Do More Pilates Standing presents two routines (one for upper body, one for lower body) based on Pilates exercises performed standing rather than on the mat. Numerous balance challenges are incorporated into each routine (particularly the upper body one), which works the core muscles as they kick in to stabilize the trunk of the body.

I would rate the difficulty level as intermediate, not so much because of the moves themselves but mainly because I found the instruction level not always the best in this DVD. Some familiarity with barre workouts, and with Pilates and ballet terms, would be helpful in getting the most out of this workout.

I am not a Pilates student. I’m not sure how traditional the idea of “standing Pilates” is. To me both routines have more of a “fusion” feel to them, although there is certainly a strong Pilates influence.

Bea Wood leads the upper body routine, and Niece Pecenka the lower body one. They each instruct solo, both live and in voiceover. I noticed Niece did not mirror-cue, but actually there are very few “right/left” instructions so this wasn’t really an issue for me.

Equipment is minimal, just one set of light hand weights for the upper body section, and a chair for the lower body section (both the chair back and seat are used in the routine). A single light weight is used as a counterweight for one lower body exercise, but I would consider it optional. Both Bea and Niece do the routines barefoot.

The set is a big gray and black industrial space, with a large grid backdrop. It’s on the dark side, but both instructors are easily seen. Music is not memorable; it’s mainly there to keep the beat.

The DVD is chaptered as follows:

-Fundamentals (2:21 minutes): Proper Pilates stance is taught.

-Segment I (Core, Balance and Arms) (19:55 minutes): Bea leads this routine. Shoulder rolls, roll-downs (picking up the weights on the last one), then chair pose with front shoulder raises. Plies with chest flies, incorporating heel lifts. Legs in first position, raise one leg, arm circles moving up and down. “Standing 100” balanced on one leg. Legs in first position, one leg forward, triceps work (nice!), then triceps kickbacks in a standing C-curve. Chest flies and upright row with one leg extended behind the body. The routine concludes with a rotator cuff exercise, military press, and stretches. The emphasis is on the upper body, but a few of the moves also involve the lower body and the numerous balance challenges work the core throughout.

-Segment II (Core, Glutes and Thighs): This routine is led by Niece. After a few warm-up moves she begins a series of standing leg work, beginning with plie pulses, then single leg lifts to the back and side with the lifted leg in various positions (attitude, turned out, etc.) and doing lifts, kicks, small circles. It is somewhat reminiscent of barre work, except Niece uses a larger range of motion (e.g. Tracy Anderson). Next she moves to the floor for a brief pretzel series. The routine concludes with bridge work with first two feet on the chair seat, later lifting one leg to vertical for increased challenge, followed by a brief stretch.

-Interview with instructors (2:41).

Bottom Line: I like the upper body routine (Segment I) on this DVD a lot and plan to use it regularly. I consider it an easier version of V-Core’s Basics section. I don’t care much for the upper body work in most of my barre DVDs, so I like subbing in Segment I, which besides including a much greater variety of upper body exercises also provides additional balance training and standing core work. (I also really like that there are no pushups or triceps dips, moves that my wonky elbow doesn’t appreciate.) I feel mixed about the lower body routine. As noted, I found the standing portion somewhat reminiscent of Tracy Anderson’s Mat Workout, with the larger range of motion, and which I think makes a nice complement to the small pulses used in Lotte Berke-style barre work. This part was fairly short, however, and not particularly well-instructed – I often felt some confusion as to just how my lifted leg should be positioned for the exercise. The pretzel section was also too short to feel much of anything, and I didn’t think the bridge work was anything special. I would have preferred some Pilates side-kick series floor work instead.

As of the date of this review, Do More Pilates Standing is available at Amazon and also through the instructors’ website (see below; you can also see a clip here and also on YouTube).

Instructor Comments:
As far as I know, this is the first fitness DVD for Bea and Niece. Both are certified Pilates instructors, and they present as polished and professional. It appears they plan at least one more DVD. Their website is www.domorePilates.com.

JustSandra