( 3 reviews )
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Posted: Mar 10 2009
The ring is terrific but it comes with a VHS tape rather than a DVD. Disapointed since our household doesn't even own a VHS player!
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( 14 of 15 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 26 2003
For the more advanced Pilates student looking for a challenge, I urge you to order the body ring set. I own probably three- quarters of the Pilates videos listed on Amazon. I love the long lean muscles that Pilates builds, and being a former dancer, I appreciate Pilates' focus on the core. My problem; however, is that while Pilates tones and sculpts the lower body, I felt that I needed something more for my upper body. Many months(and much gym equipment later) I found myself wishing for some way to incorporate the grace and fluidity of Pilates with the strengthening work-out of a machine. Also I found that most Pilates videos, even the more advanced ones, were too easy. I needed a way to improve my practice while challenging my body. Enter the bodyring and work-out video. I found Ana Caban to be a lovely instructor, not too chirpy or annoying, but self assured and graceful. I always look at the instructor's body and form as a hint to what the work-out will be like, and Ms. Caban was true to form; long, lean and,focused.I like a video that is neither too long, nor too short so that I can fit it in daily, if possible. This video, clocking in at under forty minutes, is perfect. The best thing about it is that the work-out is as difficult as you make it. The resistance that the ring provides compresses an entire gym into a peice of eqiupment that you can take anywhere. I travel often, and find it hard to incorperate fitness, but guess what will be in my suitcase on my next trip? (I just hope I don't have to explain it!)I felt muscles shaking during this video that I had forgotten I had! I was challenged, I was engaged, and by the end I could barely walk. If that is not a good enough endorsement I don't know what is!
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( 8 of 8 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 15 2003
I already had the Beginner Mat Workout from Gaiam, so I decided to get the body ring one for some variation. I like the resistence that the ring adds. Even the 100 is a lot more difficult when you've got to keep pressure on the bodyring as well. I can never tell, though, what she means by keeping my knee slightly bent, how far is slightly? And what effect am I going for when I do that? It'd be nice to know if I'm using the right muscles.This video also offers arm workouts that mat workouts do not have. Though there are not as many arm workouts as the BodyBand video. For a beginner, I would first suggest the BodyRing and then the BodyBands, the bands are more clumsy to use, in my opinion.Between using this video and the mat workout for a few weeks, I discovered one night that I had ab muscles that I didn't know existed. It was an odd sensation to sit up and feels muscles working that I hadn't even taken notice of before, so clearly the tapes were doing some good.
