MTV Pilates

Kristin McGee
Year Released: 2004

Categories: Pilates/Core Strength


I’m reviewing this workout after previewing and reviewing it once each and doing it at least three times in the year or two that I’ve had it, including twice within the past week.

General workout breakdown: This approximately 35 minute Pilates matwork workout with a few moves from the reformer, yoga, and athletic abdominal training thrown in. For the most part the moves are traditional Pilates, although Kristin rearranges the sequence and adds one or two personal touches (like having you weave your hands in rolling like a ball.) The focus is primarily on the abdominals, but there’s quite a bit of work for the lower body, some for the back, and a little for the upper body. The workout flows at a leisurely pace, with only one double time, so there’s sufficient time to set up each exercise and perform it with control. There’s a little down time between movements, but Kristin generally puts you in a stretch or release pose (e.g. with your knees to your chest, gently rocking your head) while she sets up the next move; in other words, she doesn’t have you just lie there doing nothing every couple of poses.
The exercises include a warm-up (on back: breathing, pulling in navel, moving arms while keeping body still, small crunch into small crunch with one leg lifting at a time into small crunch with both legs lifting), hundred, roll up, leg stretch into single leg circle into climb a tree, corkscrew, spine stretch forward, rolling like a ball, single leg stretch, double leg stretch, single straight leg stretch, double straight leg stretch, criss cross (half done double time), reclined butterfly, reclined twist with legs bent, open leg rocker, rollover, tick tock, crunch with arms reaching toward legs at 90 degrees, reclined leg series (what I would call “the frog” – with heels together, bend knees and flex feet, then point feet while straightening legs; straddle with criss cross in center; and straddle with flexing in and pointing open), one-legged teaser with rotation, teaser (#3), bridge, neck pull, spine twist, saw, side elbow plank into side leg series (little circles, up & down, front & back, hot potato, double leg lift, quick walking, clown) into mermaid, elbow plank (during which Kristin slows down the count), single leg kick, double leg kick, supine move where you reach your arms and legs up and out and then draw the arms toward you and your legs together, heel beats, cobra with neck rotation, and Pilates push-ups. Kristin ends standing, taking a couple of breaths.

Level: I’d recommend this to experienced beginners in Pilates, especially those looking to make the transition to an intermediate level, through intermediates. While Kristin does include some good breathing tips (especially during the rollover), she doesn’t include enough form tips (especially during the rollover) for a true beginner to Pilates. (Yes, I know there’s a tutorial at the end, but it’s always helpful to have such info during the workout, too, especially when you’re new to a workout.) That said, someone new to Pilates with some existing strength and flexibility would find this doable, provided they supplement it with other videos, books, or live classes. The modifications are overall helpful and good ones, although Kristin misses out on modifying for a few moves, like the rollover and neck pull (put your hands in front of your head instead of behind for the intermediate version). I consider myself almost a solid intermediate; I have about three years of Pilates experience but am still working on improving my flexibility and strength. This workout was a tough one when I was a high beginner, and I appreciated the beginner modifications, but now it’s suitable for my level, and I’m able to do the “expert” modifications for all but one or two moves.

Class: One man and two women join Kristin; all are about the same age. The attire is modest, and the cast is fit and healthy but not impossibly skinny. One of the women demonstrates beginner modifications, the man does the intermediate level, and Kristi and the other woman perform the full poses.

Music: Quiet but OK. It’s vaguely club-like (in that it has a repetitive beat).

Set: outdoors on a brick patio lined with geraniums and other potted flowers, overlooking the Arizona mountains. It’s a bright, sunny day.

Production: good picture and sound (but quiet music – and, if you listen closely, you can hear a plane or two go overhead). There are a few crazy camera angles, but most of the time they’re while you’re performing the moves and thus not looking intently at the TV.

Equipment: mat (or equivalent). The entire cast is barefoot.

Space Requirements: enough room to lie down with your arms and legs extended. You should be able to sweep your arms and legs to the sides and behind you without hitting anything.

DVD Notes: From the main menu you choose Play Program, Scene Selection (Warm Up, Abdominal Series, Leg Series, Back Series, and Cool Down), Special Features (Position Breakdowns for the hundred, roll up, rolling like a ball, single leg stretch, double leg stretch, roll over, saw, and Pilates push-up; Instructor Bio; and Also Available from MTV Home Entertainment – i.e. trailers for MTV Yoga and MTV Power Yoga plus other MTV videos), and Set Up (instructor and music, instructor only, music only). I wish the warnings and introduction were in a separate chapter, but they’re only a couple of minutes long.

Conclusion: This is a keeper after all. When I first tried this, I was an experienced beginner. It was long and tough, and I dreaded doing it again. When I pulled it out again this past week, I realized how doable this video had become. I definitely feel the different lower body moves, and I like the extra stretches that Kristin throws in. I’ll keep this one and use it in my rotation for the next couple of months, after which it’ll be on the easy side and I’ll have less time for such a long Pilates workout. I would say this is comparable to Stott Core Challenge (Level 3) or even Stott Intermediate; it’s definitely a tad easier than Hilary Burnett’s Intermediate Pilates, but it’s probably a small step up from Ana Caban’s Intermediate Pilates Matwork (which also has a good deal of lower body work).
MTV Pilates and MTV Pilates Mix are distinct videos. Pilates is outside, Mix is inside. Pilates lasts just over half an hour; Mix has about an hour worth of Pilates. Pilates is a full routine that’s mostly traditional matwork and meant to be done in one go; Mix has more of a mix of disciplines like yoga and is geared towards breaking it up into segments.

Instructor Comments:
Kristin has a pleasant onscreen persona and a nice voice. She’s serious about Pilates for its own sake. She says a couple of odd things (“Bring your arms out in front of you like Frankenstein,” and asking you to avoid squashing the rotten egg under your belly) but otherwise speaks plainly and clearly, saying “abs” rather than “tummy,” “vertebra by vertebra” rather than “vertebrae by vertebrae,” etc. Kristin focuses on instructing and cueing breaths over form tips, although she includes a few of those.

KathAL79

05/31/2006