Pilates For Dummies by Ellie Herman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Pilates For Dummies
Book Review: Definitely the best -
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent book - clear directions and wonderful photos that show each exercise step by step. This is the Pilates book you've been waiting for!Book Review: Great if you already have some body knowledge
Summary: 3 Stars
This book was one of my mom's rejects for the reason that she couldn't make head nor tail of the instructions. I like it quite a bit, but I have a background in modern dance and was already familiar with isolating different muscle groups. I think if you don't have a good sense of your body already, this book might be too confusing to start with.
So far there's a lot of good material for me to work with, although much of the book is dedicated to repetitive touting of the benefits of pilates (yes, we already know it tones) as well as super-advanced exercises using complicated equipment, which aren't really "for dummies." Still, the workouts are fun, challenging, and feel good on my body. I would recommend glancing at the instructions before buying and seeing if they make sense to you. If they do, you'll probably like this book -- otherwise, maybe try a video or simpler book.
Book Review: Great reference
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been working out on a reformer for a month, and absolutely love the pilates workout. I was looking to get matwork materials to take on vacation, and am very happy with this book--it seems to provide a sound basis for the matwork. I also highly recommend Pilates for Dummies on video.Book Review: I agree completely with the review "Not really for Dummies"
Summary: 2 Stars
I couldn't understand the instructions either, for the samereason: You have to read the book while you're trying to
do the exercise. However, this ended up giving me a great workout: I was lying on my back for many minutes holding a "crunch", since I had to keep my neck raised up trying to read the book while I was supine on the mat. This may be a new Pilates exercise.
-Ilan Vardi
Book Review: I learned Pilates using this book
Summary: 5 Stars
I started using this book 2 years ago to learn the basics of Pilates. I have tried other Pilates books/DVDs since, but I keep going back to this book. The first part of the book explains what Pilates is, such as controlling movement, maintaining stability, and why breathing at particular times in the exercises is important, and it gives examples of these that are easy to understand. Then it goes into what the words neutral spine, abdominal scoop, pilates first position, etc., actually mean, and how to do them.
The mat exercises contain 4 levels: Pre-Pilates, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Not knowing anything about Pilates when I started, I began with the Pre-Pilates workout. Because there are multiple steps to most exercises, it did take some time to remember when to breathe, when to roll up or down, but once I got that down, it made the subsequent levels of exercises easier to learn. Also, a few of the exercises were impossible for me because I didn't have the strength to do them, but I just did what I could, for example the hip-up, I would lie on the mat with my feet in the air and worked those abdominal muscles although my feet were going nowhere, and within 2 weeks I was doing all 9 hip-ups. You just have to do a little more each time. The beginning mat series contains some exercises from Pre-Pilates and it's not very long, so it wasn't too difficult to learn.
The intermediate mat series is where I really felt I was getting a workout, and I still use this one, although I have added some to it since. It really felt as if I was getting an intense abdominal workout and after adding the variations for the side kicks, my legs definitely got stronger. The advanced series I have done a few times, but it is rather long, about an hour compared with 20 minutes of the intermediate, and I have trouble finding time for it.
The next section deals with Pilates accessories such as foam roller, magic circle, and big ball, and give some exercises to do using those. Overview of Pilates equipment just tells what some of the things are you might find in a Pilates studio and shows pictures of people using them, but gives no exercises.
Overall this is a great book that I would recommend to anybody interested in learning Pilates. Thanks to the wonderfully detailed instructions, I believe I am getting a safe, effective Pilates workout.