Weight Loss Pilates

Kristin McGee
Year Released: 2008

Categories: Pilates/Core Strength


I’m reviewing this workout after doing all segments once each (well, I did the warm-up and cool-down twice).

General workout breakdown: Denise and Beth have already given good descriptions of the DVD in general as well as each segment. I’ll just give breakdowns, so forgive the overlap with their reviews.
- Warm-up: controlled sit-down, roll down onto back for breathing, neck stretches, ab prep (or mini crunch focusing on relaxing the neck), arm circles, low back arch & pelvic tilt, “bug” (legs in table top & arms straight up - leg does toe tap while opposite arm reaches overhead), dipping toes in water, floating bridge – rock up to sitting, arms out & squeeze in, seated rock back & roll forward with spine, and stand up without hands.
- Fat-Burning Flow #1: cardio (2 rounds): arm circles while standing in Pilates v, high knees, leg swings across body, wide plies, zip-up with calf raise, little jumps, little plies with front raises, grand plie; controlled sit-down, c-curve (half rollback) – climb a rope (done facing forward & then twisting to each side), footwork (frog with heels together & feet out, feet parallel, heels out & toes in, hold and turn feet in & out), the hundred, single leg circles (keeping bottom leg off floor & holding arms overhead), roll-up, spinal twist (w/ arms overhead), “Charlie’s Angels” (arms pointing forward & held still with legs making circle while in V-sit), single leg stretch, double leg stretch, single straight leg stretch / scissors (ending with a pulsing variation with arms by side), double straight leg stretch, criss cross, stand without hands for two more rounds of same cardio (although Kristin cuts down the reps a little), controlled sit-down, butt blaster (1-legged bridge – leg up & down, pulse body up & down, combine two, inner thighs with in & out) – half of boomerang (on back, do reverse crunch & swing legs up to switch feet) / straight leg reverse crunch (adding in twist and then shimmy), tick tock (adding in a little walk at end), inner heel beats with legs lowering & lifting, single-leg teaser (adding in twist), double-leg teaser (adding in twist), seal, and standing calf raise with head movement.
- Fat-Burning Flow #2: cardio (2 rounds): Pilates jumping jack (with “saguaro cactus arms”), sumo squat w/ side bends, alternating punches, plies with legs in second position, jumps in the same position, jump in & out, lunge side to side; squats with heels off floor, thigh dancing-type sequence, triceps press back with head side to side, arms criss crossing behind back, on all fours with knees off floor: in & out, knee in & out – triceps push-up, bird dog & upside down crunch – open & close (arm & leg out to side) – kneeling side kicks (front & back, bicycle, up & down to the front / back / side, small circles) – side plank w/ twist – floating mermaid (raise & lower in side plank) – ballerina butt lift (aka pretzel - back leg up & down, pulse back); cardio (1 round): jump forward & back in plank, jumping jacks in plank, running man (aka mountain climbers), ski jumps; other side of previous series (bird dog through pretzel), superman (slow & then fast swimming), bent arms pull back with feet tucked under, full swan (more of a locust-type move), airplane arms, prone hamstring curls, locust with heel beat, cobra stretch, elbow plank, plank with running man (alternate knees to ground), plank with twist, and Pilates push-ups (walking out from standing).
- Cool-down: controlled sit-down, ankle to opposite knee / thread the needle - hip flexor stretch - flippy floppies (hold leg while you straighten & bend it, then rotate it) - reclined hamstring stretch - twist w/ one knee bent, and rock up to seated.
- Ab Blast: controlled sit-down; row series in c-curve: press forward w/ interlaced hands, biceps curls, v / chest squeeze – repeat while twisting to one side and then the other; on back, hands & knees pressing against each other; advanced corkscrew (adding in legs twisting over body in a rollover-type of move, then jackknife); neck pull – flat back w/ twist – around the world (or neck pull with twist); and standing without assistance.

The pace is fairly quick, without a lot of down time, although I didn’t feel so rushed that I couldn’t keep up. Kristin often works in sets of 8-10 reps. Only the arms and cardio portions tend to get more than one set. Kristin doesn’t do everything exactly evenly; there are a few moves that don’t seem to be done equally (like the one-legged teaser, unless I’m missing her alternating sides in the first part of the exercise), and she isn’t consistent on how many sets she’s doing of each cardio exercise (she’ll say, “We’ll do one set of each,” and then do two sets of one or two exercises). These aren’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, though.

There are two other segments on this DVD:
- Bonus from Weight Loss Cardio Sculpt (with Violet Zaki): shoulder overhead press with lateral leg lift – just leg lift, squat side to side shuffle – side lunge w/ arm overhead – repeater knee – marching, 1-legged squat (more of a 1-legged deadlift), side step – double time side rock
- Moves on the Go (more of a demonstration than a follow along): engaging abs while sitting, using low abdominals to lift one foot at a time, standing in Pilates V w/ heel raises while doing chores / standing in line, imagery to help with posture (imaginary corset), twist while sitting / standing, connecting to powerhouse before a meal, and connecting to powerhouse before bed with belly breathing.

Level: I’d recommend this to intermediate to maybe mid-advanced exercisers comfortable with at least basic Pilates but preferably the standard intermediate matwork series. I’d agree that Kristin provides little, if any, form instruction, so this is not all that appropriate for a newbie to Pilates, no matter how advanced an exerciser. This is a great video for those who want to be challenged with Pilates workouts but aren’t ready for or interested in the advanced matwork sequences. If you want a hard Pilates workout, Kristin is your woman. Somehow she takes moves that are normally intermediate and tweaks them or pairs them with others to make them more difficult.
I consider myself at the intermediate / advanced level of Pilates (I’ve been practicing Pilates on average of once a week for the past 8 years) and an intermediate / advanced exerciser in general, and I found these workouts challenging (in a good way). None of the exercises were beyond me, but doing them one after another with Kristin’s variations is what made them feel extra effective.

Class: Kristin alone, instructing live except when the camera cuts to the shots of her working outside, where instruction comes via voiceover (the same soundtrack runs throughout, just the picture changes).

Music: upbeat, kind of jazzy instrumentals.

Set: The credits list the location as The Foundry in NYC (I looked it up, and it’s a 19th-century foundry in Long Island City that’s rented out for filming, events, etc.). Most of the time Kristin is in a large interior space with brick archways lining each side; the place is filled with potted plants and candles, and there’s a chandelier of three big white globes floating overhead. The outdoor shots find Kristin on a deck in a small urban garden on kind of a windy, slightly overcast day.

Production: clear picture and sound. The camerawork and editing isn’t as good as it could be considering this is a follow-along exercise video, not something that’s supposed to be watched: the full shots of Kristin are a little too far away for my tastes (just because you’re in a cavernous space doesn’t mean you have to use all of it), there seems to be a fascination with sweeping and swooping shots, and if you’re trying to follow Kristin exactly you may find yourself suddenly going at a different tempo or switching to a different part of the exercise when the shots flip from indoors to outdoors or vice versa.

Equipment: Pilates mat or equivalent. Kristin is barefoot.

Space Requirements: enough space to lie down with arms and legs extended and to sweep your legs to each side.

Comments: As mentioned, I’d recommend this (and Kristin’s MTV Pilates Mix) to folks who want an “advanced” Pilates workout, meaning they want a hard Pilates-type workout but not necessarily a workout that encompasses the advanced repertoire of Pilates matwork exercises. If you don’t know or don’t care what control balance is and just want to feel the burn, this is for you.
While I like this one all right, I’m not sure how I often I’d reach for it. I’m one of those annoying Pilates purists: when I’ve scheduled a Pilates day, I want a Pilates workout, and I’m not just going to fall in love with a workout that also has some cardio bursts, barre work, athletic moves, and a hint of yoga. That said, those who don’t care for more dogmatic presentations of Pilates may like this for that very reason!

Instructor Comments:
Kristin has a pleasant, encouraging, and upbeat although somewhat low key personality on screen. She cues decently enough and includes some form pointers, although I did find myself watching the screen to make sure I didn’t miss alternating moves and things like that in a few places. I don’t remember her doing a lot of directional cues, but perhaps that’s because she’s often facing the side. She includes a few comments about burning calories and improving appearance, but nothing that I minded.

KathAL79

02/25/2010