Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is the long-awaited follow-up to Brooke Siler's first manual on Pilates, The Pilates Body. Her first book was my own introduction to Pilates about 5 years ago, and I still recommend it as the starting point for those brand-new to Pilates. However, for those familiar with Pilates and looking integrate its principles into their lives as a whole, I highly recommend Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge, a perfect sequel.
Siler does not spend as much time delving into the background and basic tenets of Pilates as she did in her previous work. However, she still provides an excellent foundation by reviewing key points about the Pilates powerhouse, posture, and Pilates-style breathing. Furthermore, as it did in her first book, Siler's enthusiasm for the Pilates method shines through on each and every page. She is unfailingly encouraging, with a clear, down-to-eath writing style. Siler is also gifted in her ability to provide metaphors, and the amazing photos and illustrations which accompany her text provide further clarification.
Siler offers several methods for expanding your Pilates practice in this book. The first is by taking it to the gym: she describes a program which utilizes common gym equipment for a cardio workout that integrates Pilates techniques. Next she outlines a similar program using home-based equipment such as free weights and bands. In response to demands from her fans, she has also created several programs based on Pilates matwork. She introduces the "Tantalizing Ten," ten Pilates exercises which provide a foundation for the four other programs, including "Adding Abs," "Lean Lower Body," "Perfecting Posture," and "Finding Flexibility."
The final two chapters address how to integrate Pilates into other activities. The first, called the "Invisible Workout," details the use of Pilates principles in simple, everyday activities, from driving your car to carrying your children to doing housework. In the last chapter, Siler links Pilates to sports activities, choosing a somewhat odd selection of Sports to highlight use of Pilates techniques: golf, tennis, downhill skiing, and snowboarding.
Although I wouldn't suggest this book as someone's first introduction to Pilates, those with some experience with the Pilates method are likely to find this book a valuable addition to their Pilates library.
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Your Ultimate Pilates Body® Challenge: At the Gym, on the Mat, and on the MoveIn this remarkable new program, Pilates instructor Brooke Siler once again revolutionizes the world of Pilates, reinventing how and where Pilates is performed, to take your fitness to a whole new level. Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge takes a fresh approach to Pilates, challenging readers to rethink the way they move and to incorporate Pilates-conscious movements into every aspect of life:At the Gym: Siler takes you through a fun, rapid-fire circuit of machines that gets and keeps you in your cardio target zone. For the first time ever, you will learn how to use powerful Pilates techniques to maximize your workouts on standard gym equipment (StairMaster, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.).At Home: Siler steps up the at-home basics by applying Pilates' principles to work with weights, bands, and non-accoutrement-based exercises.On the Mat: As so many readers and clients have requested, Siler has created four brand-new mat routines specifically to target abs, lower body, posture, and flexibility, and designed to take experienced practitioners and beginners alike to new levels of body-sculpted accomplishment.Sports: Siler offers insight into secrets of the world's best athletes, explaining how to move with Pilates form in individual and team sports. With core strength created in Pilates you can hit better golf shots, ski with less fatigue than ever before, and bring more power to your tennis game.Everyday Life: Using her trademark "Invisible Workout," Siler shows you how incorporating Pilates-based awareness and movements into everyday activities—such as restocking the pantry, working at the computer, climbing stairs, or picking up the baby—can tone and strengthen your body.You will be amazed at how much better you feel when your carriage, breathing, posture, and movements are done Pilates-style. This dynamic book shows how Pilates can actually be the basis for total-body transformation—by simply challenging you to get the absolute most out of everything you already do.
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