Pilates books

Innovations in Pilates

Anthony Lett

Innovations in Pilates addresses the central question "how to use the Pilates Reformer to become more flexible?" Using the latest research in stretching biomechanics and neurophysiology, Innovations in Pilates will show you how to improve your flexibility with simple techniques that bring instant results. Innovations in Pilates will give you new insight into the Pilates system. You will learn new exercises, and new ways of using the Pilates reformer.

Whether you are a sports participant or coach, fitness or clinical Pilates Instructor, Physiotherapist, Osteopath, or an eager Pilates devotee, this book is the definitive source on how to stretch safely and effectively, to improve the healthy functioning of your joints and muscles. The book features over 50 effective stretches with beginner to advanced stretching movements, accompanied by more than 250 photographs and 30 key anatomical illustrations which demonstrate exercises for all parts of the body including legs, trunk, neck, arms, shoulders.

Body Control Pilates Manual

Lynne Robinson

Pilates body conditioning is today's fitness buzzword, and following the storming success of Lynne Robinson and Gordon Thomson's original 'Body Control: The Pilates Way', a variety of books have appeared - none as authoritative, practical, safe and geared towards solving your body's problems as this. 'How will Pilates help me?' is its keynote, so after explaining the fundamental Eight Principles through accessible, balanced core programmes come 'Pilates prescriptions' for your specific needs.

With the growing support of many GPs, osteopaths and chiropractors, not to mention stars from screen, stage and sport, when you exercise with Pilates Body Control, you're in excellent company. From back pains, posture problems to prevention of common sports injuries and training your children to use their bodies properly, this is the one-stop reference.

The Body Control Pilates Back Book

By Lynne Robinson, Helge Fisher & Paul Massey

A self-help manual focusing on back pain prevention and rehabilitation using the Pilates body conditioning system. Three in five of us will suffer from backache in our lives. In order to mitigate against the worst-case scenario, Pilates strengthens your back and also the supporting muscles so that it doesn't take all the strain. It exercises deeply but gently to rebalance the posture.

The "Back Book" is a one-stop reference guide, explaining how the back works, why backache occurs, the different types of back pain, when to seek professional help, lifestyle tips for prevention and exercises to promote flexibility and hold the correct posture. For those already suffering, a special remedial programme of exercises is designed to restore mobility.

Core Performance Essentials

By Mark Verstegen

In Core Performance Essentials, Mark Verstegen, most innovative and respected performance coaches, presents a streamlined version of his remarkable Core fitness program.

Eliminating all excuses for not working out, this book breaks down fitness essentials into a quick, easy-to-follow routine that takes only 30 minutes and requires no special equipment.

There are dozens of workouts designed to improve flexibility, joint stability, and balance, and to create a lean, agile, powerful physique that is resistant to injury and the ravages of age. An ideal beginning workout for those who haven't exercised in years, Core Performance Essentials is also perfect for bodybuilders looking for flexibility, athletes looking to improve performance and decrease the chance of injury, back pain sufferers in need of relief, and, most of all, busy men and women who need to fit their exercise into a crowded schedule.

256 pages

Pilates for Men

By Daniel Lyon Jr.

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.