The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a pilates instructor of mat classes. I've been certified through 2 different organizations. This is a great book! I like the part on the reformer on the mat. It's well written and i also like reading on the differences between men and women with refrence to the exercises. Good purchase!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance


A comprehensive, take-anywhere exercise program designed to improve men's strength, flexibility, balance, and posture

Have years of office work wreaked havoc on your posture? Could your tennis or golf game use a boost? Do you appear or feel older than your age? Or do you carry yourself in a manner that expresses strength, power, and peak performance to everyone around you?

In recent years, Pilates has become a popular exercise program, especially among women. Many books on the subject show lithe female bodies stretched across their covers. Top Pilates instructor Daniel Lyon Jr. aims to break the preconception that Pilates only benefits and appeals to women. "This couldn't be further from the truth," he asserts. "Joseph Pilates was a cigar-smoking boxer, acrobat, and gymnast, and he developed his exercise program from that background for men first." Likewise, Lyon designed this book specifically with men in mind, as the number of male Pilates practitioners -- among them professional athletes, actors, businessmen, and other high-profile personalities -- has rocketed to about three million and continues to grow.

For athletes, working stiffs, and men recovering from injuries, Lyon offers the first comprehensive exercise program of its kind. He walks you through forty "traditional mat" exercises and more than sixty "reformer on the mat" exercises -- each one brilliantly illustrated -- in an inspiring self-guided program that adapts to all experience levels and requires nothing more than floor space, an exercise mat, and the desire to look and feel your best. Using the Pilates method of engaging the strongest parts of the body, or the "powerhouse" (Joseph Pilates's term for the abdominals, hips, lower back muscles, and buttocks), and integrating all other body parts from this core, Lyon's program targets trouble spots for men and helps them achieve strong, lean, masculine physiques.

The Complete Book of Pilates for Men will deliver quick and long-term results to any man who seeks optimal fitness and a competitive edge in all aspects of his life.

Get 31% OFF

Click here for more information about The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance

Read More...

The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased about 10 books from Amazon on abs in order to compare them. This one has quite a bit of information, good lay-out and organization, and is well-written for this type of book. My conclusions on how it compares with the other books follow...
If You Want to Trim Your Waistline: You can't trim your waistline without losing fat, and you can't lose fat around your waist without losing it everywhere (focusing on a muscle group like the abdominal muscles doesn't burn fat in that location, just a little bit of fat from everywhere on the body). So, if you want to trim your waistline, skip the ab workout books and go with a good, proven overall weight loss and fitness book like Bill Phillips' Body for Life. The Abs Diet is a similar program, but like all the Men's Health publications, it advertises a 6-week transformation, which is just a little unrealistic. Plan on more like 12-24 weeks to see really noticeable changes if you are fat.
If You Want Sculpted Six-Pack Abs: If you are overweight at all, see above--you can't get a six pack while you're overweight, and you can't lose abdominal fat by doing an ab workout, so go for overall fitness. However, if you are already lean, see below.
If You Want to Strengthen or Build Your Ab Muscles: If you're trying to improve for work, play, or rehab, you might consider the following books: The Body Sculpting Bible for Abs Deluxe DVD Edition contains decently up-to-date information and tells you exactly what to do and when to do it, based on a six-week fitness course. If you're looking for a similar book with more information, you can choose from The Complete Book of Abs or The Complete Book of Core Training. The Complete Book of Abs (1998) is a little out of date in terms of its dietary/nutritional recommendations, but it focuses more on exercises that develop the external abdominal muscles (the ones you see in a six-pack), including lots of variations on leg lifts, bicycle motion, and sit-ups. It will also give you more resources for creating your own program, and, if that's what you want to do, go with this one instead of The Body Sculpting Bible. The Complete Book of Core Training (2006) focuses more on the functional body core, including internal abdominal muscles, legs, etc., and includes more trendy exercises using medicine balls, exercise balls, yoga, etc. A different sort of book is Stronger Abs and Back (1997), which was written before the current fad of selling "core training," but contains the elements of core training because it gives good functional sports-focused advice. Its dietary recommendations are out of date, but it recommends a 24-week workout plan, which is much more realistic than the 6-week plans advocated by many of the other books.
If You Have Back Pain: See your doctor, and if he prescribes abdominal/core strengthening, see above.
My one-book recommendation: Body for Life.
My two-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back.
My three-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs.
My four-book recommendation: Body for Life + Stronger Abs and Back + The Complete Book of Abs + The Abs Diet.
Hope this helps!!

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition

Anyone who works out knows that abdominal exercises have progressed light-years beyond the basic sit-up. In fact, a whole new generation of ab exercises and machines have advanced abdominal workouts to new levels of sophistication, designed for maximum efficiency to provide the trim, toned midsection that everyone wants. But how do you put the exercises together into a routine for your specific physique and needs? The Complete Book of Abs shows you how. ¸ The first ab book for everyone--from beginners to fitness professionals ¸ More than one hundred ab exercises--from traditional crunches and sit-ups to such cutting-edge techniques as corkscrews and hanging knee raises--drawn from diverse sources, including gymnastics, yoga, and the martial arts ¸ Includes the "Fifteen Minutes a Day to Ultimate Abs" system, which will take you from an undeveloped stomach to a rippled washboard look in six months ¸ Dozens of favorite and new routines from America's foremost coaches, trainers, and bodybuilders ¸ How to be your own personal trainer and put together your own routines ¸ The most up-to-date information on diet and nutrition, including a personal template to maximize diet-exercise efficiencyAlready a fitness classic, The Complete Book of Abs, is the definitive guide for abdominal toning and strengthening. No one who's serious about working out should be without it.

Get 32% OFF

Click here for more information about The Complete Book of Abs: Revised and Expanded Edition

Read More...