Pilates: Abs Workout

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Starring: Ana Cabán
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Studio: Living Arts
Release Date: 2004-05-04
The strong and lean Pilates body is based in the powerhouse‹the deep, woven layers of the abdominal and lower back muscles. The Pilates system of exercise empowers you to stand confidently and move gracefully through your life, by grounding your movements in the strong core of your body. Set on Maui, Hawaii, the Pilates Abs Workout helps you slim and strengthen the ab muscles at the same time. Certified Pilates instructor Ana Cabán takes you through a sequence of highly efficient and challenging exercises, focusing on form and precise movement. A modified version is also demonstrated for those with limited flexibility and strength. The regular practice of Pilates helps you strengthen your body¹s center of power and create a sleek, streamlined look you will love! The Complete 25-minute Workout Includes: € Warm-up Exercises to stimulate circulation and articulate the spine € Challenging Mat Exercises to condition the powerhouse and buttocks € Cool-down Stretches to allow muscles to rest and recover A vigorous workout for anyone wanting firmer abdominals fast! Props Recommended: Pilates Mat

Fantastic
This is a terrific workout and worth purchasing!! In 25 minutes, Ana will give you an amazing workout.

There are a few exercises I am not yet strong enough to do. But Tara demonstrates the modified poses which helps a lot.

All of the abdominal muscles are worked here. Even those ellusive lower abs. The day after I first did the DVD, I was amazed to feel tightness deep in my core.

Great stuff!

Ana Caban is a pilates GODDESS!
This is a VERY challening pilates routine. While Caban doesn't add any new exercises to target the abs, she does focus on those traditional mat exercises that are the most ab intensive. She also does more reps on some of them. For example, the Series of 5 (which consists of the Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, Single Straight Leg Stretch, Double Straight Leg Stretch, and Criss-Cross) is normally done with 5-8 reps per exercise. Caban does 10 (and she does them SLOWLY! particularly the Double Straight Leg Stretch and Criss-Cross). She also does open/closed leg rocker 5 times each (I believe it's is traditionally done 3 times each). Also, her general pace is slow and often makes you hold your legs in the air between moves while she talks. This slower pace makes even basic moves very challenging. Caban also adds variations on many exercises to make them even more challenging. On top of that, she does all of this with perfect form and a serene facial expression!

There are a few odd choices made, in my opinion. For example, she only does 3 reps of the neck pull (compared to the traditional 5) and 2 of the Spine Twist (instead of the traditional 4). The only exercise I miss (and can't understand why she omits it) is the Spine Stretch Forward. This move feels SOOOO good (particularly after the series of 5) and does work the abs somewhat. I also think that, for an abs video, she could bump up the teasers a bit. She does three teaser 3s (arms and legs together) and on the last teaser, she adds arm circles. Don't get me wrong, these are challenging as it is (especially when you go directly into the hip circles), but I love the teasers and would have loved a full set (the traditional advanced method is teaser 1, teaser 2, then teaser 3, 3 reps each).

In the end, this is a great over all core routine. While I wish she had added a few more exercises, what she does offer is still incredibly challenging. I've been doing this DVD for months and still finding it difficult and rewarding. You will not be disappointed with this one.

Challenging - in a good way
As a former professional dancer and someone who stuggles to find "quality" ways to stay in shape (rather than something like a mind-numbing running machine), I was thrilled to get this dvd. I don't do this every day but integrate it with my work out a couple times a week; it's a great tool and a step-up from the Winsor Pilates ab dvd I used for a few years. If you want something challenging to work up to - get this dvd. (Her program is about 26 min long, but that includes a 3 minute verbal intro that you can fast forward through after you watch it once.)

Awesome
I started pilates with Ana Caban, and I won't do anyones else's workout! It's fun, and this particular workout is really hard. But, you feel stronger when you're done.

Really challenging
I started doing Pilates about 2 months ago, and I love it. I began with Ana Caban's Pilates Quick Start for weight loss. I really liked it, and so I decided to try her Pilates for Abs. It was very challenging! It was definitely harder than the Quick Start for Weight Loss, and it is not for the faint of heart. She does many traditional pilates abs workouts, but adds a twist. She does the harder version, and her assistant, Tara, does the easy version.

Also, beware of the "once more". Ana will say "Once more" and she does not mean one more. There may be 2 more sets after she says that. Other than that, I like this video a lot. This is why I gave it 4 stars.

It is kinda short, 26 minutes or so. There is only one workout on the DVD. The Quick start video has a 30 minute work out and a 20 minute workout, and a work out CD, so you get more for your money with that one.