NYC Ballet Workout: Fifty Stretches And Exercises Anyone Can Do For A Strong, Graceful, And Sculpted Body (Paperback)

by Peter Martins (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Dancers get their beautiful bodies by dancing, right? Well, there's more to it than that. They also do specific exercises and stretches to build their strength and keep their magnificent physiques injury-free. This book offers 50 of those exercises, ranging from routine abdominal movements to "center exercises" (which develop coordination and stability) to advanced leg movements (which, of course, give you legs like a dancer). The book even offers suggestions for music to play while you follow the training tips. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
Want to add a little grace and dignity--not to mention strength and flexibility--to your workout? Pick up a copy of The New York City Ballet Workout (William Morrow,1997). With exquisite black and white photos by Richard Corman and Paul Kolnik, the book illustrates the stretches and workout routines used by dancers of theworld-renowned New York City Ballet (NYCB). "This is a full-body conditioning workout, " says Melinda Roy, a former principal dancers with the NYCB and co-creator of thebook. "It will help you strengthen and lengthen your muscles, and improve your posture."--Fitness, December 1996 "The body is our instrument. One thing to remember is that we all have the same instrument, whether some of us have shaped it into the body of dancer or not...When I began to develop a workout based on the principles of New York City Ballet, I kept thinking of Michelangelo's unfinished sculptures that are part stone, part dancer. You want to be a sculptor of your muscles in order to achieve maximum muscle tone."--Peter Martins, from the Foreword

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (January 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688152023
• ISBN-13: 978-0688152024
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,056 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Dance > Ballet
  #12 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Stretching
  #64 in	Books > Entertainment > Performing Arts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offers A New Dimension In Exercise, January 24, 1999

By	Claudia Summer (Puget Sound, USA) - See all my reviews

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of becoming a ballet dancer but was unable to take lessons. When I opened my amazon.com shipment and took out this book, many (MANY!) decades later, I actually got a lump in my throat, feeling that at last I can participate in a personal way, in that awesome world of the dance. The book is beautiful, informative, and challenging. It presents enough exercises to keep me busy for years, and best of all, it is written with a true sense of what a body is capable of doing. I go to the health club and do aerobics and weight training, but this book takes working out to a much higher level, a level where we work toward grace, balance, and elegance in movement. We are reminded to pay attention to the "quality of movement," and to "move like a dancer," which is very good advice, especially for women. Not that these are easy exercises, by any means. You can pace yourself, work as hard as you wish, and know that every erg of energy you expend will bring you closer to having a beautiful body. Motivating! (Do NOT look for me onstage at the NYC Ballet, however. Alas.)

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivating and easy to follow, August 22, 2000

By	Paka Paka (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews

What a wonderful book! I just bought it and I can't wait to get started. I've read it from cover to cover a few times, and I'm more than pleased with my purchase. The magnificent bodies are marvelous and breathtaking. It's true that the first few pages are bios and frou frou, but their stories are inspiring and motivating. Plus, they discuss why dancers' bodies are more agile and sculpted than most athletes, as well as tips on getting started, how to listen to your body and optimize your workout.

The workout is divided into six sections. Warm up and Stretch, followed by Abs (14-20 minutes), Floor barre (12-16 minutes), Ballet center (16-22 minutes) and Legs (16-22 minutes). Although they say you can do the entire workout as time permits, they offer suggestions for 10 or 20 minute workouts, as well as specialized workouts to correlate with specific sports for strength and flexibility or body parts of concentration. The instructions are clear-cut and detailed and along with the music selections they recommend, you'll feel like a prima ballerina. Personally, I have a lot of fat to lose so I plan on using this workout as a supplement to an aerobic regimen. I'm looking forward to using this workout every morning to get my day started.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Results That Come Easy, January 17, 2000

By	KAREN ROBISON (Lebanon, TN) - See all my reviews

This is a great book for anyone that wants to achieve results without a lot of hard work. I ordered this book just before Christmas, and within just a few weeks of doing these exercises for about 45 minutes 4 to 5 times a week, I am already seeing results. The exercises are easy to do, and there are so many different ones in the book, you can pick the workout that's perfect for you. This is one workout I really look forward to.