Customer Reviews

Total Body Transformation: A 3-Month Personal Fitness Prescription For a Strong, Lean Body and a Calmer Mind

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Mr. Ilg will get you in shape physically and mentally, guaranteed.
I approached his book from a reformed weightlifter/runner to now a yogi/runner's perspective.
First the yoga information:
Many modern and not-so modern yogis claim that yoga is all anyone needs as far as exercise, but I completely disagree. Despite their attention to bandhas, tai chi like connecting movements, and yoga breathing, I don't think yoga alone is a cardiovascular workout. Moreover, I don't feel that the combination of low plank, high plank, crow, and handstands is enough to develop upper body strength. If you look at most yogis (no offense, please) such as Steve Ross (Inhale on Oxygen 6 a.m. weekdays), Bikram Choudury, and others, they don't look very strong. The best in this area to me has been Baron Baptiste (he of the ubiquitous bandana) and his attention to "functional strength."
Fortunately, Mr. Ilg politely calls the yogi community out on this subject and carefully illustrates the need to "strength train" in addition to yoga.
His High Performance Yoga (trademarked I believe) still uses these poses, but as a complement to the work in the gym. Also, his yoga routine is functional not fancy, incorporating all the sun salutations and warrior poses, as well spinal twists, backbends, forward bends, and inversions. Maybe most importantly he introduced me to a pose not found in many yoga books and not on Yoga Journal's website pose section: the yoga squat (this should be called the Ilg squat). It's a fantastic pose.
As for Mr. Ilg's strength training advice: solid and proven. He limits between set rest to 30 seconds and does power movements such as squats, stiff-legged deadlifts, benches, military presses, etc. No high rep,"shaping movements" fluff here.
His cardio advice is also great. No "just gardening is cardio" or park your car in a farther spot blather, but rather a discussion on the necessity of hard training such as bicycling, running, and more.
Mr. Ilg gets very, very, very deep into the meditation and spiritual "stuff." He loses me here, but that is my weakness. Hopefully, you will be able to embrace this important area.
Another area Mr. Ilg recommends that I could not survive: media fasting. I'm sorry, but I have to read the Journal/Times daily or I feel lost. If you can do this, your journey will be more advanced than mine. He doesn't say you have to do it daily, of course.
Nutritionally, I can't personally see eliminating meat & dairy without some heavy protein supplementation. If I'm training two-three hours daily (Mr. Ilg's recommendation), I don't see how a diet high in fiber and natural foods other than meat and dairy can provide enough protein. He may be right; it's just not for me.
Please, if you are considering getting "fit" realize that cardio, strength training, or yoga alone will NOT be enough individually. You have to combine all three (throw in meditation if you can and of course nutrition). Based on those proven facts, please welcome Coach Ilg into your life. You will save a lot of money purchasing this one book, instead of several for strength training, cardio, and the often incomplete yoga books. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Attentive readers may note that I previously reviewed this tome. I used some unfortunate and inappropriate words at the time. I apologize to Mr. Ilg and the Amazon community for that. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.

Updated 11.25.05. For some reason when you Yahoo, Google, A9 yoga squat this review comes up, so I want to add a little bit more information.
I still don't understand why more yoga tomes don't discuss the yoga squat, so I want reemphasize how much I appreciate Mr.Ilg's contribution. I do the yoga squat at least 10 times a day (always at least a minute). When I get two minutes during work I do it followed by a one minute forward bend. The yoga squat seems to put my whole body back into line and it unleashes an "energy flow". Also, during my reqularly scheduled two daily workouts, I do yoga squats holding a 25 or 35 pound plate for 2-3 minutes. It deepens the pose and feels fantastic. Everyone should do the yoga squat (knee pain sufferers excluded, although it may help actually).

Update 12.6.06. I just wanted to add another item to the Ilg Squat/yoga squat. The great Steve Ross on his fantastic yoga show Inhale(Oxygen M-F 6 a.m. EST) showed a version of the yoga squat designed to deepen the pose. He just set his feet very wide apart and squatted down. Turning your toes out may help some people. It felt awesome.

Again, big thanks to Mr. Ilg to paying attention to this incredibly important asana.

This new book by Steve Ilg isn't for everybody, but chances are if you've gotten this far, it's for you. Steve told me when I approached him about becoming an online Wholistic Fitness student in 1997, while he was tucked away in seclusion in New Mexico, that, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." For you, the teacher has appeared manifested in book form.

For the outdoor athlete this book is a wealthy smorgasbord of knowledge. Steve has written two other books about outdoor sport, The Outdoor Athlete and The Winter Athlete. This book takes the next and highest step, and is the most comprehensive of all. One of the best things about Ilg is that he doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk. He's a superior athlete in many sports, with numerous wins to his credit.....he cycles, both mountain bike and road, he runs trails, he snowshoes, nordic skis, snowboards, in-line skates, climbs etc. If you want to ride in the Leadville 100 or the grueling Furnace Creek 508, Ilg has done them. Whatever gnarly goal you have for yourself, Ilg can help you accomplish it, survive it, and thrive while doing it. In this book are the programs he uses to discipline his mind and body.

Aside from being an outdoor athlete, Steve is an amazing yogi and yoga teacher. He owns a successful studio in California where he teaches High Performance Yoga. This is the only book, to my knowledge, that blends the power of yoga with the power of the gym. Using Steve's Wholistic Fitness programs you grow strong and flexible.

Beyond strength training in the gym and sweating on the yoga mat, Ilg also lays out his philosophy concerning cardiovascular training, nutrition and meditation. Ilg trains the whole athlete, and this is a total fitness book. As Ilg often says, "Your workout is everywhere." Never again will you just stand in the checkout counter at the grocery store or sit at your desk.......under ilg's guidance you'll be working out and working within.

The dynamic movements in his strength training programs, every asana in his High Performance Yoga, all are illustrated with step by step photos. His wisdom in cardiovascular training, his rich storehouse of nutrition information, all are brought into the light.

The one thing this book requires is an open mind. Whatever beliefs you may have about your current fitness or training programs, whatever you thought you knew about yoga, strength training or cardio work, will be challenged. Steve is the kind of trainer that says, "Free the chains of your mind and the body will follow," when you're struggling with some aspect of one of his programs. To overcome pain in a long distance running or cycling event, he teaches the use of breathing techniques, meditation and mantras.

Buy this book and for less then the cost of a good dinner, you'll have the opportunity to transform your life. Not just the fitness part of your life, your whole life. Despite my bias towards Steve, despite my intimate knowledge of his programs, I am still reading this book and learning, learning, learning.

Ilg's newest book is the fullest expression in print of his Wholistic Fitness teachings. Those familiar with his work may find this book a bit redundant but it's still worth the $$.
His editors have done a great job in tightening up his prose without losing his flavor. While it would be easy for a cynic to dismiss his philosophy as a watery distillation of various wisdom traditions combined with Western physical cultivation, a la muscle beach, this would be unfair to the genuine enthusiasm he brings to his work. Steve Ilg is the living embodiment of William Blakes aphorism, "Exhuberance is Beauty".
If you have struggled with making fitness an integral part of your life or would like to use fitness as a transformative tool then this is your book. The step by step yoga instruction, unique strength training routines and periodization of the programs will deliver any fitness aspirant to a place they never imagined... solidly on "the Path", walking "the Way".

This book presents the author's fitness philosophy and presents a training plan for transforming one's mind, body and spirit by addressing 5 fitness disciplines (nutrition, yoga, strength training and meditation). For me, the introductions to yoga and mediation were very interesting. There is also much wisdom here regarding nutrition (e.g. slowing down the pace of meals to better detect when you have reached satiety). However, many other smart people have by now thoroughly explored the concept of crosstraining and arguably do it better--check out www.crossfit.com to see how the CrossFit community has embraced old-school strength and cardiovascular training. Also, for a newcomer to strength training (and even for those with a lot of lifting experience), it would be difficult to find a better introduction that the book Starting Strength. I have made much greater progress in terms of strength and cardiovascular fitness using Starting Strength and CrossFit than with the programs in this book.

This book is phenomenal.
I really love Steve's focus on functional strength, as opposed to
strength for strengths sake.
Ilg combines Yoga, Strength, Cardio, Meditation and Nutrition.

The workouts are challenging and extremely effective, they will transform your body (and mind) if you follow through. Steve's encouragements all throughout the book are very helpful/motivating.

I love this book beyond words!
It has changed my life in so many ways.
Not just in the physical sense (although I am in the best shape I have EVER been in and have lost 20 pounds and wear a size 2 now), but also in the sense of giving me back parts of my life that I had lost! I had forgotten how to breath and just enjoy life! I had become so full of stress and anxiety and his form of yoga (as well as meditation and workouts) have brought me back to my easy going self again!
This book has opened up my mind, heart, and spirit!
Steve Ilg is a truly gifted and Blessed man and I can't thank him enough for coming out with a book like this that is so life changing in all the right ways!
I hope everyone gets the chance to read this beautifully written book, because you will walk away with a new and improved self!
God Bless to All!

Plain and simple -- if you want to change how you look and feel -- you've got to get this book. Short of hiring Steve Ilg as your personal trainer or becoming an on-line student of Wholistic Fitness, following the time-tested programs outlined in the book will help you feel like a million bucks as you become a better person. This is the beauty of Ilg and his work.

Wait and see -- this book will become the new bible on how to live life to its fullest, as a whole and healthy individual. It's concise and deep, reflective of the discipline of Wholistic Fitness. I cannot say enough about how worthwhile of an investment this book is.

I really like this book. It is wonderful guidance. The only thing I don't love about the book is the over the top "spirituality" of it.

The guide to living mindfully is wonderful.
The book really shows how fitness and transformation must take place in all aspects of life.

The workouts, yoga, and meditation guidance is top notch.
But, like I said, it does get a bit cheesy from time to time, so just know that going into it.

This work is a gem from a true individual. The ideas outlined in this textbook are the result of years of trial and error along with feedback from himself, fellow teachers,and students. I have been a fan of his books, and personal student for a number of years. I can attest to validilty of the man and his work. These days we are choked with the latest ineffective fitness plans,questionable diets, flimsy equipment, dangerous pills and supplements,along with outlandish claims being made and endorsed by former "fitness" experts and has-been hollywood "stars" in all forms of the media. This book is
a simple breath of fresh air.

This a very thorough book. I continue to like it more as time passes. It has detailed instructions for weight training, yoga , and aerobics. Who else will give you a superlative set of istructions for 'downward dog', and soon after do the same for 'overhead squats'?,(usually used as an adjuct to olympic weighlifters' training regimens). Ilg understands that the three systems must each stand alone technically to be done properly, but he also understands the synergy of the three. To paraphrase one of Ilg's thoughts: Yoga gives one the body awareness to improve at weight training, and weight training gives one strength to improve at yoga. This a wonderful insight, and it's this type of thinking that adds up to making this sytem the single best for most fitness seekers. (( It's available from Amazon's 'new & used' sources for quite a low price. )) I only have one complaint: Many of Ilg's promotional photos show him using yoga blocks, but the book uses no blocks .