The Complete Book of Pilates for Men: The Lifetime Plan for Strength, Power & Peak Performance – An Illustrated Guide to Core Training, Flexibility, and Optimal Fitness

by Daniel Lyon Jr., William A. Arbizu (Illustrator)

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.

Genres: Reference, Health, Nonfiction, Fitness

352 pages, Paperback

First published February 20, 2005

Reviews

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference on basic pilates and how it can help you in functional movement. My wife has many pilates books and she found this book with its simple explanations, illustrations and programs to be one of the most helpful. Being a fitness professional, I recommend this book to anyone who wants to think outside of the weight lifting box and learn to incorporate more functional core training.

[Owen Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty weird book for pilates. For some reason it assumes all men smoke like a train, which makes it incredibly valuable to asthma sufferers like me who want to improve their lung capacity. So strong recommendation to anyone with breathing problems. Obviously, something like pilates exercises shouldn't be a gender thing though, hence the low rating.

[Laini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ignore the fact that it says it is for men. It is for the strong and those who want to get strong in the core. I am a woman and can do almost every exercise in the book, but I had years of hard training. I am not able to do the "Advancements" of more than half of these exercises, so I still have a lot to go.

Disclaimer: I am a classical trained pilates instructor.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's essentially a big list of exercises. That being said the descriptions are clear and detailed, with regressions as well. Actually quite good. But there is nothing about sequencing or program design.

I only abandoned this book because I'm not going to pick up Pilates as a modality. I'm already doing plenty as it is.

[Jim Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection has many demanding intermediate and advanced exercises. I suggest supplementing this book with a very basic book on mat.

[Joshua Friesen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference book for basic movements. Illustrations make it easy to follow.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Men, who said it's only for women? Pilates is named after the MAN who created the method, Joseph Pilates!

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good intro with plenty of pictures and tips. It has a basic progression from beginner to advanced and there isn't any waffle or padding. I like it!

[Derek Thue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good description of techniques and good progression of difficulty

[Mark]

Grabbed from public library today as am considering trying pilates. Skimmed for eval for purchase; adding to wish list.
Skimmed 27 August 2016