Author: Guest
This is a surprisingly good three-pack, I must say. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it -- it is released by MTV, after all -- but I've done all three workouts and I really like each one, especially when released together. The Power Yoga might not be a good purchase on its own because it's really Part II of the regular Yoga tape (as in, you learn the basics in Yoga and then can catch onto the Power Yoga much easier than if you did the latter first), but the other two stand on their own as well.Yoga is a good beginner's yoga tape simply because it walks you through the poses slowly before picking up the pace. It also includes a breakdown of the harder poses at the end of the workout. There also are modifications for more advanced yogis, so this should be a good tape for intermediates, too. The only thing that bugged me about this tape was 1) Lori (the supposed host, though Kristen McGee really leads the workout) is a little flaky, and 2) Kristen forgets to do one stretch on both sides. That always annoys me. I only caught it once, though, and it's easy to do on your own without even pausing the tape. Power Yoga doesn't have much of a warmup, and it's a much faster-paced routine than the regular Yoga tape. It's for people who really want an energetic, almost aerobic form of yoga. I actually liked it, but I made the mistake of doing it before the regular Yoga, so it was harder for me to keep up with than it would have otherwise been. Pilates was a good one, too. I have Winsor Pilates, and I have to say, I really liked MTV's better. It was more peaceful to watch, it flowed better and Kristen did a great job of explaining things. Plus, just like with the yoga tapes, there are backup exercisers to follow for beginning, intermediate and advanced. This tape really aims to work the core muscles; it doesn't pretend to be the all-around body workout that Winsor does, and, frankly, I think that's a good thing. Pilates is awesome for your core, and a great supplement for your upper and lower. But I wouldn't say you'd be in tip top muscular shape if you just did Pilates and that's it. Pilates was designed for dancers and athletes who already were getting cardiovascular workouts and body workouts. Using Pilates as your only form of exercise isn't quite enough, except, of course, when we're talking about the abs. The overall breakdown is this: Power Yoga is 45 minutes with great music; Yoga is about 40 minutes with great music; Pilates is 35 minutes with pretty good music. Power Yoga also includes a 10-minute Pilates ab workout. I've been sore after each workout, which is an accomplishment since I weight train regularly. I'm switching to these other routines because of back problems, and I think I made the right choice. This is a well-rounded, fun package.
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