Many pilates beginners are not sure what it takes to start doing pilates. It really takes nothing more than your body and a little bit of space. As a pilates instructor, I often get asked about pilates DVDs and got a few specific questions over the weekend about choosing a pilates home workout. What are some good pilates DVDs I can use at home? And how do I know if they are good DVDs?
First of all, here's what I look for in a pilates DVD:
1. Reputable Pilates Company: I'm not putting down workouts by top fitness professionals, but when I choose a pilates DVD, I want to make sure it's not just a workout that they happened to put out in addition to their salsa routine. I want to make sure that the person on the video actually teaches pilates. A good way to find this out is to ask your pilates instructor for a recommendation, which brings me to another point — take a pilates group class first to make sure you know what the pilates moves look & feel like. Get corrected by a pilates instructor before you go it alone.
2. Good Reviews: Read reviews on Amazon.com and other Web sites. All you have to do is search for "DVD title review". There are a ton of places to find reviews. Often, pilates instructors will go in and review DVDs as they try them out themselves. This is the next best thing to having a pilates instructor. Again, you can also ask a pilates instructor you trust.
3. Room To Improve: Make sure the DVD has different levels that allow you to progress and improve your pilates moves — and also to give you a little bit of variety. I have a few DVDs that have two or three workouts on them. Those are the ones I go back to over and over again, because I get variety in my workout or might need to go back some pilates principles. When you are at home, it's easy to get bored, so having room to grow is a big benefit.
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