The Pilates Powerhouse [Paperback]

Mari Winsor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Help your butt say "neener neener!" to Father Time. Join some of Hollywood's best bodies (Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny Glover) who've gone gaga over the Pilates method of body conditioning. (It's intriguingly referred to as "the method" for short). Celebrities, professional athletes, dancers, and models drop $50 or more for each private lesson on the Pilates equipment (which includes contraptions with potentially dangerous-looking straps and springs, with intimidating names like the Cadillac and the Reformer). If you'd rather not shell out cash like that to help your rear defy gravity--especially when at least three classes a week are recommended--take heart. Mari Winsor, one of L.A.'s most popular Pilates instructors, has brilliantly collected the essential exercises--none of which requires any equipment other than perhaps a carpeted floor--into a supremely inspiring, snappily written, simple-to-follow handbook, perhaps the perfect book for new moms, business travelers looking to stay fit while on the road, and the swimsuit-phobic alike.

Despite the recent wave of Pilates (that's Pi-lah-teez) enthusiasts singing its praises to magazines like Vogue and Elle, the system has been around since World War I; George Balanchine and Martha Graham used the exercises to add strength without bulking up, perfect their posture, prevent injury, increase flexibility, and improve circulation. Indeed, a person who's completed a Pilates workout has a rather orgasmic glow; the workout is aerobic but not so much as to cause much sweating. This is not to say it's easy; while your behind gets a great lift, the exercises focus on the abs, or "powerhouse." Each exercise is clearly explained next to step-by-step photographs of Winsor's fabulous bod. Unlike in most exercise guides, you won't see Winsor promising remarkable results in minimum time--she says an hour a day is what you need to give to reap the Pilates benefits, but adds, "In the other twenty-three hours you will not only enjoy yourself more, but will find that you have more quality time."

Winsor even goes so far in her praise of the method to mention that she hasn't had a full-blown asthma attack since she started faithfully following the program. She adds, "it has helped me recover from devastating injuries, it has transformed my self-image and sense of worth, and it keeps me calm and centered every day." Not bad results from a workout you can do in the comfort of your own home--for free. --Erica Jorgensen

From Library Journal

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738202282
• ISBN-13: 978-0738202280
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #855,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

95 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, concise introduction to the Pilates Method, October 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pilates Powerhouse (Paperback)

Pilates was hard for me to 'get'. I think that Pilates exercises should really be taught (in person) by a certified experienced instructor. The exercises would be impossible for me to properly learn via book, owing to their very precise nature. I could easily do them incorrectly without my trainer's assistance.

I've been looking for a book to use at home, as a guide for a mat workout. This book is the best I've found for using in conjunction with classes. It outlines a whole mat workout, and differentiates exercises by beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The photographs of Mari are clear. The exercises sometimes are explained on two pages so you have to turn the page while you're working, which interrupts the flow a bit.

Pilates works, but it must be done properly. Mari Winsor knows her stuff and provides an enthusiastic and warm guide for home use.

124 of 134 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Get Your Hopes Up, February 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pilates Powerhouse (Paperback)

If you think you can buy this book and learn Pilates, dream on.

The book has some useful information but don't think, like I did, that you can practice Pilates if you buy it.

The exercises are NOT organized from easiest to most difficult but randomly listed, the directions are not easy to follow once you do figure out which ones to do first, and you had better be in very good physical condition before you start; otherwise, the exercises are impossible to do. The book feels like it was written by someone who's forgotten what it's like not to know how to do the exercises.

The good thing about the book is that it's so frustrating it motivates you to go find a class, which is what I did. The class did the trick. We started slowly with exercises that prepared us to do the actual Pilates mat exercises.

With the encouragement of the instructor, the new age background music, the commitment of others in the class, I'm well on my way to being a Pilates pro.

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place to Start, December 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Pilates Powerhouse (Paperback)

This book is an excellent introduction to the Pilates system. The exercises are listed in the order to be performed and the difficulty levels are are clearly marked.