Pilates on the Go: On the Ball is part of an overall "Pilates on the Go" series, bringing the Pilates system of stretching and muscle-strengthening exercises to the home. On the Ball incorporates an exercise ball, also known as a "core stability ball" into the workout; this allows for more varied exercises, but more importantly it allows participants to work on improving their balance and strengthening often-neglected muscle groups. The exercise ball workout is particularly appealing for anyone who does a lot of work seated at a desk, since it is very effective in strengthening the back muscles.

Pilates on the Go: On the Ball is led by Maria Leone, who is proclaimed to be a "celebrity trainer"; pointless name-dropping aside, Leone is a good instructor overall. She is able to clearly explain the different moves, and illustrates them clearly for the viewer to follow. The workout, which is actually only 39 minutes long rather than the 54 listed on the DVD case, is divided into four parts: a brief introduction to Pilates and the exercise ball, a short warm-up, the workout itself, and a short cool-down.

The workout contains a variety of different exercises that work on different parts of the body: arms, neck, abdomen, lower and upper back muscles, hips, and legs. As well as working on muscle tone, many of the exercises also work on your balance and coordination. Some stretches are incorporated into the workout, usually focusing on stretching the spine. Leone demonstrates a more difficult alternative for many of the exercises, so once you've gotten the hang of a basic move, you can try the harder option. On the whole, as a reasonably flexible and moderately fit person, I found the exercises to be fairly easy to do, but also worthwhile for the most part. A few seemed difficult out of proportion to the others, but these can be skipped or modified.

The one quibble I had with the On the Ball workout is that it felt a bit rushed. Leone moves at a rapid clip through the different exercises, generally only doing a few repetitions of each one. I'd have preferred a slightly more limited repertoire, but with more time spent on each one. This is probably most noticeable on the first viewing, and likely becomes less of an issue after several repetitions of the program. Additionally, while the large number of different exercises makes for a rushed program, it does provide the viewer with a lot of different ideas that can then be incorporated into a "personal program."

The DVD

Video

Pilates on the Go: On the Ball is presented in a very attractive transfer, at its intended aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Colors are bright and vivid; the workout is held outdoors in a visually appealing lagoon-like setting. The contrasting colors of Leone's outfit, the workout mat, and the exercise ball are well chosen, helping to show exactly what she's doing, although the camera doesn't necessarily choose the best angles all of the time. The image as a whole is clean and sharp.

Audio

Pilates on the Go: On the Ball has an adequate Dolby 2.0 soundtrack . One problem with the audio is that the volume for the menu is much louder than it should be: you'll be wincing and turning it down, only to find that you have to reach for the controls again since the program itself is at a normal volume. Other than that, the sound is satisfactory. Leone's voice is clear and easy to understand, though occasionally a bit tinny-sounding.

Extras

There's not much of interest here as far as special features go. We get a short text blurb about Maria Leone, and another about Joseph Pilates, the inventor of the Pilates style of exercises. Unfortunately, this latter blurb is in a font that's too small to easily read, even on my large TV. There's also some text information about the Pilates on the Go series of workouts.

The menu is unfortunately not as useful as it could be, as it only has four chapters (intro, warm-up, workout, and cool-down) when it would have been much better to have one chapter per exercise.

Final thoughts

Pilates on the Go: On the Ball isn't perfect, but it's a respectable workout that offers some good exercises using an exercise ball. (It's certainly far better than the dreadful free instructional DVD that came with my ball, that's for sure.) If you have an exercise ball and are looking for ideas on how to incorporate it into your workout, this is a reasonable choice. Recommended.