I’m reviewing this DVD after doing it a couple of times in the two or so years I’ve had it.

General workout breakdown: As with any Quick Fix video, this Pilates-based workout has 10 minute segments; here there are three of them.
*Classic Pilates begins seated and rolls down to the mat for some breathing before beginning the exercises, which include roll up with bent knees, single leg circles, bridge into bridge with leg lifts into bridge with leg extended, the hundred, leg lowers with a criss cross action, teaser (what Brooke Siler calls Preparation II, with one leg and then two legs extended), rollover, swan dive, and child’s pose.
*Core Combination contains half rollback into half rollback with arm movement, can can, roll up, single leg stretch, criss cross, double leg stretch, scissors (i.e. single straight leg stretch), rolling like a ball, swimming, table top with cat & dog tilt into table top stabilization (extending opposite arm and leg), and a back extension with slight rotation.
*Stabilization begins standing, building up into the full Pilates push up, and then moves on to a plank series with leg movement, breaststroke, table top with legs hovering parallel to the floor into one leg moving while other hovers, child’s pose, elbow plank with leg movement, and side elbow plank with movement into side leg series (front & back, double leg lift—holding last one with torso also slightly raised). If you have wrist problems, you may want to skip this segment.
I agree with Laura’s proposed renaming of this workout. In fact, at the end of the last segment, Keli says, “You’ve completed the third segment of the Ab & Back series,” which more accurately describes the workouts’ focus. There are some short pauses between exercises as Keli sets up the next one, but I didn’t feel like there was a lot of wasted time here. Also, this isn’t a traditional Pilates matwork video but rather a collection of effective exercises, so the overall flow isn’t as important here. Keli moves through the exercises at a deliberate pace, just slow enough to allow you to focus on your form, and she includes a good number of repetitions, enough to feel the work.

I’d recommend this to someone at the beginner / intermediate crossover point through the intermediate / advanced crossover point. Keli assumes you are familiar with basic Pilates, so she doesn’t spend time on instruction, but she does include a number of form tips (primarily reminding you to pull in your navel) and some breathing tips. The modifications are helpful and accommodate those without so much flexibility and strength. There are some of the more advanced moves here, like the rollover and can can; if you’ve never done them before, you might want to supplement this video with books or other Pilates videos featuring more instruction. 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 super tough when I was a high beginner, but now it’s doable, if still quite challenging. (I have to admit that I still use the modifications for those planks!)

Class: 2 women join Keli, with one showing modifications.

Music: upbeat instrumental stuff; a couple of songs have vocals (more of the ah-ah-ah type stuff than words).

Set: bright interior space with hardwood floors and a wall of “windows” overlooking a cityscape punctuated by metallic columns and another wall of brick with the QF logo.

Production: great picture and sound, generally helpful camera angles. The modifier isn’t always in full view and/or shown right at the beginning of each move, but she is always visible at some point during each exercise.

Equipment: mat (or equivalent). All exercisers are barefoot.

Space Requirements: enough to lie down with arms and legs extended, with enough space to each side to sweep the limbs around.

DVD Notes: Each segment is its own chapter, with no further chapters in the routine itself. The introduction is chaptered separately.

Conclusion: I don’t know why I haven’t used this video more because it’s a great little workout; there’s a lot packed into each short segment. (OK, the last segment with all of the planks is intimidating, but I know I could use all of that plank work to make my upper body and core stronger.) I like the fact that Keli includes back exercises in each segment to balance out the body.
If you don’t care much for traditional Pilates, don’t immediately disregard this. In truth, it doesn’t follow the traditional Pilates order, although the moves are done in the lines of traditional Pilates execution (unlike Karen Voight’s Abs & Back, which slightly tweaks the moves), and there are a few moves outside the traditional Pilates canon. Thus, it doesn’t have the “feel” of most Pilates workouts on video. Conversely, if you’re a Pilates purist, you may not enjoy this workout for those reasons. I do think that Pilates translates well to the 10-minute segment format; certainly it works better than yoga or cardio. This video would work well for people who do Pilates regularly but want to “cross train” with some different exercises in a different order than the traditional matwork sequence; it would also work well for someone who dabbles in Pilates who wants to cross train with more traditional abs work.
This video is definitely a step up in intensity from the other Quick Fix Pilates video, which is found on the Total Mix Yoga & Pilates DVD. QF Pilates Abs is harder than Liz Gillies’ 4 10-Minute Target Tone Workout but comparable to Lara Hudson’s 10 Minute Solution Pilates.

Instructor Comments:
As Peggy and Laura have pointed out, Keli is the instructor, despite the fact that Lizbeth Garcia appears on the cover and menu titles. (Lizbeth does show the advanced versions of moves during the workout.) Keli’s instruction and cueing are clear and well done. Keli is professional and positive but not perky. I like the fact that all of the women here are lean but muscular (think “toned” and “cut,” not “bodybuilder”) instead of the skinny “dancer bodies” that often appear in Pilates-type videos.

KathAL79