Product Description

Once the secret fitness weapon of professional dancers, athletes, and movie stars, Pilates is sweeping the country with a vengeance. And if even half of what its many fans claim is true, then it’s easy to see why. Combining elements of yoga, dance, gymnastics, and boxing, along with many original movements, Pilates exercises build muscle tone, improve flexibility and balance, lengthen the spine, increase body awareness, and repair past injuries. Most people who’ve done it, even for a short time, say they feel stronger and more energized, centered and physically confident than ever before. They also like having the flat tummies, tight buns, and long lean thighs of a dancer.

Pilates For Dummies lets you get on board with the Pilates method , without the high cost of private instruction. Packed with step–by–step exercises, photos, and illustrations, it helps you develop your own Pilates fitness program to do at home or in the gym. Top Pilates trainer Ellie Herman shows you how to use eight basic Pi lates principles to get the most out of your mat–based routines and:

• Look and feel better than ever
• Get stronger, more flexible, in control and less prone to injury
• Target and tone problem areas
• Get movie star abs, buns, thighs and arms
• Repair chronic stress and sports injuries

Calmly, clearly, and with quirky good humor, Ellie explores the origins and basic philosophy of the Pilates method, and helps you set realistic fitness goals and custom–tailor a program. She also covers:

• Basic, intermediate , and advanced mat exercises
• Using Pilates exercise equipment and accessories
• Targeting specific areas including the stomach, back, thighs, and chest
• Pilates for the pregnant and recently pregnant body
• Using Pilates to heal injuries, reform posture
• Ten simple ways to incorporate Pilates into your everyday life
• Combining Pilates with other forms of exercise, including yoga, swimming, aerobics, and more

Why let the rich and famous have all the fun? Your complete, friendly, step–by–step guide, Pilates For Dummies shows how Pilates can offer a fitness program for the rest of us.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #226922 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From the Back Cover
Packed with step–by–step exercises, photos, and illustrations

Target problem areas and feel and look better without doing aerobics!

Pilates fever is sweeping across the country! This friendly guide helps you develop your own Pilates fitness program perfect for home or the gym. Eight basic principles show you how to get the most out of your mat–based Pilates routines and become stronger, more in control, and less prone to injury.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear–out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

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About the Author
Ellie Herman runs two Pilates studios, where she teaches hundreds of students and certifies Pilates teachers. She studied under two of Joseph Pilates′ original students.

Customer Reviews

Not the best book I have ever bought!
On receiving the delivery of this book, I must say I was a little disappointed at the size - it is smaller than a pocket dictionary, and the hardback cover is thicker than the amount of pages contained within!
Not much help inside, with details given only as to 'how to breathe'. No exercises were shown - which is what I bought it for - so this was a completely useless book. Probably only for people who have never heard of Pilates, and want a larger explanation than given in, say, a pocket dictionary!

When you see the marque ' ... for Dummies', you expect to receive something similar to other titles in that range, which I do have, and which have been extremely helpful.

But this has put me off ordering off the website now, and I will be looking more in detail at all future purchases before committing myself.

A dummy for buying!
I was extremely disappointed when I recieved this book. I have other 'for dummies' guides which are extremely useful, informative and detailed and I thought that this book would be an excellent bargain.
However, it is tiny and difficult to read, there are no pictures or diagrams to help you gain the correct positions and postures and it seems very vague and difficult to gain an undertanding of what the author is recommending. I would not wish to try out and of the exercises recommended as a beginner to Pilates.
I was very sad to have wasted my money and will be extremely cautious when purchasing other 'for dummies' books in the future.

Fantastic Guide to Pilates - very enjoyable to read & use
Having seen some of the less favourable reviews for this book, I thought I would share my views. My opinion of this book is very high, although I can see where some of the other reviewers are coming from with their comments. This book is not a colourful, glossy pictured 1,2,3 step how to of pilates like many others on the market. However, to me it is still a very good book and great value.

This book, unlike many other pilates books, can actually be read (as opposed to just flicked to the exercises and follow the pictures sort of thing). It is a very informative book about pilates, and it DOES contain lots of very good exercises. Infact it is actually very comprehensive on the exercise front, its just that different ones are listed in different chapters and are designed to be attempted in a progressive manner as you work your way through the book. The book is organized very logically, and gives a very good overall view of pilates including chapters on apparatus (which was originally a very core part of Pilates) as well as the magic circle, small ball, big swiss ball, and the use of other props such as foam rollers etc. I found these chapters to be interesting and informative and a good taster for the use of these props (I also recommend Ellie Hermans book specifially on the use of pilates props and her one specifically focussed on the exercise ball if you are interested in these). I felt that this book addressed all aspects of Pilates practice, although the main focus of the book was naturally on the matwork. I found Ellie's writing style friendly and accessible. There were also a few exercises (such as the butt cruncher!) that I'd not seen before in any other books. This book was actually fun to read and motivating, as well as showing the practical side of the exercises. Sometimes I think exercise books can focus on showing you the exercise to the point of excluding what you should be doing with your mind at the same time - it should be engaging and giving you things to think about at the same time, rather than just monotonously going through the motions. I found this book gave me the mental stimulation to keep motivated too.

So all in all, not the most colourful or visually appealing book available, but a very good sensible and informative book nevertheless. As they say, don't just a book by its cover!