Aeropilates
Review
For my birthday this year I
received my very own Aeropilates machine! I had been dropping hints to
my husband about wanting a reformer for a few months, but have to admit I had
never heard of the Aeropilates machine until I received one as a gift. I was
really excited to try it out. I’m not really the gym-going type so I had never
used a reformer before purchasing the Aeropilates. The core-building benefits
of Pilates always appealed to me though, and it looked like a graceful, fun, low-impact and creative form of
exercise.
My husband and I worked on the
assembly together and it took us about 45 minutes start to finish. The construction seems pretty sturdy, and it
is rated for up to 250 lbs. It comes with a curved, wide foot bar and a trampoline
attachment. The bar is used for your more traditional Pilates exercises and the
trampoline is used for the cardiovascular workout. I like doing a workout that
combines some traditional Pilates moves with segments of cardio, so I keep the
trampoline attachment on it all the time. It also comes with two instructional
DVD’s and a poster (see below), that shows the various exercises that can be
done with the machine. I only needed to watch the DVD’s once and glance over
the poster to get going, and I have created my own personalized workout from
that information.
The machine has four heavy-duty,
elastic cords that can be adjusted to add or decrease resistance during the workout.
I usually keep it on 3 or 4 cords during the rebounding and leg exercises using
the ropes and then 2 or 3 for upper body exercises using the ropes. It’s
interesting that by going from 4 cords to 3 during the rebounding actually
works different muscles—4 cords works my legs and butt and 3 cords works my abs
more.
I have used the machine every day
for a month now and can definitely feel a difference in my body. I feel more
toned and feel like my posture is better. I have also lost about 5 lbs., which
I wasn’t necessarily expecting. Prior to this I primarily did aerobic workouts
at home and jogged, and I wasn’t sure if the Pilates workouts would burn as
many calories or not. I really like the movements of the Pilates routines, as
they stretch your muscles in addition to strengthening them. I especially feel
the stretching when I am doing leg exercises with the ropes.
A few features that I think could
be improved upon: 1) The ropes are a little squeaky. I have gotten used to the
noise, but it might be annoying to some people. 2) The ropes are a tad hard to
adjust. If you need to change the length of the ropes you have to undo the knot
that tied onto the straps and then I found it a little challenging to get both
ropes exactly the same length this way. For me this isn’t a big issue because I
don’t change the length of my ropes, but if multiple people were using the same
machine it might become cumbersome.
Overall, I love the machine and
highly recommend it! Please feel free to ask any questions or leave comments
below! Please scroll down for my workout, it's great for beginners!
Here is my workout: Approximately
32 – 40 minutes long
4 cords/bouncing on rebounder
75 both feet jumping
50 slalom
25 straight leg
25 split jump
25 single leg
Ropes/legs
50 Leg lowers
25 Wide leg circles clockwise
25 Wide leg circles
counterclockwise
25 Straddles
4 cords/bouncing on rebounder (repeat this 2-4 times)
25 both feet jumping
25 slalom
25 straight leg
25 split jump
25 single leg
2 cords/Ropes/arms- sitting position facing ropes
25 Rows
25 Reverse arm extensions
50 Left Side lying jumping with upper leg (lower leg extended slightly
forward)
25 Serve the Brownies
25 Tree Hugger
25 Overhead Extension
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