A 35-minute Pilates routine — 20 minutes of standing Pilates and 15 minutes of matwork — that is slightly more vigorous than normal. Tracey Thompson instructs.

Beginners and advanced beginners. Some experience with Pilates is helpful. You will need a mat for the matwork.

While Pilates is an effective workout to tone and condition your core muscles, it isn't usually known for its fat-burning quotient. This workout amps up the moves to burn more calories. The 20-minute standing routine contains a lot of moving pliés to build lower body strength and tone (this might be a little too much stress for those with knee problems, so be forewarned). There are also standing crunches to build abdominal strength and challenge your balance. It's more active than most standing Pilates routines; beginners may work up a sweat. The matwork uses some exercises that you don't often see on Pilates DVDs — "Dead Bug," for example, which is a combination of a couple of different moves and actually does have you on your back, moving your arms and legs back and forth like a bug in its last throes. There are also classics like Swimming and Rolling Like a Ball, and your core is fully engaged during much of the 15-minute routine. Tracey Thompson offers up good instruction and cueing, and some basic and advanced modifications are shown. While you won't lose weight via Pilates alone — you'll also need a sensible diet and cardio - this is a nice Pilates DVD to add to your library.