After a tumultuous February, I've finally managed to complete Posture Tonic's Pilates challenge. I tried my best to keep consistent, but a minor case of tendinitis and daily obligations prevented me from finishing the last few workouts according to schedule. Despite all the hardships, Jacinta's engaging programming kept me going and giving my best for the final classes.
The full challenge can be found on this playlist, you can read my reviews for day one to ten and days eleven to twenty to read about my experience so far. And without further ado, here are my reviews of the final workouts of this wonderful challenge.
Photo by Kaboompics.com
Required equipment for days 21 to 25:
- Non slip fitness mat.
- Light dumbbells, Jacinta recommends using between 1 kg/3 pounds and 2 kg/5 pounds.
- Small Pilates ball. You can use a cushion or a plushie to substitute the ball.
- Mini band or booty band.
- Optional ankle weights.
Day 21: 44 Minutes Full Body Sculpt
Equipment required: Booty band or mini band, technically optional. I used a light band for this workout.
This workout was my first after resting for a few days due to trapezium tendinitis, therefore I was pretty vigilant about pain and tension on the upper body. The warm up incorporated a lot of planking, which made me feel wary of the workout but I decided to keep going. Luckily, the first sequence was core, so I just had to lay down and perform the exercises with the band on. After a few exercises the sequences flows into bridging, and despite using a light band, the exercises were challenging enough to get the glutes active but not to the point of cramping,
A very fun sequence making use of the band as an aid for unilateral roll ups came next, both a pleasant stretch for the legs and a nice exercise for the core. Lateral work came next, incorporating side plank variations and moves targeting the obliques and side glutes. My arms were a little bit tired to this point, so I was not too happy with all the time under tension for each shoulder. Though I didn't notice major pain, I certainly felt slightly uncomfortable at the end.
A short kneeling back sequence with the band around the wrists was used as a transition exercise between sides, but to be completely honest, I barely did the intended upper body moves to rest my arms for a while. The regular plank finisher was not nearly as bad as the side planks, so I pushed through and got to the final prone exercises without discomfort. As usual, the prone exercises were the easiest part of the class for me, so I felt rewarded by the end of the workout with an easy sequence.
Day 22: 24 Minutes All Standing Pilates Sculpt
Equipment required: Light dumbbells. Jacinta uses 1 kg/3 pounds and 2 kg/5 pounds for this workout.
Having an all standing workout made me worry less about my traps, so for this workout I decided to challenge myself by performing all the exercises with the heavier dumbbell set. While this workout was relatively short, keeping up with the fast pace while carrying dumbbells was not as easy as I'd imagined. Sweaty and with an elevated heartrate, my arms were pretty much done by by the end of the workout.
As for the exercises included in the workout, the single leg balancing work with knee drives and deadlifts were the hardest moves, though my balance seemed to be better than during previous days. Dumbbells aside, the pacing of this class itself is perfect if you want to train both your endurance and stability with quick exercises requiring lots of balance.
Day 23: 20 Minutes Tone Thighs and Abs
Equipment required: Optional ankle weights. I did not use ankle weights for this workout.
Just like with Day 13, this workout is deceivingly hard if you perform the exercises with proper form and control. Although I did the moves with only my bodyweight, the core moves left my abs just as tired as with a longer workout. The final sequence, semi seated with only the support of the forearms while performing core moves, was so simple yet effective to target the lower abs.
Day 24: 30 Minutes Full Body Pilates
Equipment required: Mini band or booty band and a Pilates ball. I used a round plushie and a cushion to substitute the Pilates ball.
The minimal equipment might make this workout look easy, but these props can be as effective as dumbbells to elevate the intensity. Starting with both props for the warm up, the ball is both an aid and a challenge for range of motion and stability, making deadbugs feel far harder than they should. A roll up sequence using the ball as stabilizer was next, with lots of time holding the seated lean back to put the core under more tension.
A lateral work sequence similar to the one in Day 21 followed the rolls ups, now using the ball for further upper body involvement. The transition between sides was a plank to side plank combo, balancing the weight load between both sides. The final sequence of the workout is all standing, incorporating the ball under the feet to activate the muscles of the stabilizing foot. The band is placed between the wrists to keep the upper body engaged, though I personally find it hard to perform moves with my fabric band. The finisher was an elevated squat hold with knee adductions, a suitable end to this challenging workout.
Finale: 40 Minutes Full Body Pilates
Equipment required: Light dumbbells and optional ankle weights. Jacinta uses 1 kg/3 pounds and 2 kg/5 pounds dumbbells, I did not use ankle weights for this workout.
After a couple days without doing Pilates due to personal circumstances, I finally did the final workout of the challenge. And in final workout fashion, the overall flow of this class is pretty much a final summary of all the basic moves and sequences featured during the entire challenge. Starting with a very dynamic warm up setting up the pace for the rest of the class, the light weights are used to perform familiar moves like birddogs, side leans and weighted roll ups. Continuing with a bridge sequence and a core section, the workout then flows into lateral work to pretty much engage every major muscle group.
The heavier weights are used for a donkey kick/fire hydrant combo to finish off the glutes, with no specific transition between sides. The final sequence of the workout (and the entire challenge) is core focused, using moves from the classical Pilates sequence and a plank hold to wrap things up. I could not endure the last few seconds of the plank hold but I managed to finish off the workout and stay relatively consistent through these rocky days.
Final thoughts:
As I stated in my first review of the challenge, I underestimated these workouts. Jacinta's knowledge and experience with the Pilates practice is vast, providing diverse workouts using the foundations of the practice alongside other exercise methods to create complete workouts for the full body. Not a single class felt boring or repetitive, albeit not forfeiting the goal of effectively train a muscle group or overall endurance. This is achieved not by endless pulses and isometric holds, but by making good use of exercise variations and the props to push the targeted areas harder.
Despite being challenging, I never felt depleted by these workouts, just minor soreness and eagerness to try the next workout as soon as I could. Something I also loved about Jacinta's programming is its dynamism, putting the body in constant controlled movement flows instead of sequence after sequence with no clear transition. As for the usage of props, I enjoyed every class implementing the Pilates ball, especially when used for core exercises. Heavier weight options were also suggested for the workouts focused on strength, using resistance to further stimulate the muscles.
Overall, I really enjoyed this challenge and look forward to try more of Jacinta's workouts soon.
Results:
I did not notice any major physical changes, but my performance during core exercises and planking seems to have improved. I feel like I can endure more without compromising my form and can flow better from one exercise to the other. My attitude towards fitness is healthier too, prioritizing rest and gentle movement over exhaustion and showing up every day with no rest.
What I loved about the challenge:
- Clear instructions with excellent cueing.
- Great programming and comprehensive approach to Pilates and fitness.
- Varied exercises and flows, every workout was different from one another.
- Focused exercises for every muscle groups.
- Brilliant use of the props, especially the Pilates ball.
- Dynamic flows with transitions between exercises.
- Professional approach to fitness with no body talk or body checking.
- Engaging instructor with active presence in the comment section.
- Use of heavier weights for strength focused sessions.
What I would change:
- Transitions between exercises could be slightly slower.
- The pacing for the cardio focused workouts can be too fast to maintain proper form.
- The dumbbell weight used for some exercises is not mentioned.
- There is not a lot of emphasis in easier modifications for beginners.
- The music can be distracting at times.
Do I recommend this challenge?
Yes, I would recommend this challenge to those interested in Pilates and with a decent fitness foundation. The level of these workouts can be difficult to assess, so I would personally recommend these to those upper beginner and beyond.
And for regular Pilates enthusiasts, this program can be fairly challenging too with the correct usage of the props and focus on form.
What's next?
I want to try some of Jacinta's previous challenges, though I want to take a break from Pilates for a few days first. I'm especially interested in her Power Pilates challenge, so that might be my next program.
Finally, I want to thank Jacinta for putting up this wonderful content and helping many people get access to free, high quality Pilates lessons.
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