Gin Miller
This video doesn't seem to have
been reviewed before, and I've
done it twice now, so I thought
I'd put up my thoughts. This is, I
believe, Gin's third stability ball
video (Xtreme Strength on the
ball being the fourth). The box
says it's from 2002. She did the
Flexaball/Tone Trim Tighten
workout in 1995 and another
intro to stability ball workout that
she sent out free to me with my
purchase of this one.
This workout uses two balls, a
stability ball and a medicine ball.
Beginners with weak abs like
me can pretty much do the
whole workout without the
medicine ball--there's only one
move that requires a ball for the
beginner exercises and any old
ball around the house will do for
that one.
I am an intermediate exerciser
with pretty weak abs. I am
interested in building stronger
abs, and I think doing this video
once a week in conjunction with
other types of ab work would
really help. The moves are
effective and doable, and, as I
noted in my instructor's
comments, Gin has designed
this workout so that the moves
can be made progressively
more challenging. However, it's
a pretty long workout, with lots of
time spent stopping, stretching,
readjusting the ball, and
explaining modifications. I think
after having done it half a dozen
times, I will just have memorized
the moves and started doing
them on my own. The video
purchase will have been worth it,
though, because of all the ball
workouts I've tried (Absolutely
Abs and Lizbeth Garcia's On the
Ball Pilates workout) this has
the most straightforward,
effective moves. I guess I also
trust Gin more because none of
the moves she uses seem to
endanger the back, unlike some
workouts I've seen. I think it's in
this workout where she
mentions her husband is a
chiropractor so I think that
means she's extra sensitive to
back issues.
Instructor comments:
Gin gives excellent form
pointers, and I really appreciate
that she designed this workout
to demonstrate moves for
beginners, intermediates, and
advanced exercisers so you can
grow with it--provided, of course,
that you want to make room in
your life for a 40 minute video
that pretty much only works the
core.
Diana
November 3, 2004