Punk Rock Aerobics: 75 Killer Moves, 50 Punk Classics, And 25 Reasons To Get Off Your Ass And Exercise [Paperback]

Maura Jasper (Author), Hilken Mancini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 6, 2004

* Would you flee in terror if confronted with a room full of sweaty people in spandex thongs?* Are you not immune to the occasional Van Halen-style air guitar jump?* Have you been known to push aside your coffee table and dance like crazy in your living room?If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, here at last is your workout book. As simple as throwing on that old Ramones (or even White Stripes) record, punk meets a high- and low-impact workout in an exercise craze that is spreading like wildfire amongst teens and aging rockers alike: Punk Rock Aerobics. Unlikely bedfellows though they seem, punk has always been about image-from Iggy's abs to the Sex Pistols' carefully cultivated outfits. Back in the good old days cigarettes would suffice to keep rockers slim, but to have real punk energy, say these rockers-turned-certified- aerobics-instructors, you need to drop those chips and get off the couch.Chock-full of easy-to-follow moves in an accessible, home-exercise-friendly format, Punk Rock Aerobics contains photos and instructions for DIY, heart-pumping (and thigh-slimming) retro moves like the "Air Guitar," the "Skank," and the "Fire Hydrant," while suggesting songs by the Sex Pistols, Blondie, and the Stooges for a perfect workout soundtrack. With sidebars and Q&A's with rockers like J. Mascis and Evan Dando, this is definitely "not your mom's aerobics class" (Boston Globe).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An absolutely hilarious book...Remains true to the punk DIY ethos and looks like way too much fun...Inspired." -- Netsurfer Digest 02/21/04

"Better than the last Sex Pistols reunion. Hilarious and wonderfully done." -- Greil Marcus, author of Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century

"Crank up the music and do these heart-pumping, muscle-toning moves for a great body!" -- CosmoGIRL! April 2004

"Getting in shape with Punk Rock Aerobics is as easy as 1! 2! 3! 4!" -- Spin

"Punk Rock Aerobics is where it's at...All great fun." -- Q Magazine June 2004

"The book, part serious aerobics instruction, part hilarious coffee table fodder, delivers on its subtitle." -- Boston Magazine January 2004

"The high impact and hardcore aerobic workouts appeal to punks who last broke a sweat circling the mosh pit." -- In-Forum 04/22/04

"These certified aerobics instructors have developed a work-out routine that uses fun, energetic music combined in a do-it-yourself book." -- Fort Myers News-Press 12/08/03

"Will get you in the mood to move." -- Miami Herald 01/13/04

"You need to check out this funny twist on fitness books...It offers a unique, un-boring approach to exercise." -- Twist January 2004

About the Author

Jamaica Plain resident Maura Jasper is a well-known video artist and painter with extensive exhibition history and background in music, including designing album covers for SubPop and Atlantic Records and curating art and music for Gallery Bershad in Somerville, Massachusetts. Hilken Mancini studied at the Boston Conservatory of Dance before forming the indie rock band Fuzzy as lead guitarist in 1992. She currently plays music in The Count Me Outs and The Mayflowers, and lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306813394
• ISBN-13: 978-0306813399
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Aerobics

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, January 6, 2004

By 

Lynne M. Barkett (Daphne, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Punk Rock Aerobics: 75 Killer Moves, 50 Punk Classics, And 25 Reasons To Get Off Your Ass And Exercise (Paperback)

This is a funny, well written book. The exercise advice is sound. I've been a gym-goer on and off most of my life, and steadily for the past two and a half years. I love the bricks for weightlifting. I'm going to stick with dumbbells, but that's mostly because bricks are too light for me now.

I have to take an mp3 player to the gym so that I can do cardio to Siouxsie & the Banshees and the Replacements. How cool it must be to have a whole class of dancing to the Ramones and Television! I'm dying to start my own class, although I'm not sure the attendance will be very high in the deep south.

And if you buy this book for no other reason, J Mascis demonstrating one of the butt exercises is worth the price. Buy this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exercise Rocks!, March 22, 2004

By 

"vc12" (Leonia, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Punk Rock Aerobics: 75 Killer Moves, 50 Punk Classics, And 25 Reasons To Get Off Your Ass And Exercise (Paperback)

This book is "fists in the air" all the way! Hilken and Maura perfectly depict the "rock-on" mindset we all need to spur and motivate ourselves into working out to feel our best. The concept is phenomenal: having so much fun you don't realize you are exercising! The photos complement the easy-to-follow exercise instructions for a high intensity workout. Love all the background information as well, and the outfits say punk is here to stay --- Can't wait for the video!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the anti-gym bunny in all of us..., March 16, 2004

By 

vickys (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Punk Rock Aerobics: 75 Killer Moves, 50 Punk Classics, And 25 Reasons To Get Off Your Ass And Exercise (Paperback)

Traditional aerobics classes annoyed and intimidated me. The thought of being surrounded by gym bunny types while listening to bad music for an hour or so horrified me. Then came PRA. I *heart* PRA. It's weird and fun and kicks your ass everytime in a good way.

While there's nothing like going to a real PRA class, the book does a good job of demonstrating the moves used in class. The stories and pictures in the book are hilarious too. More importantly, the sound exercise advice they give is realistic. They don't expect you to become a hardbody, but they do encourage you to get moving in your own way. Can't get more DIY than that.