newbie, pilates question and advice needed!
 

Hey all!
Glad I found this site it seems this is the place I can find the guidance I'm looking for.
Here goes....
I just purchased "Pilates for Dummies" (quit laughing!) I chose this dvd because in the past I bought two other Pilates tapes and they were to difficult for me, meaning they didnt explain things well and went to fast, didnt give me a chance to really understand the routine. I love the way this DVD is presented, the host takes her time explaining the movements, she points out common mistakes in form that people make, she puts everything in SIMPLE terms explains EACH and EVERY movement before presetning it to you and then you do it with her. I guess you can tell Im loving this dvd.
Anyhow, I am about as flexible as a board, I'm not sure when this happened, perhaps when I gained that extra 72 pounds :mad: (which i'm in the process of losing... 29 pounds to go....) I used to be an athlete, a runner, and an excercise nut! That was about 4 years ago. (Sorry im rambling but I want to give as much info as possible so you all can understand my situation and give me the best advice!)
Although I'm LOVING this tape it is still difficult for me not being very flexible, I also do the FIRM tapes on my off days. My initial plan was to do this tape 3 days a week and the FIRM on the other days. Is this enough pilates to see a difference? Should I be doing it more than three days a week? Also how long before my body adjusts to the movements and they become easier for me... I YEARN FOR FLEXIBILITY!!! :D Also on this dvd she does each movement a total of ten times is this the norm?
Any advice is appreciated, I'm so new to Pilates!!!
Thanx in advance!

Hiya! I think it's great that you're doing Pilates. I started about 4 or 5 months ago, used to do it 3 times a week, now I'm down to once a week because I do a lot of other exercise, too. In my experience, mastering the moves takes a lot of time. There are still some in the beginners' series that I can't do at all, and quite a few that I'm not doing with perfect form. I'm not very flexible, either, but I am seeing improvement just from the short time I've been doing it (I take a mat class and also work with a tape--the Ana Caban beginners' mat). So my advice to you would be to stick with it--it might seem time consuming to learn, but what the teachers say at the class I attend is that it's an ongoing process of improvement--for everyone, not just for beginners. :)

Three times a week seems fine--my teacher once mentioned that it's ok to practice every day, although I wouldn't go that far, especially if you're doing The Firm, too.

And yes, anywhere between 5 and 12 reps is the norm, depending on the exercise. I don't know that particular tape, but I'd just do it as the instructor is doing it. :)

Thanx for getting back to me.
I guess I will have to be patient with the flexibility, (patience is not my strong quality :mad: ).
I hope to hear from more people who have experience with pilates, I'm anxious to hear how long it has taken people to benefit from it and see results.
Thanx!

I'm a newbie, too with pilates and yoga and I'm so glad I found this thread. Today will be my first workout with pilates. I also have the balance ball workout, so I figure I'd do pilates 4x a week and then alternate the other days with the balance ball workout. I'm excited!