Working out with a new fitness product can be fun. It challenges your muscles to try something new and keeps your workouts interesting. The Mini Body Bar is just such a product. It’s approximately 2 feet long and weighs 4 lbs. and with it’s heavy feel and compact look, it’s not exactly portable, but easily stored. Accompanying this Body Bar was a DVD, Master your Body, which is a combination Pilates mat workout and a bonus stretch routine.
The Pilates routine uses the Mini Body Bar as a form of resistance, a balancing prop, and an alignment support. Some exercises are done holding the Mini Body Bar up over head, while others are done anchoring the bar to the floor. The weight can also be used as just a weight, adding resistance to certain moves. As a Pilates instructor, I could immediately see the benefits of using the Mini Body Bar and how it assisted in “kicking up” the exercises. I found the exercises to be more challenging and I felt things in a slightly different way. But I will say this about this program; it’s not for the Pilates beginner.
The user must be familiar with Pilates exercises in order to keep up with the routine. For instance, there is not much explanation of what the Hundred is meant to achieve nor how to do it properly with good form. There were times I felt a bit of strain in my neck as I held the bar up during certain exercises, and I’m a Pilates professional. If you’re someone who has never done Pilates before, I would hold off on this DVD until you have a bit more experience. The bonus section, a stretching routine using the Mini Body Bar, is nicely paced and attempts to use the bar for assisted stretching. I don’t think they hit the mark all the time. There is no sense in using the bar just to use the bar. It should always have purpose and not be a gimmick.
That being said, I think the Mini Body Bar is a great tool and can diversify your exercise routine. The Master Your Body DVD is good, it’s just speaking a language you need to understand before using it. I love my Mini Body Bar and look forward to discovering other ways of exercising with it.