New to Pilates and have questions

[tmurphy_68]

HI,
My name is Tammy. I started WW in July 2006 and have lost 100lbs so far and reversed my diabetes. I bought myself a beginners pilates kit with a giftcard I recieved for xmas. The dvd that came with it only shows simple exercises, not an actual workout. And no real info. I am trying to find out the recomended pilates regimen, as in how many days a week and how long per session. We can not pay for me to get formal instruction, but this site looked inviting for the help I need. Any replies would be greatly appreciated.:azzangel:

 

[allcdnboy1]

pilates, eh? hmmm. i don't think that is something that you can really get that good at without formal instruction ... it's not exactly the same as going to the gym and building a workout.

but, on that note, most pilates classes are offered 2-3/week, so that sounds like how often you should be doing it. I did pilates for awhile and loved it (it was part of my gym membership, so that was huge) ...

... i also work for a company that sells pilates equipment and DVD's and it's just not the same. sorry ... probably not what you were looking for ..

 

[stinkfoot]

There is a huge range of quality in Mat Pilates videos- many of the better ones I've seen are from Moira Stott. The best free videos (which are close in quality to the Stott videos) that I've seen are from Fifth Avenue Pilates Studio.

Depending on your experience, you can get by with doing as little as ten minutes a day, 5 days a week. However, in your case, anything less than a half hour twice a week would probably be a waste of your time. Ideally, a beginner without (dance, athletics) some kinesthetic training should do three 45-60 minute sessions a week with the help of an instructor.

That said, you really need to take a mat class from a qualified instructor somewhere- they should run about $10 a session. There is absolutely no substitute for having someone correct your form. As a beginner, even with kinesthetic experience, you stand zero chance of learning the principles you need to make your workouts safe and effective without help.

Hope this helps, try these links for the videos I suggested: