NOTE: when I wrote and posted this, it was in the Exercise Videos category, not Movies. I don't know how it wound up here, and I don't know how to move it... Sorry!
Years ago, I took in a stray friend-of-a-friend. L. claimed to be a dancer, but I came to have my doubts about what kind of dancing she was doing... Neither here nor there - she was a pretty cool lady with a killer body and became a good friend. When she blew out of my house and life, I found bits and pieces of her stuff strewn around for months afterwards. Among them were this tape and the accompanying book.
I'm possessed of many fine qualities, but a killer body isn't one of them. I used to be slimmer and firmer than I am now, though, and ponder fondly, from the sofa, what it would be like to be that way again. So when I found this set, I decided that no harm could come from giving the system a try.
The basic premise
Callan Pinckney claims to be the scion of a Fine Old Southern family who bummed around the world for several years in the 1960s, seeing and experiencing a lot but getting more and more malnourished and unhealthy. When she returned to the U.S. and settled in New York, she undertook to find a way to regain her health and fitness. She wasn't interested in conventional exercise regimes that advocate bouncing up and down in a sweat, so over time, she developed her own system of toning and tightening the muscles. She now owns a studio in New York, and I've seen one in California, although I've never really researched them.
Her basic premise is that you gain greatest benefit by putting your muscles into a position of maximum static stress and then forcing them to move an inch more. That's it. Her exercises involve beginning from a specific position and then moving in quarter-inch or half-inch increments. No bouncing up and down. No speed involved. Nothing but very small repeated movements.
Here's an example. This is the most killer one of all. I hate it.
To work your tush: Sit on the floor facing or near something you can hold onto, like a chair. Lean toward your right hip. Bend your right leg toward your crotch and put your left leg as straight as you can behind you. Roll onto your right hip, keeping your upper body straight and grasp whatever you have to hang onto. Now, with your left leg extended behind you, lift it off the floor two inches.
That's it.
Just two inches.
One hundred times.
Then roll onto your left hip and repeat with your right leg.
Don't think you can do it, huh? Neither did I. But I did. One hundred times. It nearly killed me.
Does it work?
Absolutely. She claims that you will see results in the first five sessions, and I believe it - I did. My tush was noticeably tighter and firmer.
Her book includes a sequence of photos of some fairly blobby people, taken just before their sessions, starting from the first session and ending at their 25th or so, and it's very obvious that there is considerable change.
What I like about it
It works.
It strengthens the spine, which makes for improved posture. The pelvic muscles are strengthened and the long muscles along the back are aligned.
Despite the difficulty of some of the exercises, you don't wind up with bunchy, bulky muscles. Done right, these exercises will give you long, lean, slenderizing muscles - very strong, but not masculine.
It's suitable for people of all ages, including the elderly and the disabled, depending on their physical limitations, because there's no bouncing around, so there's nothing to jar or stress the bones. If you can't do the extremes, modify the exercises to suit your body and abilities - they will still work, and you'll find that eventually you can get into the beginning positions.
You don't need any special equipment. I didn't have much room, so used my carpeted floor, the wall, and a chair.
The exercises are quiet, so your neighbors and even the people you live with won't be bothered. No loud music, no grunting and groaning.
It takes about 45 minutes to work through the entire tape, and you can do it at home without having to go anywhere for coaching.
What could be improved
I didn't notice any exercises that would benefit the chest muscles. Admittedly, my edition of the book and tape is about ten years old, so it's possible that a later version may include them.
Be aware that this system will not provide a cardiovascular workout, unless you get so stressed at the prospect of any sort of exercise that your heart-rate goes up!
I really like this system, and it's gratifying to see how I progress, working quietly at home on my own. It's especially satisfying to realize that I actually can get myself into those impossible positions and complete the exercises - I'm more limber than I thought I was!
Oh yeah - one more thing I don't like about it - I have no more excuse to be a sofa spud...
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