Books : The Complete Book of Pilates for Men

Rating: - Marvellous! Recommended.
When it comes to "self study" guides for pilates, yoga, etc. it seems to me you've got to find the book or DVD that works best for you.

With yoga my favorite guide of all time is Richard Hittleman's 28 DAY YOGA EXERCISE. The simple, figure-against-black photographs and straight-forward descriptions are exactly what I needed to learn (decades ago now--my mother gave me my first copy!). For busy folks Hittleman provides easy-to-follow routines.

Having bought several pilates books and a DVD, none of which did it for me, I had stopped looking for a pilates book. Then I chanced to see PILATES FOR MEN. 10 minutes later I bought it.

Like Hittleman's approach it's the accessibility and ease-of-use that does it for me. The pencil drawings are excellent, with the required movements easy to see. The text is straight-forward. And the exercises are presented in the order you might use them in. This is just what I needed given the way I process "kinesthetic instructions on the page" and a fairly busy life.

The trick is to get a copy of this book in your hands and get a sense of how you might use it learning pilates or brushing up and how it might serve you in developing a plan to squeeze into your life.

Personally, I'd say this is a classic. But who knows and only time will tell.

Dr. Kirtland C Peterson

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Rating: - Great book
This is a well written and extremely well-illustrated manual for the beginner and intermediate Pilates aficionado. It would be great if it were spiral bound, but that is a minor qualm. Lyon does warn people with various back, knee and hip problems about certain exercises and very sensibly states that if an exercise causes pain to stop immediately, but if you are a true beginner please use this to accompany your work in a class. Personal instruction will help you get the breathing technique correct and ensure that you do not overdo it. After that, this book will be a great reference and source of encouragement.

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Rating: - Excellent!
Daniel Lyons' book is clearly written and includes all Pilates mat work from beginner to advanced. As such, if you are interested in doing Pilates at home (no equipment needed), then this book is all you need!

Lyons explains that Jospeh Pilates was a boxer, and that his early clients were boxers and wrestlers. Pilates was created for men, but through the fact that dancers have found it to be so good has become a women-dominated exercise system.

The boxer/wrestler connection is actually easy to see with excercises including wrestlers neck bridges, push ups, etc.

This book is also beautifully illustrated with line drawings of the author performing each movement. Clear, detailed and succint.

If you want to strengthen your core and change your entire body in a few weeks, get this book!

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Rating: - A Book for the Younger Man!
This book is packed with every conceivable excercise imaginable, and would be excellent for the young sports minded individual. It is really a fitness manual!

For someone of mature years, looking to nurse a toublesome back condition, it is far from perfect. Some of the exercises I rate as pretty dangerous to anyone with disc related problems, and while the book makes constant reference to avoiding any exercises which cause pain, it seems to lack any gentle introduction for such conditions.

On page 327 it finally deals with injured and weak joints, giving broad advise on the range of exercises which should be avoided.

I regret buying this book, and should have chosen the Lynne Robinson Manual which has a far more sympathetic approach

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Rating: - A Classic book
There are some books which just stand out from the crowd and this is one of them.

If you are tired of spending money on gym memberships and fitness equipment you never use then this is the book for you.

Like anything, getting into a routine is the most difficult part, but once you do, you will feel different within a week to two weeks and look different within a month. Routines are well structured and very well illustrated with sketch type drawings which I feel are far more clear than the usual photographs. Every aspect of practice is covered with advice/sections on how to work around injuries, to being a bit overweight, to just being plain stiff :)

If you have problems with some of beginers exercises please don't be put off, as the author says "do what you can" you don't have to do every single move in each section. I had trouble with some of the moves (stiff back) but did what I could and once I had gained a bit more flexibility went back to them. Just take it easy to start with and you will be surprised how quickly you loosen up.

Well worth five stars.