Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Unlike many fitness books (including yoga), there is nothing superficial, glamorous or intimidating about the visuals. Photos (from various angles) are cleverly backed up with extra diagrams where needed, plus illustrations of the relevant muscles. Instructions are simple and surprisingly easy to follow.

At first glance this might seem more like a teacher's manual. After a detailed introduction, it is divided into beginners, intermediate, advanced and prescriptions. On closer examination, with the huge emphasis on explanations of how different muscles work, and the level of detail, it is a cross between a medical and fitness handbook. Indeed to many the health benefits of Pilates will be an additional, welcome, surprise.

In the end, however, it is an indispensable health guide, appealing both to hard-core Pilates fans as well as newcomers. The final section (Prescriptions) on work, play, health and even the performing arts, provides simple and invaluable advice, and even if you have never been to a Pilates class, you can benefit hugely. You are unlikely to ever sit or stand the same way again with this book in your home! --Lorna V.

Average Customer Rating:

Good book, but to get the most out of it, get trained first

Customer Rating:

I bought this book after doing 1-to-1 classes for over 3 months with a very good and inspiring instructor in the Body Control Method. I have benefited considerably especially with regard to general quotidian painlessness, greater flexibility and a fully mobile neck, which has all but eliminated headaches for me. The book now serves as a good aide-memoire for specific exercises, as I am wont to forgetting the names and remembering only the exercises, which makes it difficult for me to write my exercise diary. More importantly, the book is very helpful in building a work-out plan for the 4 weekdays when I do not have my 1-to-1 lesson. Using the book is easier with an understanding of the concepts and many of the starting movements. If you are beginner, I would not recommend you use the book as a short-cut. It is less a text book, more a reference book. And for that role, it gets 5 stars from me.

Great book, all you need from beg-intermed -- but repeats other books

Customer Rating:

A lot of good has been said about this book by previous reviewers, so I'll only agree with those glowing remarks and add one warning to owners of other Body Control Pilates books -- this book just cuts and pastes entire paragraphs and pages of info from the first book "Body Control" and "The Pilates Prescription for Back Pain" (which is just another title for the "Body Control Back Book"). Basically, Body Control are putting out the same (really great!) book with only a few updates and changes here and there (newer studies on engaging the pelvic floor before scooping & hollowing has replaced the old navel-to-spine only advice, for instance) -- and a lot better photographs and graphics. So, if you own several other Body Control books, like I do, and aren't interested in fancy photography, you'll be disappointed here. But if you are new to their range of books and this is to be your first or only one -- go for it, you cannot do better, this Method is fantastic.

sorry ,not a good book for a beginner

Customer Rating:

I was really disapointed when i reviewed this book. First of all the photos are not clear, even though they are in full colour.Secondly, for a beginner to Pilates, the book seemed to be designed for "older" people who will be challenged by any kind of movement. A basic exercise "the hundred" appears in the advanced section. that to me is a way to warm up for the mat exercises and should not be in the advanced section. on the whole the routine was not very challenging and sequential to follow. I was waiting to find the "meat" in the book and could not find it. I was very disappointed and a much better book which I use is Ungaro's Pilates Body in Motion.That is the book to get i you are new to Pilates and want to be challenged as well NOT this book.

Still The Best

Customer Rating:

How Pilates has changed! When I bought Lynne's first book 'Pilates Way' four years ago, it was the first book of its kind focused on Pilates. It was a fantastic intro and I moved on to the Manual when it came out. Now, I've delved into three or four other Pilates books but I have to say that the Manual remains head & shoulders above everything else in terms of clarity, range of exercises - and common sense! If you only buy one book on Pilates, this has to be it!

If you only want one book, Buy this one

Customer Rating:

This book is excellent. It is written superbly, and is very easy to read and understand. The colourful pictures are very helpful and really help you to see how you should be performing the exercises.The focus throughout the book is to keep your abs "zipped and hollowed" no matter what exercise you are performing or for what part of the body. This book offers a wide range of Pilates exercises for each part of the body.The book is divided up into Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Programmes which are very well thought out and each offers a good all round Pilates class. There is also a section addressing which exercises you should concentrate on for individual and sports specific problems. Although this book does not cover every single Pilates exercise, it is by far one of the most comprehensive and useful books I have seen so far. If you want to get into Pilates the correct way and are looking for a quick and easy reference book, this one has got to be it.