The Firm: Sculpt-ilates

I am a 51-year-old exerciser who had knee replacement surgery last year. My husband also had major surgery after that and I stopped exercising for the last quarter of the year. So, I had a really bad fitness year and I'm now coming back.

I have never been much into Pilates, but I love band workouts and I found this workout when searching for band workouts. I really enjoy the first part, which is a standing version of a Pilates workout. It uses the band and it slowly paced enough for me to enjoy it; it gives enough time to get situated with the band. It's about 18 minutes.

When we reach the next section, which involves rolling down to do some tabletop work on the floor, I'm faced with the decision about whether to fast forward past it or to stop. With my knee replacement, I'm not able to do those moves. (Why aren't Pink Firm workouts chaptered?) Since I don't really enjoy floor work anyway, I usually quit and finish up with some standing work from Cathe's TurboBarre DVD. It's a pretty good combination.

This is a standing and mat pilates routine done Firm style. So you use a band and do some light strength work. The dvd comes with a band, but its ligher resistance so I used a heavier band to up the strength work. The dvd is 51 minutes and is divided up into 2 main segments: Standing, & Mat pilates work. The standing work is 21 minutes, the mat work is 30 minutes and includes a cooldown stretch.

Robyn works out in the hardwood floor, fogged window room with 2 background exercisers. Kelsie provides the beginner modifications. There is some bad camera work in this. The camera isnt always focusing on what/who it should be.

The standing work starts with a warmup and moves into traditional and some nontraditional standing pilates moves. A screen comes up and says "Band Sculpt" and you move into standing pilates work using the band. You do some pliets, rows, overhead tricep extensions with the band, some twisting moves for your waist, some balance work, etc.

Then a "Mat Work" screen comes up and you move onto the ground for an interesting side plank series, mermaid, bicep curls with the band, a rolldown move, and soem other core work.

Next is the "Lower Body Mat" segment and you do lower body work on the floor with and without the band some leg circles, bridge w/ the band acting like a "seat belt" and some lower back swimming type moves.

The final section is "Core Work & Cooldown" and includes a final stretch. You start with a "classic pilates 5" move and move onto other floor core work and a cooldown stretch.

I am not a big pilates fan so I like that this is done Firm style and is more athletic. I think this is an low intermediate workout that a beginner could also enjoy. I dont think a hardcore pilates person would probably care for it though.