Winsor Pilates Bun & Thigh Sculpting

This is a 20 minute pilates mat w/o led by Mari, who doesnt do the exercises but gives instructions & shows the move on the exercisers. The exercisers are on raised platforms in a nice open room. The w/o is entirely lower body (no abs) and you wont need any props.

Mari leads you through mostly outer thigh and bun pilates moves but also includes a set of inner thigh work and a brief stretching segment at the end. The move are all done lying on your side. This is nonstop work-she doesnt intersperse stretching or spend a lot of time chatting, etc. A very good use of 20 minutes.

Some of the exercises include: scissors, leg circles, leg lifts, bicycles, hot potato (tapping your toes in front of & behind your body), inner thigh lifts, leg shoots, and other pilates leg and bun work.

I did this workout after a 40 min Firm w/o that I used heavy dumbbells w/ and was definately feeling it! My buns & thighs were burning by the end of this. Im not sure how how difficult it would be on its own-but a perfect 20 min LB add on. I would rate this a solid intermediate w/o because its only 20 minutes but is a nonstop 20 minutes. Mari cues well isnt overly or underly (is that a word?) chatty and I enjoy this w/o.

An 18 minute workout featuring the pilates lying side-kick series. Well queued, fast paced, and no dread because it's over in 18 minutes. Not overly instructed. Suitable for experienced beginners to intermediate level. Not sure how this workout would feel to advanced Pilates practioners since I am not advanced, but you do want to have some Pilates experience so that you know how to use your breath and engage your "power house" to stabilize your hips & upper body while executing the exercises. Just enough repetitions to feel the burn but not working to the point of full exhaustion of the muscles where you have to stop. Great for hip mobility, flexibilty and strength. Makes a good add on to your other workouts.

This is an exercise video classic! Less than 20 minutes long (perfect for an add-on, or for restarting). No equipment needed. A lower body workout that doesnít stress any joints (in fact, I love how the moves take my hip joints through a nice range of motion). Excellent, but not overwhelming, instruction. No dread factor at all.

Even more amazing, it is doable by virtually any level exerciser. If you can lie on your side on the floor, you can do this workout. However, the more you practice the moves and process Mariís form instruction -- the harder it actually gets! Iíve owned this workout for years (first on VHS, then DVD) and done it dozens of times, and every morning after I still feel it in my glutes.

Other Winsor titles have drifted in and out of my video collection through the years, but this one is definitely in my personal permanent Hall of Fame.

Winsor Bun & Thigh Sculpting is a quick, 18-minute workout that focuses on the Pilates side kick series. Beginning on one side, Mari leads her class of 5 participants through the standard exercises of the series, although she adds a few twists--eg, performing both large and small leg circles. She then has the students bend their knees to the front for a series she calls "fetal thighs." The movements in this series were quite simple, but by the end, my buttocks/outer hip area was completely fried! Then the entire sequence is repeated to the other side. To finish, you roll onto your stomach for a set of heel beats and then stretch back to finish. This is definitely an excellent workout for the buttocks, hips, and thighs area, although it may have a bit of a "dread" factor.

This is a short Pilates workout that thoroughly works out the lower body. Mari leads the workout with five exercisers actually doing the workout. Each exerciser sits on a raised platform and Mari stands among them. She leads them through exercises from the side kick series, some of them with her "twist". The workout moves at a steady and deliberate pace and she does the same workout on one side and then the other.

I have used this work a lot. It is the perfect length to do as an add-on to another tape or to do as an additional workout in the evening (I'm a morning exerciser). It has a timeless feel that will hopefully carry me through the years.

I did this workout after taking a long break from exercise (a combination of a hectic schedule and pure laziness, but that's another story) and all I can say is "Yow!" A short but tough workout, you will definately feel it in the buns and thighs. There are leg lifts, bicycles, hot potatoes, inner thigh work, and fetal thigh work. A perfect workout to add on or for someone like me, a great little workout for a busy schedule. A keeper!

This is a workout I will do often. The reason is that I love floorwork, and this whole workout is done on the floor. Also, it is short, which is both good and bad; it's good because you can get a varied workout of the thighs and buns in 20 minutes, but I felt it was too short to be truly effective. I will be doing this workout twice through. This is a workout that is appropriate for beginners and intermediate exercisers. The exercises are reminiscent of the ones my mother did with the Jack LaLanne show, and also have a ballet feel, in addition to a pilates feel. The workout moves at a quick pace, and there is only one set per exercise. I rate this tape an A-, the minus being for the short length of the workout.

Mari Winsor instructs as 5 background exercisers perform the moves. The routine starts out lying on your right side for the side kick series. First is 10 sets of side kicks to the back and front. Next are 3 sets of bicycles. This move is similar to the motion that your leg makes while pedaling a bike only done very slowly. On to 10 sets of leglifts, then 5 big leg circles, and then 10 small circles each way. The group next performs 5 sets of hot potato (??) I had never seen this before. The move basically was like from The Firm's Sculpted Buns, Hips and Thighs where Tracie is on her side and the top leg taps in front of the bottom leg and then in back. Mari then moves to inner thigh work. The first move is similar to inner thigh lifts that you see in Firm Strength; doing 20 pulses to the ceiling. The next step is to do the lifts in 3 movements like an elevator, going a little higher each time. Mari then instructs the exercisers to pretend that their legs are fused together (like a mermaid) and then lift both off the ground. I found this move to be the toughest. She then has the group lift the top leg and hold. Next you bring the bottom leg up to meet the top and then back down again. She finishes the side kick series with a scissors-like move.

The second section is called "Fetal Thighs" because you are in a fetal postion while you perform the exercises. First is regular bent leg lifts, and then a variation of that by having your foot/lower leg higher than your knee. Mari moves on to "clams" where you keep your feet touching but lift top leg at the knee portion, "elevated clams" where your knees are on the floor but feet are raised and finally a combo of an elevated clam and then you straighten your leg and return it back to the clam position. This move felt particularly effective. You next switch to lying on your right side and repeat the whole series. The program ends with lying flat on your stomach, raising your feet/lower legs and moving them side to side.

The toning workout turned out to be only about 17 minutes long-perfect to tack on to another workout. I enjoyed Mari's teaching style and the set itself is pleasant with plants and light music. She suggests doing this program 2-3x per week. I am going to try incorporating these moves into my normal routine to see if I notice any changes. Some of the moves were definitely unique while others were very traditional floor legwork. It seems like a nice compliment to standing leg work. This video didn't rock my world but it was good-I need to do it a few more times before I can say that it's effective.