I’m reviewing this after having done it several times, including once recently, since getting it a year ago.

General workout breakdown: The beginning warm up of cardio-type moves and stretches (some static, some dynamic) lasts about 9 minutes. This is followed by about 40 minutes of strength and balance work, with 10 minutes of standing traditional weight work (squats, lunges, biceps curls, etc.—often done as compounds) and 30 of floorwork integrating Pilates-inspired, traditional athletic, and weighted moves. There are some brief stretches after each segment and at the end to bring the total workout to about 55 minutes.
The workout is more or less decently split among upper body, lower body, and abs, although I’m no expert in breaking down weights routines. Many of the moves here are basic, especially in the standing section, but the floorwork moves seem a little more innovative.

Workout Level: I’d recommend this for an experienced “beginner” (just use light to no weights) to an intermediate exerciser. Anyone who considers him/herself advanced probably won’t find this workout intense, even with heavier weights. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who wasn’t familiar with basic weight training form and techniques. Familiarity with Pilates is also helpful. Michelle and Tracy do not give enough pointers for this to be a good instructional video in either discipline.

Class: Michelle & Tracy both do all of the exercises, with the instructor in the background for each segment demonstrating any modifications.

Music / Set / Production Notes: The instrumental music has a beat but is otherwise bland. The interior set with richly-colored walls and curtains is meant to look like a room in a house, complete with a chair, some side tables, and some potted house plants. The floor has carpet on it, so exercisers with carpet in their own space should feel comfortable with this workout. The picture and sound are both good.

Equipment: sneakers for standing portion—the rest of the workout is done barefoot; 1-2 pair(s) of dumbbells (your choice of weight, but keep in mind that the exercises move pretty quickly, so you won’t be able to change back and forth easily); mat (or equivalent) for floor portion

Comments: You do not need a lot of space for this workout. When you lie down, you should be able to extend your arms and legs. When you’re standing, you should be able to take at least one big lunge forward and back and two medium-sized steps to each side.
This is not a traditional Pilates workout, by any stretch of the imagination. Few of the moves are drawn from the traditional Pilates syllabus, although Michelle and Tracy use Pilates principles and Pilates-type exercises.

DVD Notes: The DVD lets you choose chapters, which I appreciate because I like to skip the intros, but you could use it to do just the abs segment, for example.

Conclusion: This is a keeper for me. I don’t use it often, but I appreciate having an intermediate-level total body workout that needs less than an hour. I also like Michelle and Tracy as instructors; they are about enthusiastic as I like my fitness instructors.
Of the three Breakthru Pilates programs, this is the least focused on Pilates and is the best in terms of production. It’s also the only one that uses weights.

Instructor Comments:
Michelle and Tracy obviously have a good rapport and are serious about exercising, although they do chatter a bit here and sometimes interrupt the other. The two alternate leading segments. They work both sides of the body evenly, except for Michelle’s leg raise portion, which leaves out one set. (You have just enough time to squeeze in an extra set while Michelle gets ready to move on.) Both intend for you to mirror their movements. They give decent form pointers. They both exhibit enthusiasm, but it’s low key rather than over the top. Both mention getting shape after having babies, so new moms might find them even more approachable.

KL (KathAL79)