at the same time, and the camera angle is just changed for them. There are also random sequence clips inserted that don't match what the instructer is telling you. The audio instructions and the visual don't match a number of times, especially in the beginner. The results seem to be okay, but not terrific for 20 minutes of work. I wouldn't buy anymore pilates for life DVDs.

After a long winter of not exercising enough I was ready to get back into my Pilates routines. This workout is good if you are looking for a mild way of easing back into working out. This has two workouts but they are essentially the same workout with very few differences. The only difference I could tell was that extra clips had been inserted into the intermediate workout. I'd suggest the beginner workout for everyone because it is easier to follow. I would however not recommend this for beginners if that makes sense. I think the workouts are intermediate especially since they include an exercise called the open-leg rocker which requires a good deal of balance.Also some exercises may not look difficult at first glance but must be executed with a sense of precision to be effective. Some of the exercises in this workout include the single leg stretch, criss-cross, double leg stretch, scissors, half roll-ups and full roll-up. To do the roll-up imagine doing a sit-up but going all the way up and over your legs to reach your toes. Trust me when I say this is not easy if you are a beginner. I struggled with this exercise for a long time before I could do it well. This workout will help you to improve your posture and will make you lean and toned. I like that I can get a good workout in 20 minutes.~The Rebecca Review

I almost want to give this product four stars because I do really enjoy the workout itself. The dvd menu has three options: an instructional overview, a beginner workout, and an intermediate workout. This is somewhat deceptive, as the two workouts are essentially the same as the overview, but with slightly different video clips that don't match the voice-over. I find this annoying, so I follow the intermediate exercises on the instructional overview. (After using this dvd for a couple of months, I also find the instructor a little bit annoying in some places where her ultra-perky tone seems a better match for an aerobics class.)Initially I had a hard time doing the exercises without straining my neck muscles, even with my hands behind my head. But after a couple of weeks of almost daily use, my abdominals were doing most of the work and I wasn't straining my neck. It didn't take long to work up to the intermediate workout, and after five weeks, I find myself wishing there was an advanced workout. I'm not terribly athletic, though, and I think I will continue to find utility in this workout for a long time to come.I do want to try the  Kathy Smith: Tummy Trimmers  dvd; I have her  Kathy Smith: Yoga Sculpt  series, which I love.

I really like this Pilates workout. I have tried several of the Pilates for Life and other Pilates workouts. This and another one from Windsor Pilates are my favorites. The first time I did the workout, I could feel it the next day. I also really like the instructor and have made a point to go to her class whenever I can when I go to Toronto, she's very sweet and good at describing how you should be doing exercises. I think it's equally good for beginners and intermediates. Some reviewers have complained that there aren't actually 'two' separate workouts, it's just one workout that they've taped focusing on the easier option for the beginner video segment and they focused on Amy for the more difficult version. I have no problem with this. It's not variation I need more of when it comes to pilates - its consistency!!!

i hurt my shoulder so cannot exercise right now

As the title suggests it's a 20 minute workout targeting the abs and waist, although more abs really. It's split into two sections, beginners and intermediate. The only problem is that both workouts run at the same time so even if you select beginners, you get the intermediate commentary whilst the picture shows the beginners workout. If you've never done Pilates before this could be quite confusing. I've done some Pilates in the past and I still had trouble following some movements whilst the instructor gave directions for a more advanced exercise. Overall though, it is a good and effective workout. 20 minutes is just long enough to work your abs without overloading them. The instructions are good when they're applied to the right workout and Amy Brown's celebrity guest Liza Frommer just gets on with the workout without saying a word. (She's the focus for the beginners workout and she is pretty good.) It's also MULTI-REGION not Region 1. I think they're just saying that because it comes from America and doesn't state on the case what region it is. It works on my Region 2 DVD player though and my Region 2 computer.

I LOVE this girl! I got into shape for my wedding with this DVD and changing my eating habits. That was over a year ago and now I'm trying it again after having a baby 8 months ago. Can't wait!