The New Method Pilates: Precision Toning and Sculpting

I had been a certified fitness instructor for nearly 20 years, I had taught everything from step aerobics,low impact, aqua, toning, sculpting, personal training on all variations of gym equipment and free weights. I had never learned anything about Pilates and Yoga. I injured my quad years ago and had to stop teaching. I've been through rehabilitation, nothing helped. I was dealing with constant pain. My work outs were limited to the eliptical machine and trying to work my lower body was excruciating. I had lost considerable amounts of fitness and strength. I saw the info mercial for another Pilates system that intriqued me. I wanted to learn Pilates and hoped it would allow me to continue to work out without aggrevating my injury. The infomercial discs, while great, were just too 'fast paced' for a novice. I found the Precision Toning DVD and began with the Toning Essentials portion. This portion, really instructs on Pilates basics. Jennifer Kries, is a wonderful,straight- forward instructor. I like the non-fussiness of this dvd. I like that it's not 'dated' looking, even though it's several years old. I had no idea. If you've ever worked out to 80's videos, they feel dated in the music and production and styles. I find that distracting. I stayed with Toning Essentials for weeks but gradually moved on to the Precision Toning chapters. This workout is very concentrated and it's not easy. Jennifer keeps you focused on your form and keeps a pace that allows you to concentrate to make each rep count. I am rotating into my workouts now, the Jennifer Kries Targeted Toning DVD workouts, but am remaining loyal to this DVD as my core workout. I have seen vast improvement in my injury. I own other popular pilates burn type programs and those use a bit more speed in the workout. I actually prefer doing the pilates at the pace Jennifer teaches. Perhaps as I become more seasoned, I'll step up the pace. Maybe not, though. I'm seeing great results in my body shape, fitness level and flexibility is better than it has been in my entire career in fitness. My husband is also using it with great results. He had also been a gym rat for 20 years, yet he has ZERO flexibility. This dvd really challanges different fitness levels. Day by day, he is seeing excellent improvements in his flexibility and core strength. There is another section of the DVD called Precision Sculpting which uses light weights. It's excellent and again, divided into chapters so it's easy to plan your workouts, further your fitness goals with this DVD. This dvd will give you results if you are interested in Pilates, you will not be dissappointed. I have bought this dvd for my parents and they also love it.

First, I would like to address the reviewer who wrote that this program was "misleading" and "not Pilates." Please do not heed her words. The truth is, in fact, that the first workout on the DVD is a comprehensive classical Pilates program. The differences between the Method rendition and Pilates are negligible, and include such few trivialities as flexing the feet instead of leaving them relaxed and putting the hands between the knee and calf instead of atop the knees during the single leg stretch. If you know the Pilates way versus the Method, you can easily amend your movements as I do. Second, I would like to remind or elucidate users that Pilates is a mind/body exercise, so the absence of music during the video (as another reviewer complains) is perfectly true to form. A Pilates student should be concentrating on breath, flow of movement, and the core but never Celine Dion. Third, if you can't feel it, you're either a Pilates maven or, more likely, not doing the exercises correctly. Doing the exercises correctly is initially not the most important thing. Pilates must be absorbed; connecting the mind and body is the ultimate goal, and it takes time to arrive there. You may need to memorize the flow of movement before you can ever accurately use your core to execute the exercises. Also, just because your body becomes used to the exercises doesn't mean they are not still working for you. A Pilates body takes basic maintenance, and flexibility and The mind body connection will always increase as you repeat the exercises. There are many Pilates exercises that exist outside this video, but the exercises Jennifer Kries performs are the core exercises of Pilates and should be done whether you do additional ones or not. This DVD is a great Piltates guide, and while not advanced, leaves plenty of time for personal adjustments. As a long time Pilates fan and a third generation Joseph Piliates disciple, I cannot recommend this product enough. I use it in often and add in exercises where necessary. For example, in the time Miss Kries teaches roll up, I do both this exercise and advanced roll over, and then in proper time move with her into leg circles. This video is absolutely excellent and true to form where so many other DVDs are not (it's hard to find a DVD that even does the core!). Enjoy. Your pennies and your time will be worth it.

I really like this DVD. The workout is very challenging but low impact and it works. I feel stronger and it really seems to have helped my posture, helped me to lose some weight, and helped keep my lower back and abdomen strong. And every time I do either of the two workouts on this DVD I feel great afterwards. As for the instrutor, Jennifer Kries is great. She explains the exercises well and keeps a steady pace throughout. Her delivery is encouraging and not annoying. It also seems that she enjoys what she is doing which helps make it easier for the student. She is also really great to watch.

This is a great, effective yet easy to follow workout. The instructor can get a little annoying at times, but not too bad. I originally had the VHS version, but recently switched to the DVD. The DVD version has an additional sculpting workout which I don't care much for. The Toning section starts off with an easy to start 15 min workout. If you skip over to the "Abs" chapter, it will take you to a longer 45min workout which I love. (the VHS version however reads it should only be a 30min workout, but it's not! Don't be fooled!). The 45 min toning routine is both relaxing and challenging, but not too hard for beginners. It will make you sick how flexible the instructor's legs are (she stretches them quite frequently up over her head!), but she manages to give good encouraging guidance throughout the exercises.

First I love Jennifer. She presents the program with the right mixture between rightoutness, precision (the name of the game!) AND smiles. I have done the toning section (the last part of the 3 chapters)over and over and over and find it- as a well trained pilates practitioner both on the reformer and mat, very educative and focusing on essential information.no nonsense here - this is if you really wanna learn the real thing: learning about isolation and core stabilisation and learn to move your physical body coming from the subtle. AND thanks heaven -- NO esoteric sleeping pill music while working out - only jennifer's voice, which i personally adore because first i find music distracting and after the 50th repetition simply annoying. and if you really need music to "tune in" :) - you still may play your own. So if it is THAT good, why only 4 stars? Well, the setting is a bit old-fashioned, personally i'd like it to be more faster paced and i prefer the toning section to the sculpting which I only did a few times. the sculpting is in itself very "classical joseph pilates" as well, educative etc etc.. but as i work a lot on the reformer do personally no need (and not like that much) sculpting with weights. HOWEVER I can only recommend this DVD if you wanna do pilates the precise way and get serious about it!

I hate working out, I was pretty over weight, out of shape and had to do something! I tried a yoga workout for begginers with this same person and really stuck to it. I lost a few pounds and was ready to try something a bit more challenging. I was a little worried I wouldnt stick to this one, but to my surprise I love it!! The workout it slow enough that you can hang in there, challenging enough to get a good little workout, and there are different workouts so if one day your feeling a bit unmotivated you can still work out, and if you are feeling like you want to step it up a bit, you can do that too. I have been doing this for 3 weeks and still love it and my husband has commented on the changes, so it feels great. All in all I say YES get this DVD!! Now if your a hard core Pilates person, this might be a bit to slow, but if your the average person and your tired of looking in the mirror and seeing dimples and really hate running or the average 50 reps of everything until your thighs catch fire workout...then this will work for you!! It leaves you feeling great! Worth every penny!!

I am 43 and in pretty good shape. I do pilates quite a bit. My Mother, who's 72, normally works out about 5 times a week, but she's a little afraid of hitting the Y during the pandemic. She was complaining that she felt like she'd lost a lot of core strength in quarantine, so I recommended pilates since I knew it was something she could do from home. I bought this DVD for her since it had really good reviews and did it with her while I was with her for Christmas. Unfortunately, the instructor doesn't show a lot of the beginner modifications I expected. I take video classes through my gym and they always show and thoroughly explain a number of modifications for each challenging exercise. This really video doesn't do that. My Mom (who is still in pretty good shape for her age) found it too challenging and I don't think she has enough confidence in the moves to modify on her own. She's going to save it for once she builds her strength up a little, but in the meantime she's working to find something better for older beginners.

As a relative beginner to pilates (less than 1 year), this is a great instructional DVD. Jennifer Kries is clear and provides cautions and alternatives if you can't do the whole exercise as originally demonstrated. She tells you what to do, then why it's done, and then what to be careful not to do (so you don't hurt yourself). The only complaint I have about this DVD is that none of the segments have times shown in the packaging or on the DVD menu so you have to figure out for yourself, how long the routines are and whether you have time for the whole thing. The toning section is 60 min total (including 15 minute warmup). The sculpting section is 45 total (including 10 warmup). The sculpting section ends with about 5-10 minutes of ballet type moves. The toning warmup is a short version of the beginning of the regular toning workout. Jennifer Kries' fitness and flexibility is something to aspire to but she never makes you feel inadequate if you can't do it. She's very encouraging. You will definitely get your powerhouse in shape if you do this workout regularly....it will happen in weeks, not months.

Ich gebe 3,5 Sterne - aber das gabs nicht zur Auswahl. Ich bin vielleicht nicht ganz objektiv, denn ich mag Pilates nicht besonders, ich finde es ist eine Quälerei - aber zugegeben, hinterher wenn es vorbei ist, fühlt man sich toll. Und dann ist da noch die Hoffnung, dass meine Beine auch so lang und schlank werden könnten, wie die von Jennifer Kries. Aber ansonsten wirkt die Frau auf mich so charmant wie ein Eispickel - wie gesagt, ich bin hier womöglich nicht objektiv. Während der Übungen gibt es leider so gut wie keine Musik und alles, was man hört ist die Stimme und der Atem von Frau Kries. Dadurch lernt man zwar richtig atmen, was ein wichtiger Bestandteil von Pilates ist, aber da ist nichts, außer der perfekte Körper der Vorführerin, was einen irgendwie motivieren könnte. Und die Frau ist auf eine Art perfekt, dass es mich eher abtörnt. Und so kämpft man sich durch - Übung um Übung. Neee, es ist nicht mein Sport, und dafür kann die DVD nichts, aber ich will ausprobieren, ob's trotzdem wirkt. Ansonsten, Frau Kries, zeigt und beschreibt die Übungen sehr sorgfältig und sehr präzise, so dass man alles gut versteht und mitmachen kann - hah, schön wärs, denn natürlich muss man erst trainieren, bis man die entsprechenden Muskeln hat. Aber dafür hab ich mir die DVD schließlich gekauft. Vielleicht, wenn man die Übungen mal ohne verbale Anleitung kann, dann könnte man den Ton abdrehen und eine angenehme Musik dazuschalten (Bild nur noch wegen der Reihenfolge). Vielleicht macht es dann mehr Spaß. Übrigens, die DVD ist in Englisch. Es ist leicht zu verstehen.

Had these two workouts on VHS in the 1990s and loved them. Jennifer Kries is a great teacher explaining and demonstrating moves clearly. She seems to anticipate what the viewer will do and offers suggestions for correction or modification at exactly the right times. I was so happy to find these available together on this very reasonably-priced DVD. Doing these exercises really will make you feel and look longer and leaner, improve your posture, and tone muscles.

I have never been a great fan of exercise but recently I have decided that I would like to regain my flexibility. This DVD is absolutely fabulous in just a few weeks I have become a lot more flexible and my abdominal muscles are so much stronger. Before starting the DVD I couldn't even do a proper sit up and that is pretty bad seeing as I am only 19 years old. However, just as Jennifer Kries says in her video after just 5 sessions of doing the DVD I was able to do one. Jennifer Kries is a brilliant teacher, she is calm and encourages you without being over the top like some exersie DVD's I have seen. She also shows you how far to take the moves as a beginner and how to advance the moves as you get better. I cannot recommend this DVD enough, it is a must buy.

A friend used to own this DVD and I have been trying to obtain a copy for a year until I finally found one on Amazon. I do the Method Toning part of the DVD about 3 times a week and absolutely love it because it stretches out my back, eases the pain in my shoulders, neck and lower lumbar area. I love the way Jennifer Kries talks you through the exercises and tells you about the benefits of each. Jennifer's instructions are clear & easy to follow and she always offers alternative ways of performing the exercises if you aren't quite as flexible or advanced. People have commented on my toned body and I've only been doing this for a couple of months.

The workout itself is quite relaxing - no annoying music in the background. While it's relaxing, it's challenging. The instructor provides excellent instruction - she's against a fairly neutral background, so you can see exactly what position she is in. I particularly enjoy the 'chapter' feature, it allows you to pick and choose whatever part of the workout you wish to do - abs, legs, thighs, whatever. As another review also mentioned, the instructor is so good that one doesn't even need to be watching the TV to know what position to be in. Her instructions are clear and precise. I highly recommend the video!