Year: 2005/2006

Distributor: Guthy-Renker

Instructor: Mari Winsor 

Mari Winsor has been a renowned Pilates instructor when she recieved her certification from another instructor named Romana Kryzanowska. She then worked with celebrities such as Michael Jackson and produced her popular Winsor Pilates workouts with Guthy-Renker Corporation. On the other hand, Romana has starred in her own direct-to-video workout series called Romana’s Pilates, which was distributed by Natural Journeys.

However, Mari has died due to the complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2020, and many of her former students came to her funeral. This in turn led to most of her workouts available on the official Winsor Pilates website. One of the first workout DVDs I have placed inside of my DVD player happens to be the one that I’m reviewing in this post (which originally came from a Goodwill in September 2022*). 

*The Essential Pilates 2-disc set from a public domain company called Madacy Entertainment has been donated to that same Goodwill in June 2023 because it was very long and failed to keep my interest as the program’s pace was too slow for my liking.

 20 Minute Winsor Pilates® Circle Workout

“Mari introduces the magic of her Winsor Pilates® Circle in this challenging 20 Minute workout. This program has been designed to create maximum body sculpting benefits by combining the resistance of the Winsor Circle and Mari’s dynamic sequencing. With this brand-new tool, Mari has designed a program that targets your core and “problem” areas on an even deeper level. You’ll work your inner thighs, outer thighs, hips, buns, abs, and upper body for the ultimate muscle toning workout. Using the Winsor Pilates® Circle with traditional pilates moves like the “Cris-Cross” and “Corkscrew” will accelerate your calorie-burning results and set you on th path towards your best body yet.”

• Official description

This workout uses the Winsor Pilates Circle, however, I have used the Ring Fit Adventure ring for this workout. Since I have not found a good use for the ring outside of the game, I have decided to utilize it as a replacement for the circle.

In her Pilates studio, Mari starts introducing a small group of women: Rachel, Brendali, and Lara, who will be the modifier. Lara places a rolled-up towel under her head for support on some exercises so she does’nt strain her head and neck muscles.

The first exercise that the class demonstrates is called the hundreds, where they breathe in and out for five counts while pumping the arms. But since you are using the circle for this workout, you will have to squeeze it between your thighs. Now they do a modified version of the roll up with while squeezing the circle. In that same position, they do a couple of seated ring raises and then stretch out the back.

Now while lying down, they place the leg on the top of their circle to to some controlled leg extensions. Shortly after this, they’re moving into a series of traditional Pilates moves that target the abs such as the single leg stretch, the double leg stretch, and the criss-cross.

Seated at the front of the mat, they do a seated forward press and some twisting with the circle in front of them. Now here’s a fun move: the corkscrew. For this move, you have to place the circle between your thighs while moving the legs clockwise. (It’s great to test your coordination here!)

While the class faces in front of the camera, they do 40 circle “hugs,” and then proceed to tone the lower body. On either side, they do a side kick series which targets both the inner and outer thighs. To end the workout, they come into a raised bridge position while squeezing the circle, eventually coming back up to a seated position.

  Bonus: 10 Minute Sculpting Blast

“This fast-paced, yet easy-to-follow sculpting blast workout will get your heart pumping and muscles moving in as little as 10 minutes. Mari combines standing pilates-inspired moves with her Winsor Pilates® Circle for a super express workout. By “twisting,” “lunging,” “walking,” and “rolling,” you will target all your major muscles for a fast body sculpting blast. Enjoy on days when you’ve got no time or when you just want a quick energy “burn.”

• Official description

This bonus workout is a standing Pilates workout that combines the resistance of the circle with some low-impact cardio. There’s going to be a lot of stretching and pulsing with the circle, which almost goes as fast as the Accelerated Fat Burning workout. This does test your coordination and timing, so you’ll need to pay attention to Mari’s cueing. A balancing exercise has you squeeze the circle with your biceps while doing a calf raise, which proves that her creative movements can make the most out of ten minutes. 

Accelerated Fat Burning

“Mari turns on the heat and pumps up the energy in her new Winsor Pilates Fat Burning Workout. This fun, fast-paced pilates-inspired workout was created to burn more fat and calories than ever before. It combines Mari’s best body sculpting moves with powerful, easy-to-follow footwork to deliver a real fat-burning workout. Melt away extra pounds and inches in no time! You’ve never seen the Can-Can or Mermaid done like this before!”

• Official description

This workout utilizes standing Pilates moves combined with simple dance steps and Latin music performed live by drummers Marcus Miller, Raymond Roosevelt, and David Leach. After her introduction, she gives the viewer tips on proper form that you need to maintain throughout the duration of the program, which is about 45 minutes long. 

Mari and the rest of her class start with a standing warm-up before moving on to some traditional Pilates exercises in this position. Afterwards, they move on to the dance steps which first start off as a set of moves that are broken down before they are added into the combination. Each sequence of moves is repeated a few times before moving on to the next combination, so you really have to exaggerate the movements to the best of your ability while adding your own flavor to the routine.

Susannah Cotrone (lady in the dark blue tank top) will be demonstrating low-impact versions of the individual steps if you feel like the routine gets too intense. Hector Mercado (man in the yellow shirt) and Lorraine Fields (lady in the red-orange tank top) assisted Mari Winsor with creating the choreography so it’s safe, fun, and effective for everyone. Rachel McDonald (lady in the light blue tank top) and Brendali Sta Ana (lady in the pink sports bra) return from the 20 Minute Winsor Pilates Circle Workout along with two new assistants named Dena Fleming (lady in the yellow sports bra) and Saul Choza (man in the green shirt).

Eventually, when all the combinations are learned, Mari and the class perform the short dance routine together (while Susannah is still providing modifications). The cool-down is also a series of slow rhythmic movements, just like in the beginning of the workout.

After the cardio-dance segment is over, Mari and the class lay down on the mat for some traditional Pilates exercises, starting with the roll-up and the roll-over. If the “rolling” on the floor wasn’t enough, they all do an exercise called “rolling like a ball,” which is essentially rocking your body back and forth while controlling the motions.

Now they transition to a series of abdominal exercises which are the same as the Circle Workout, but they don’t use the circle to assist then. Coming into a teaser position (which is usually a difficult move in Pilates), they demonstrate open and closed leg rockers. Finally, Mari congratulates the students and the drummers for a great fat burning workout session.

Final Thoughts

I can see myself using both workouts, but my favorite out of the two has to be Accelerated Fat Burning. After doing the dance moves several times, I really memorized the combinations and got a great cardio workout! The Circle Workout was creative, but I might want to follow her suggestion of using it three times a week to see results.

Thanks for reading, everyone! See you in the next review!