Winsor Pilates Slimming Pilates DVDs and Accelerator Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Pilates Equipment and Apparel Winsor Pilates Slimming Pilates DVDs and Accelerator By Marguerite Ogle MS, RYT Marguerite Ogle MS, RYT Marguerite Ogle is a freelance writer and experienced natural wellness and life coach, who has been teaching Pilates for more than 35 years. Learn about our editorial process Updated on November 17, 2021 Fact checked Verywell Fit content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Elaine Hinzey, RD Fact checked by Elaine Hinzey, RD Elaine Hinzey is a registered dietitian, writer, and fact-checker with nearly two decades of experience in educating clients and other healthcare professionals. Learn about our editorial process Print Francois De Heel/Photodisc/Getty Images This is classic Mari Winsor. It's not classic Pilates, mind you. This is Mari Winsor's inventive Pilates based approach to a more calisthenic Pilates aimed at weight loss and body sculpting. The Slimming Pilates program is an evolution of the Winsor Pilates Super Sculpting Program. It is for people who are already in fairly good shape or have some Pilates or Winsor Pilates background. It is not for beginners. It's also not for you if you have back pain or other reasons to want a more careful Pilates approach. With that caution, if you like to mix it up and have some fun with your workouts, read on. The Slimming Pilates DVD Workouts In the Slimming Pilates DVD program, Mari Winsor leads 5 different DVD workouts that are assigned to different days of a 30-day weight loss plan. There is a great "abssession" workout as well as full body workouts, and workouts that focus on sculpting different areas like lifting the butt or toning the arms. They are all fairly short and intense, with Mari Winsor's upbeat energy pushing them along. Mari Winsor usually keeps a fairly good pace in her DVDs. She doesn't take a lot of extra time with modifications or alignment tips along the way. That approach has its pros and cons, but it does have the effect of keeping the workout moving along. There is, however, more effort put into demonstrating modifications in these DVDs than in some past Winsor Pilates DVDs. One of the workouts is meant to be cardio. It is a good workout, but if you are the level it takes to do these workouts it's probably not going to be very cardio for you, though it will be body toning. Overall, I like the slimming Pilates DVDs. They are challenging and fun, and they use the "accelerator" which I'll talk about in a minute. I can't say they represent the most balanced Pilates workouts ever, but they will sculpt a lot of key body areas. If you are young and strong or know how to take care of yourself, you might really enjoy this program. The Slimming Pilates Accelerator I think the accelerator is really cool. When I opened my box and saw all the ways you could combine the stretchy cord, bar, 1lb. hand weights, and foot/hand straps I was tickled. I especially like the way you can unscrew the ends of the weighted bar to make hand weights. The accelerator is kind of like a budget PilatesStick or Tower on the Go. There is a stretch cord that has an attachment that lets you fix the middle by closing it in a door. Then you can pull on the band ends for resistance exercises. It's not super sturdy, but it's fine for home workout equipment. The accelerator also has extra clip-on handles so that you can have one set in your hands and one set on your feet and stretch them away using your arms and legs to create the resistance. There are any number of ways you can combine the elements of the accelerator for a workout and I think Mari might have included just about all of them in the Slimming Pilates DVD workouts. I would have loved to have an introduction to the DVDs explaining everything... They don't do a good job of telling you what configuration of accelerator elements you are going to need until the DVD gets underway. They also don't always warn you when they change a set-up right in the middle of a routine. And some of the mid-exercise adjustments shown by the petite ladies who do the demonstrating are not going to work for the rest of us. I found these issues annoying at first, but if you did the routines regularly you would figure out what works. The Extras To lose weight with Pilates you have to exercise at a quicker pace, add resistance, and eat for weight loss. The DVDs have the pacing, the accelerator adds resistance, and as an extra, there is a little book with a 7-day weight loss eating plan. The plan is low carb - too low in good complex carbs in my opinion, but it does look like a fairly nutritious support for short-term weight loss. The booklet includes recipes and snack options as well. There is also a tape measure (which I have been glaring at, but haven't opened), and a small poster with a few thankfully detailed exercise instructions. The Bottom Line At $60.00 I think you get a lot for your money. I wouldn't depend on this approach for all the great benefits Pilates has to offer, but as a Pilates-based exercise that will give you variety and a good workout, it's worth it. Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. By Marguerite Ogle MS, RYT Marguerite Ogle is a freelance writer and experienced natural wellness and life coach, who has been teaching Pilates for more than 35 years. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Related Articles The 11 Best Workout DVDs of 2022 Mari Winsor Made Pilates Popular With Weight Loss Workouts PilatesStick Adds Resistance to Mat Exercises The 6 Best Online Barre Classes of 2022 How to Use Wearable Weights and Benefit From Their Use How to Design a Weight Loss Workout in Pilates The 10 Best Beachbody Workouts of 2022 Best Online Pilates Classes of 2022 The Best Pilates Equipment for a Studio Experience at Home Can You Get Rid of Belly Fat Rolls? How Can I Burn More Fat When Exercising? Strength Training: A Beginner's Guide to Getting Stronger Starting an Exercise Program When You Have Extra Weight to Lose How Zumba Can Help You Dance Your Way to Fitness How Can You Lose Weight With Indoor Cycling? The 7 Best Online Cycling Classes of 2022 When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept All