So I completed 20 hours of Callanetics last week. During my last 10 hours I alternated the original exercise program with Callanetics Evolution.
My results? Just what I thought in my first post about 10 Callanetics hours. To get real results you will need more than just 20 hours (or about 2 months) of Callanetics. I'm not saying I didn't experience improvement. I certainly did. But the most dramatic changes occurred during the first 10 hours. After the first 10 the changes were more in the refinement territory. My body became progressively stronger, certain areas became smoother. Clothing fit me better and I did go down one size without dieting.
Callanetics Evolution was a good counterpoint to the original program. It was tougher in certain areas with some nice alternate improvements to the older exercises. However some of the improvements did not seem to take into account problems with knees or backs. The standing leg degage exercises were more intense than the original program's plies. I could feel them straining my knees and back. Something that never occurred in the original program. They also never occurred in my Lydia Bach Lotte Berk videos that also used a degage variation. Mainly because the Berk version requires you to hold the barre (or what you use for a barre) with two hands and while doing degages to the back, the Lydia Bach Lotte Berk program allows you to lean against the barre. The Evolution program is more in the style of the original Lotte Berk program (by Lotte herself). However Berk didn't use degages but arabesques to the side with quick stretches for a set of 10. The quickness of the original LB method made sure that the strain to the knees and back were minimal which isn't the case in Evolution where you are standing on one leg, degageing for 100 counts each to the front, side and back. This is why I think the Evolution program is certainly not for beginners but for intermediate to advanced Callanetics students. You need more strength to complete those degages that a beginner will not have.
I didn't get bored with either program and looked forward to both. But I will admit that I wanted more dramatic changes. So on the internet I looked for Callanetics fan blogs for advice on a nice counterpoint to Callanetics. A lot of them mentioned alternating Callanetics with a program called T-Tapp. I looked into it and was intrigued. It claims to be a 15 minute aerobic program based on movements from physical therapy programs. I am now in the process of completing T-Tapp's initial week long boot camp and I will write about my results later.Labels: Callanetics, commentary, exercise, health, Lotte Berk, personal, T-Tapp