This is another DVD from Acacia that offers two 20-minute workouts plus separate warm-up and cool-down segments. It is led by Kristen McGee, a Pilates and yoga instructor, and it offers Pilates matwork at a high intermediate to advanced level. However, Kristen spices things up a bit by adding cardio bursts throughout both Pilates workouts.

The Main Menu of the DVD read as follows:

Introduction
Workout Options
Bonus Features
Also From Acacia
Credits

If you select "Workout Options," here are your choices:

Play All (53 Min)
Warm-Up (7 Min)
Fat-Burning Flow 1 (20 Min)
-->With Introduction: Yes/NO
Fat-Burning Flow 2 (20 Min)
-->With Introduction: Yes/NO
Cool-Down (6 Min)
Warm-Up + Fat-Burning Flow 1 + Cool-Down (33 Min)
Warm-Up + Fat-Burning Flow 2 + Cool-Down (33 Min)

I decided to try the entire routine my first time through. (Note: one editing flaw is that if you select the "Play All" option, the introductions are left in.) The Warm-Up (6.5m) is performed entirely on the mat. Kristen moves slowly, encouraging you to focus on your form as you breathe. Some of the exercises include the bug and floating bridge.

Following the Warm-Up comes the first workout, which begins with an approximately 4.5-minute cardio segment. Kristen performs arm circles, leg kicks to the front & side, plies, zip ups, little hops or plyos, and grande plies, repeating the entire sequence once. She then moves to the floor for traditional Pilates matwork moves such as the 100, roll-ups, and the series of five; however, she adds little twists to many of these exercises to increase the intensity. Kristen then repeats the cardio series, performing less repetitions this time through. Then it is back to the floor for more matwork, this time focusing more on moves that target the lower body such as bridge, 1-legged and full teaser, and the seal. The entire Fat-Burning Flow 1 was about 24 minutes long.

The second workout also starts with about 4.5 minutes of cardio moves, but this time, the sequence is a bit more high impact, as it includes Pilates jumping jacks, standing side crunches, punches side-to-side, plie jumps, and twisting lunges to either side, repeating once. The Pilates work is performed from an hands and knees position. Kristen performs some knee in-and-out moves as well as a kneeling push-up. She then moves into a series of exercises on one side of the body, such as moving the leg/arm in-and-out and a kneeling side kick series. Following this, she does another cardio segment, but this time, it is done in a plank position and includes jumping in and out, running man, open & close, and ski jumps. Kristen then repeats the one-legged movements on the other side before moving to a prone position, where she performs supermans, heel beats, hamstring curls, elbow plank. This workout, which comes in at 22.5 minutes, concludes with Pilates push-ups.

The Cool-Down is just under 6 minutes. Here Kristen combines dynamic and held stretches, concentrating in particular on the hips and the hamstrings; this was a nice conclusion to the workout. The Bonus features on this DVD include a 5-minute Ab Blast. In this segment, Kristen performs a rowing series from a reclined C-curve position, doing a sequence of three movements in the middle and then to either side. She also does and advanced corkscrew combined with the jackknife, and she finishes with the neckpull, adding an "around-the-world" twist. (Other Bonus features include the bonus segment from Weight Loss Cardio, a short "Moves on the Go" segment that focuses on posture, and Kristen's bio.)

As noted above, this is definitely a HIGH intermediate to ADVANCED Pilates workout. I consider myself to be solidly intermediate in Pilates, but there were times that I had to rest/take breaks during the Pilates exercises, as some of Kristen's variations on the moves were quite challenging. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about adding the "cardio bursts" to the Pilates workout. I didn't mind the cardio so much at the beginning of the workout, as it felt like a nice way to warm up for the matwork (better in fact than the actual Warm-Up, which felt kind of useless), but I didn't like it as much in the middle of the workout, when it seemed to interrupt the flow of the Pilates matwork. Still, this DVD is nicely done, and I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a challenging Pilates workout that is a bit different from the classical Pilates teachings.

Instructor Comments:
I have always liked Kristen; I have held on to MTV Pilates mainly because I think she does a nice job. However, because these workouts move so quickly, she doesn't spend much time setting up the exercises, and so I found her a bit more difficult to follow here. She works out alone in the same Acacia set used for Weight Loss Cardio Kick--a large studio with what appears to be stone floors and scaffolding-like balconies lining either side, although in this workout, there are plants and candles placed all around, giving it a much softer look. The music was generally quite upbeat.

Beth C (aka toaster)