Stott Pilates: Essential Reformer

If you're a true Pilates or Stott Conditioning fan, you may have invested in a reformer, the machine used in Pilates-based studios. This 58-minute video, the first in a series of three, shows you how to use the Stott reformer in a series of resistance exercises to help you tone and strengthen your core muscles and increase flexibility. As in all of Moira Stott's videos, she carefully explains each exercise thoroughly: how and where it works, breathing techniques, alignment, and modifications. First she demonstrates a series of exercises where you lie on the reformer and push the bar with your feet in different positions, moving the carriage. Next you do one leg at a time. Then comes a killer called "the hundreds": an abdominal exercise with 100 pulses (fast reps with tiny range of motion) against resistance from pulling on the straps. Later the straps are attached to the feet, or held with the hands, for exercises that target other muscle groups (while continuing to work the abs and back). Although this is the most basic in the reformer series, the exercises are far from easy. The camera work is excellent--you see exactly what you need to see in order to perform the exercises correctly. Stott Core Conditioning is a contemporary update of the work of Joseph Pilates, incorporating modern exercise physiology and spinal rehabilitation principles. --Joan Price