I really enjoy 10 minute solution Pilates and 10 minute solution yoga with the same instructor, Lara Hudson. I have been looking forward to the Rapid Results Pilates for a long time as I saw that it was available in America in Region 1 format and I am so pleased I ordered it! This is a wonderful all over body work out, with fantastic pilates sets to shape and tone your abs, arms, bottom and thighs.
Like the other two videos, it is fast-paced and challenging, and gets right down to business. If you're a complete beginner to pilates, you won't find a lengthy introduction or detailed explanations - you start exercising and working those muscles straight away. In fact, I really like this about all the Lara Hudson workouts - you don't lie on your mat for 5 minutes with your legs in the air waiting for the explanation to end and to actually start actually doing it!! So for each of the 5 segments, you actually are working out, and the instructions and cues are really spot on, so even if you're not looking at the screen you will know what to do.
Some of the moves are quite advanced and require a lot of flexibility, so be prepared to keep your legs slightly lower at first until your flexibility improves. Some of the sections call for weights to really sculpt your arms and shoulders - and boy can you feel it! There is plenty of variety here, lots of different moves with a few repetitions, so you don't get bored. In fact, these are all pilates exercises with a twist - typical pilates moves but with new, challenging variations added. Expect a lot of bridges, leg lifts, and flow series to burn calories...but they all have new elements added, so you're not doing the same things as on the other pilates dvds.
This is very varied, challenging, but also fun. Whereas I could do 10 minute solution pilates and keep up with it, I had to stop at least twice while doing this dvd, especially the Total Body Blast section which is a killer and gets you sweating. Luckily you can choose just one or two sections to start out with. And the great thing is that even if you do 10 or 20 minutes with this dvd you will still get a decent workout that you can feel.