Pilates Power Ball Sculpt with Bernadette Giorgi

Bernadette Giorgi's Pilates Power Ball Sculpt offers a challenging Pilates workout by mixing traditional Pilates exercises with a small weighted ball. The 45-minute workout covers all the basics, flowing from one movement to the other while balancing the exercises so that you work your entire body - the core, legs, shoulders and arms. Her creative use of the ball, sometimes holding it between the feet, other times holding it in the hands or behind the head, adds intensity, forcing you to stabilize your body against that extra resistance. This workout is a good choice for intermediate and advanced exercisers.

Bernadette Giorgi's latest video, Pilates Power Ball Sculpt, includes all the elements that make up her Just b Method: fluid movement, Pilates and strength. The workout involves traditional mat Pilates moves but adds an element of strength and intensity by incorporating a 4-lb power ball into some of the exercises.

The Workout

The 5-minute warm up begins with Bernadette by herself taking you through a rhythmic dance of shoulder rolls, plie squats, side leg lifts, front kicks and other basic moves to get you warmed up. The music is energetic and fun, although it does sometimes drown out Bernadette's instruction.

The workout itself begins with a traditional exercise, hundreds, although she actually does this move at a double count (e.g., two pumps with each count), which is more like 200. From there, the workout flows from one move to another with a few short stretches in between for a non-stop Pilates routine.

The Exercises

Just some of the standout exercises include:

• Rolldowns holding the power ball
• Rollover with ball between the feet - I like this move because it forces you to engage your core to control the legs as they go over the head
• A double leg stretch in which you exchange the ball between the hands and the knees
• Criss-cross with the ball behind the head
• Pelvic floor lifts with one foot on the ball
• The saw, exchanging the ball from hand to hand as you rotate - This was another favorite of mine, allowing you to get deeper into the stretch while working the arms and shoulders
• Side bridge an arm scoop - This one was particularly tough and great for the obliques and shoulders

Overall, the creative use of the power ball adds a new element to Pilates exercises, forcing you to slow down and engage your core and stabilizer muscles to keep your alignment. Pilates fans will enjoy seeing new twists on traditional exercises.