Pilates for beginners

Can anyone recomend a good pilates DVD for an absolute beginner?

TIA

MG

I love Pilates. I don't recommend that you start with a DVD though. The thing with Pilates is that you need to be engaging the right muscles for it to be effective, and in the beginning it can be really hard to do this. The stronger muscles tend to take over unless you are in exactly the right position, with the right things relaxed. I think it is really helpful to start in a small class so that the instructor can correct your position and help you to learn which muscles to turn on and off. Once you have done that and are familiar with the main exercises, then you can use a DVD at home.

Thanks MR. I actually can't do groups. At all. It's something my PT and I have been working on - he still struggles to get me in the gym and I've been seeing him twice a week for over 2 months! And I can't really afford one on one sessions. Both he and my Osteo have suggested pilates which is why I'm looking in to it... but I get what you're saying... thank you.

Do you have private health insurance? Many funds cover Pilates with a physiotherapist. Even physios who don't run classes would be able to help you with muscle isolation and show you basic positions. Maybe that's an option?

We do pilates at our school with a pilates instructor. I ended up giving up cause I can't get the breathing right or the right muscles to work etc LOL. I would just end up laughing at myself which wasn't very helpful to the others who would then laugh too.

Hehe sounds fun Katherine!

MR i do have phi... i will look into that option!

LOL Kat I was so unco at it too!

I know it's a bit exxy but you will really benefit from doing a couple of lessons to learn the proper technique to get the benefit of the excercises. I thought I knew what I was doing from the DVD but OMG I was so far from doing it properly :lol: I went to a physio in Berwick and I think there is also a pilates studio that gives one on one lessons.

The DVD I got came from target with a book.

Definitely see a physio who knows about pilates. That's how I got into it. Was seeing a physio for a lower back injury and she worked with me on basic core muscle movements as I wasn't even strong enough to start in a beginners pilates class. Then once I was good she referred me to a pilates studio where I had a couple of semi-private (only 4 students, makes it cheaper) sessions on the reformers and then moved to the floor classes. That was about 4 years ago and have been doing it once a week ever since (apart from having a few months off after DS was born :) ).