The Everything Lotte Berk Thread

[Joanna]

Hi everyone

By popular demand...

I have not done these workouts yet so this is mostly a compilation of various forum posts. Enjoy!

1: What is the Lotte Berk Method?

The Lotte Berk Method (LBM) is a system of isometric exercises derived from Pilates. It is similar to the Callanetics method: Lotte Berk and Callan apparently learned the exercises from the same source and took them in slightly different directions.

From Rad: “LB is unequivocally a muscle strengthening practice that employs free weights, but uses stretches between weight work to elongate the muscles instead of bulk them”

2: What is the difference between Lotte Berk and Pilates? Callanetics?

From Cate: “I do Pilates on a regular basis and have done Lotte Berk's Hip Hugger Abs tape several times. Lotte's method is sort of like Pilates, but not really. The moves are a bit more strenuous and not as relaxing as Pilates and holding the proper form seems to be more difficult than Pilates. Just my opinion.”

From Jasmin: “After watching them yesterday I was a tad bit disappointed at how short the stretches were held. There were more stretches spread out throughout the workout than the Firm, yes, but they weren't held long enough for my body to really get into them.”

From Francesca: “In pilates there are moves that open up the abs, for instance the swan dive, which I love, and which I used to add in after conventional ab workouts, same as in yoga, the cobra and up dog keep the abs nice and flexible. Not opening up the ab area after working it can lead to a shortening/tightening of the front of the body which is bad news for the back. Have fun with your first try at BE. You will find there are many similarities to Callanetics but it does move faster - as far as I know, Callan took LB classes and adapted them.”

From Jasmin: “I agree stretching throughout the workout is better than only at the end. Callanetics does that too, and the stretches are held longer. LBM stretches the abs though which Callanetics doesn't do and I always wondered why. I was born inflexible and it takes a while for me to get into a stretch. That's why LBM stretches don't look long enough for me. “

From Jane P: Pilates is an excellent system. If you get to the advanced level, it's a total body workout, but at the beg/int level it's mostly core work. If you want more work for your arms and legs, you may want to add that in, but it sounds as if you're already doing that.”

From Kelly: “I love Pilates, however, I don't really feel that Lotte Berk and Callanetics stem from Pilates at all. There are a lot of different and unique moves, especially for targetting the glute and hamstring attachment for that ballerina butt. Also, with moves like the Dancing Knees, it targets really sculpting long, lean muscles on your quads all the way up towards your hips. “

From Jane P: “I do like Lotte Berk for the lower body. I think it does some unique moves that aren't done in other exercise systems, but I think Pilates is better for the abs so I add LBM lower body moves to my Pilates workout. LBM is basically isometric holds, so if you find attaining a position and then holding it a while to be beyond boring, it's probably not for you.”

From Jane P: “I don't have Lotte Berk, but I've done Callanetics and Pilates and I think the legs get worked more in Callenetics. Despite the side series, etc. Pilates mostly works the core, although you do work the glutes and hamstrings a bit. I think LB works the legs more than Pilates.”

From Tamara: “the emphasis in pilates is on alignment, on balance, and on functionality. The goal is not to recruit maximum muscle fibers or to isolate "problem" areas, but to develop functional, symmetrical strength across the spectrum of the body's capability. Yes, the core is always activated, but rarely in isolation. Joseph Pilates vision was that no part of the body is really required in isolation from the rest of the body, but that the entire body moves in concert. The majority of pilates exercises are thus designed this way, with some "series" that pay attention to one section or another--but always as a means to reach symmetry and balance, to strengthen weaker areas.”

From Amethyst2002: “I'm finding that I enjoy doing my LBM videos so much I don't even reach for pilates that much these days. What hooked me on LBM was the variety of standing and floor exercises and there is a lot of stretching dispersed throughout the workout, which is important to me because I'm trying to improve my flexibility. I also love the standing barre work in the LBM, which of course, you won't find in pilates videos. I was getting a little bored with the matwork in pilates (and I do still like pilates), so Lotte Berk turned out to be a nice crosstrainer for me.”

Tamara has some very long and really interesting explanations and comments in one of the Pilates/Lotte Berk threads:
http://69.93.245.62/forum/showthread...k&pagenumber=2