Power Pilates - Beginner Workout

Amazon.com Power Pilates: Beginner Workout presents a variety of traditional Pilates mat exercises, with several separate workouts, 12-34 minutes long. Each workout starts with the same 12-minutes, then adds on other sections, sometimes including props for variety and extra intensity. Three demonstrators show each move in the ideal form and with modifications. If you're used to soft-voiced, soothing instructors, you might find Carrie Clark's intonation rather harsh-sounding. She gives very little technique instruction, except for the brief "private instruction" section, which gives only voice over a still photo, not a moving demonstration. This workout can be a good, time-flexible adjunct to a regular class or alternating with a technique-oriented video once you've learned and practiced the Pilates principles of breath, core control, and precision, but it shouldn't be the only or first place you learn Pilates. Bonus feature: 15-minute back safety program with Dr. Howard Sichel and Susan Moran. --Joan Price