Core Performance Essentials: The Revolutionary Nutrition and Exercise Plan Adapted for Everyday Use

by Mark Verstegen, Pete Williams

Most people today are familiar with the importance of core fitness, and Mark Verstegen played a large role in bringing it to the forefront of workout programs everywhere. Drawing upon the success of his first title, Core Performance, but recognizing that many readers want a more streamlined workout, Verstegen has created a simpler yet highly effective program to create a lean, agile, powerful physique that's resistant to injury and the ravages of age.

Core Performance Essentials boils down fitness essentials into a quick, easy-to-follow routine that requires minimal equipment and can be done in a hotel room, family room-even an office. It offers the benefits of yoga-with exercises designed to improve flexibility, joint stability, and balance-yet it also demonstrates easy, necessary strength moves using just body weight.

Featuring nutrition and lifestyle tips, this book will help readers have more energy and more time to thrive in their different roles all day, every day. This accessible exercise and diet program-perfect for those who haven't exercised in years as well as for anyone who wants a more streamlined workout-takes the same principles Verstegen uses to train elite athletes to thrive in sports, to help readers succeed in what he calls "the game of life."

242 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2005

Reviews

[Alstin Benton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to get you thinking about the importance of core function and how it effects performance. Worth the time for anyone with chronic injuries or strength coaches looking to get more "Functional" sorry for the buzz word.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting program. I couldn't stay on it, but would definitely try it again.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the tone of this book is intended to be very accessible, especially if you're a baseball/football fan--it's rife with sports metaphors.

I read the section on nutrition, but personally, don't plan to take his advice on 6 meals per day. He also seems very comfortable with things like deli meat (way too much sodium) and fruit juices (all the sugar, none of the fiber), and whey protein, which I find to be pretty unnecessary, to name just a few things. However, there are plenty of people who agree with his advice, so who knows? I could be doing it "wrong" myself.

Now, on to the exercises, which is the part that I found most interesting. I plan on updating my review once I try them out, because as a runner, I'm really interested in strengthening and stabilizing my core. To be continued!

[Sabrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

We happened to have this book sitting in the office at work, so I stole it. God knows no one there is ever going to pick it up. (I work at adidas, and very few fit people actually work there.) I have never been a fan of fitness books, but this one actually seems to be legit. I haven't been on the program outlined in the book for more than a week, so I don't know if it will really work or not yet. I do find myself having more energy, because I'm trying to eat really nutritious foods more often, instead of wolfing down 3 big fattening meals a day. The stage 1 exercises aren't that difficult, but you really feel the effects the next day. It says you're supposed to see results in three weeks, so we'll see what happens. If anything, at least it's keeping me from eating junk food.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

My physical therapist uses exercises from this book, so I decided to pick it up. I am bored by all of the competitive sports references (I can't relate), and skimmed through the mindset and nutrition stuff, but it is worth having just for the core movement chapters. The exercises really work -- I feel myself getting stronger and more flexible. There is a clear plan laid out and pictures/explanations to help you do the movements correctly. I love that the moves are dynamic -- I actually look forward to them each day. I definitely wonder if I'd made these exercises part of my marathon training, if I'd still have healthy knees to be training for my next.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helps with flexibility, technique.

[Rose]

613.7 Ver

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really liked it. some of the exercises were really hard even though you are using your own body for resistance. i would recommend this book to everyone.