Mari Winsor's Slimming Pilates Kit: Basic

A wonderful addition to those who love the practice of Pilate's. Mari Winsor was an expert in Pilate's , having studied under masters in the exercise. Sadly, this lovely lady recently passed away from complications of ALS , but she left a contribution and legacy of wonderful exercise DVDs . The Slimmimg Pilates kit comes with 5 dvds: Dvd#1 Pilate's of the fit and famous, is four 10minute workouts with cardio,total body, lower body and Abs. #2 DVD is three DVDs: Superfast body blast, 20 minutes, Quick start Pilate's, is two 20 minute workouts: workout 1 cardio sculpt and workout 2 burn and firm Pilate's. DVD #3 Absession for the abdominals. The last dvd is Rapid results, workout#1 on the go Pilate's and workout #2 Bootcamp express. Each are also 20 minutes. "The Accelerator" is the exercise device used in the workouts. It is a bungee type device with foot /hand stirrups and weighted bar that simulates a Pilate's machine ( you can roll it up and take it with you, try that with a pilates machine!) It has a door attachment so you can master the bicycle burn, legs circles, the powerhouse roll and side sit ups. You will gain core strength, firm butt,hips,and legs. Its a flowing low impact workout that stretches the spine and works every muscle in the body. If you keep practicing you will see improvement. The kit also includes a book with a suggested workout schedule and heathy low fat recipe ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you love Pilate's or want to try a new type of workout, this is fun and challenging. Cons: I would not recommend it for those who do not enjoy floor exercises. It does not seem to be in production any more so order it from Amazon while it lasts.

I love this Pilates kit! I used to have Mari Winsor's VHS tapes back in the day and decided to look for a new DVD set for home workouts. This kit provides multiple DVDs with a variety of workouts. Most of them are 20 minutes long, which makes it easy to accomplish a quick workout or combine two if you have more time. You can also choose what parts of the body you would like to focus on or follow the calendar provided in the guide. The workout accessories are utilized in different ways depending on which workout you select. You might have to pause at the beginning to make changes to the bar or elastic bands, but overall it's very easy to adjust and they provide extra resistance for exercises. It certainly isn't identical to a professional Pilates table and might not please someone used to private lessons in a Pilates studio. The kit also takes up much less space than other workout equipment with good benefits. I am very satisfied with this purchase and would recommend it to any Pilates beginner/intermediate or someone looking for a well rounded workout at home. It does not come with a yoga mat, so I would recommend purchasing one if you don't already have one to go with this.

I’ve always like Mari Windsor’s style of teaching. As always this set doesn’t disappoint. I don’t think you could call this a beginners set, as having familiarity with basic mat work is recommended. However if you’re looking to change it up and ready for a challenge this is it. You can get a really good full body workout with these few pieces of equipment and Mari’s guidance. I’m sure I’ll be using this for quite a while.

If you are an absolute beginner with pilates I highly recommend the 20 minute mat workout (you can even find it free on YouTube somewhere). It is an excellent workout that always gets me in great shape and I can do anywhere and any time. Now as for this particular product: Mari is a good instructor but I wouldn't recommend this for beginners if you are not familiar with good form since it is faster paced and you could get injured. After a while I wanted to add some variety so I purchased this. I absolutely love it! The accelerator is good quality and the variety reignited my love for pilates. I also had trouble with some of the exercises where the bar is behind my legs (for example while doing the one hundred exercise,my butt is large and my arms aren't quite long enough) but I can make small adjustments to make it work like moving my legs closer to my body or bending my knees a little. I will definitely say that a plus sized woman might have a pretty hard time using the excelerator for this reason so I am not sure I would recommend this if you are larger (again would recommend the original 20 minute workout instead). Buy this if you are fairly flexible, have good form and like a faster pace than the classic early 2000's WP workouts.

What you get for the money in this package is really great! Mari Winsor shows you all of the different ways to use the bands with and without the bar, and her instruction is impeccable. I had hurt myself following someone on Youtube using another gym the wrong way, but here when you do leg loops she tells you to keep your legs within the framework of your body, ensuring that you don't overextend (and really end up hurting yourself. Trust me, this is a big deal!). I had also purchased a pilates kit from Walmart a few years ago, which I also liked, but it didn't have a video with it, which was very disappointing. Also, the way the leg bands were set up, you couldn't perform certain exercises that you can do with the Mari Winsor system. All in all, this pilates kit is a great purchase, especially for the money. "JUST DO IT!"

My favorite workout. I use this daily in place of going to physical therapy. Mari Winsor makes it fun and tolerable. Of all the instructors I've used (on On Demand) she is by far my favorite. It's challenging for me without being too strenuous. And the accelerator adds to my stability and challenge.

I love this work out. The bar and straps make transitioning ot each position easier and I feel it makes you do it right so cuts down on chances for injury. Really recommend Mari Windsor, she is amazing!

Love Mari WInsor - she is not annoying like many of the instructors on DVD - have her Pilates chair as well - this is a nice workout especially after I let it go for a long time.