The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman [Paperback]

Sheila Kelley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2003

Hipper than Taebo, sexier than Pilates, The S Factor--stripping--is the hottest new fitness trend. Created by actress Sheila Kelley (LA Law, Sisters, and a host of film and Broadway roles), S-Factor classes are wildly popular and generating an avalanche of attention from Extra, Entertainment Tonight, The Los Angeles Times, Allure, Us magazine, Fox News, and CBS's 48 Hours, which proclaimed: "Women don't even know they're working out until two months later when they say, 'I've never had a better body in my life. I'm strong, I'm limber, I feel great.'" Sheila even convinced Barbara Walters to try a pole dance on The View.

No wonder. Combining yoga, dance, and erotic movements, The S Factor is a program that tones muscle, firms the body, increases flexibility, promotes weight loss, and gives you a few new tricks for the bedroom. Illustrated in hundreds of photographs that show step by step how each move is done, the exercises are sensual yet demanding, requiring a balance of strength and finesse. There are slow, rounded warm-ups, the Spine Circles and Hip Circles. Strenuous motions, like the Rocking Cat-Cow. Peels and rolls, grinds, pounces, arches. And pole work, from the Firefly to Descending Angel.

Something else happens, too: These exercises and routines boost self-esteem and give women a new way to think about their bodies. Stripping is a liberating act, out of which comes a new look, new body, new confidence, new you.

Editorial Reviews

Review

""Taking Sheila Kelley's S Factor Makes you feel like you have a secret, a realy great secret that gives you confidence in everything you do and gives you an edge that makes you feel special."

About the Author

A remarkable talent who brings experience and grace to all her projects, Sheila Kelley is a performer who embodies the very femininity actresses covet and strive for. Inspired by her role in Dancing at the Blue Iguana, a gritty, unapologetic story about women who make their living as strippers (which she also co-wrote and produced), Sheila discovered the natural sexual power of stripping. In April 2001 she began teaching her stripping technique in a class called the S Factor out of her home. So successful were these classes that Sheila was forced to hire more instructors and move the classes to a new, larger studio, which opened in June 2003 in Los Angeles. To spread the movement to women across the country Sheila has written The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman. With an acting career spanning television, film, and theater, Sheila made her mark on the entertainment industry. Her longest television stint was four years on NBC's L.A. Law; Sheila also had a recurring role in the network's cornerstone series, E.R. Ever busy, she conquered Broadway in 1995 in My Thing of Love at the same time playing long-lost sister Charlie Bennet for the final season of Sisters. Her long line of film credits includes Cameron Crowe's Singles, Neil Labute's Nurse Betty, and a co-starring role alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney in One Fine Day. Sheila can next be seen alongside Nicholas Cage in the new Warner Brothers film Matchstick Men. Sheila Kelley lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Richard Schiff (of The West Wing) and their two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company (December 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761130632
• ISBN-13: 978-0761130635
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, effective exercises - very easy to follow, July 14, 2004

By 

whipsmart "[e-mail]" (Huntsville, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman (Paperback)

The book is very well laid-out. It starts with detailed stretches for every muscle group and then goes into some simple floor work. The floor work is very derivative of yoga and Pilates, but with an erotic twist, of course. Floor work is especially good for the abs, but it also works your shoulders, arms, and legs.

After that, it moves on to wall work and some other standing moves. These focus more on your legs, but fear not, your abs are still involved. Then there's a section on pole work, which is great for upper-body strength and burning calories - IF YOU HAVE A POLE IN YOUR HOUSE. I, for one, do not, so I just looked at the pretty pictures and sighed wistfully. Fear not, though - you can buy a stripper pole for your living room if you're so inclined, and if you have $300 just lying around begging to be spent.

Towards the end, there are various routines for you to use once you get accustomed to the individual exercises. There's also a small list of resources for buying exotic dancewear, poles, etc.

All in all, this book was well worth the $15 I spent on it. I can't stress how awesomely detailed each exercise is, with clear photos for each step. And for more advanced exercises, she offers a detailed beginner's alternative until your muscles are ready for the advanced move. Score! Plus, the exercises are fun, sexy, and guaranteed to strengthen your muscles.

On the negative side, Kelley likes to dis strippers and strip clubs - a LOT. I understand that she's probably doing it so that the soccer-mom housewives won't consider themselves "dirty" and "obscene" if they buy this book and do the exercises, but still. Lay off the exotic dancers, eh? She can also be very cheesy in her between-section monologues. On a few occasions, I read something that made me want to bang my head against the wall.

All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who like yoga and Pilates but is looking for something a little more intriguing. And, if you're into fun cardio and have the cash to burn on a pole, I would doubly recommend this book to you.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, July 7, 2004

By 

Alicia Lehner (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman (Paperback)

I have to admit that I was a bit sceptical about buying this book and trying the workout. I thought it would turn out to be another trendy, fad workout that I'd try for a couple of weeks and toss aside. Not so at all! Kelley has done an excellent job of explaining the movements and exercises included in the book, especially considering how hard it can be to learn from pictures rather than an instructor. I suppose I may have found it easy to learn because I've had some dance training, but I've practiced with a few friends and they've managed to pick it up easily. I've been working with the book for a couple of months now and practice every single night. I just love it! I can completely see a difference in my body, flexibility and level of comfort with myself. I feel like a new person. I'm definitely going to get the video as well so I can learn more advanced moves and would love to take classes at her studio one day.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad, July 6, 2004

By 

Serena Dances "chickenlittle25" (Carlisle, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman (Paperback)

I liked the workout in the book and I think her explanations of the movements are about as good as you're going to get without having a video in front of you. The workout section is a bit of a pain as the movements aren't listed in order in the book, so the first few times you're going to have to flip back and forth and back and forth. I wasn't sure I wanted to order this book based on most of the other reviews being more a review and history of Sheila Kelly's career, but it's not a bad book at all. If you want to see the moves illustrated better I recommend getting the video, although it doesn't show all of the moves in the book. The workout is a lot harder than it looks and I've found a few muscles I didn't know I had before! You might even find that you want to get a pole of you own. I know I sure do! The pole exercises look to be about the most fun you're going to find in a workout.