The Pilates Powerhouse - Softcover

Winsor, Mari

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0738202282 ISBN 13: 9780738202280

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 1999

Synopsis

An exercise routine embraced by professional dancers for over fifty years, Pilates is now the hottest and most talked about fitness trend since the running shoe. The perfect blend of Yoga and Nautilus, Pilates concentrates on building strength and flexibility, improving coordination, balance, and posture, and increasing stamina. All Pilates movements are initiated by muscles in the abdominal area (known as the powerhouse) and are designed to work the smaller muscles that support larger ones, while stretching and lengthening the entire muscular package. A low-impact yet highly intense workout, Pilates is ideal for everyone, young or old, those who are extremely fit or out of shape, as well as those who have chronic pain, injuries, or asthma.Illustrated with over 100 black-and-white photographs, The Pilates Powerhouse brings this time-efficient and highly effective means to get and stay in shape into the home, without the need for expensive classes and elaborate equipment. Using only a mat, a stick and, for advanced Pilates, a ball, readers will feel personally trained by Mari Winsor's innovative routines and spirited instruction, reaping the dramatic and lasting results of Pilates in less than an hour a day.

About this title

About the Author

The Pilates trainer-to-the-stars, Mari Winsor owns and operates two Pilates studios in the Los Angeles area. She has been featured in Allure, Redbook, Elle, LA Magazine, Health & Fitness, USA Today, Fitness, Shape, In Style, Vogue, and Time and has appeared on MTV, "Access Hollywood," and "Entertainment Tonight." She is the author of The Pilates Workout Journal and The Pilates Powerhouse, for which she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Reviews

Winsor, a former professional dancer who has taught numerous movie stars and professional athletes the Pilates method of body conditioning, has written a manual that will appeal to a wide audience. It addresses the needs of beginning, intermediate, and advanced users in a concise format that includes step-by-step instructions and more than 100 black-and-white photos. The Pilates method is effective because of the use of resistance, which can be increased through the use of an array of specially designed exercise machines. Winsor confines herself to discussing the Pilates mat routine, in which exercises are performed on a mat or floor, using only controlled movement to create resistance. This approach allows her to provide an excellent overview of the Pilates philosophy and methods. Following the exercises, Winsor (herself an asthma sufferer) suggests Pilates breathing techniques for asthmatics and those with neck and back injuries but emphasizes the neccessity of consulting a physician first. Finally, she tells readers how to find a qualified instructor. Recommended for all basic fitness collections as a great introduction. Those who want a more comprehensive treatment would do better with Sean Gallagher's The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning (LJ 6/1/99).AXimena Chrisagis, Wright State Univ. Libs., Dayton, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738202282
• ISBN 13: 9780738202280
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208