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Pilates Evolution - The 21st Century
Much has changed in the twenty-first century since 1934 when Joseph Pilates wrote his first book (Your Health) about fitness and health. In 1945, he followed up that book with his detailed and definitive book of exercises, Return to Life Through Contrology. Both of these original books were copyrighted and republished by us, and have now been updated. Joseph Pilates has been nothing short of revolutionary in his impact on the world of fitness and exercise. He describes the results of decades of scientific study, experimentation, and research into the variety of troubles and ills that upset the balance of body and mind. You will also learn every single one of his original 34 mat exercises. It is a fascinating look into Pilates' original thinking and represents the foundation of an entire discipline embraced by fitness enthusiasts, health educators, and exercise trainers around the world.
- GenresFitness
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 4, 2012
If you look at the fitness section of most bookstores, you will see many books on Pilates. I mean, there are tons of them now. You can also find quite a few instructional DVDs teaching various Pilates programs. Want to know where it all started? Want to know how Pilates have developed since the beginning with a list of resources to further your study? Look no further. “Pilates Evolution: The 21st Century” by Joseph Pilates, Judd Robbins, and Lin Van Heuit-Robbins has the answers.
Yes, this book is by Joseph Pilates, the founder of the Pilates exercise programs. How, you ask? I mean, Joseph Pilates lived from 1883 to 1967. This book contains authorized, copyrighted, original writings from Joseph Pilates. Both the 1934 edition of Joseph Pilates' “Your Health” and the 1945 edition of Joseph Pilates' “Return to Life through Contrology” are included. Reading these provides the foundation and history of this exercise system. They are both interesting reads, and though dated, still provide some basics in which to build an exercise program. When reading them, you must take into account when they were written.
The book then contains 10 short chapters on the evolution of the various exercise programs based on the original system. The authors briefly explain some of these evolutions, the key players, and provide a few sample exercises from these new routines. These include things such as using the magic circle, weights, doing seated exercises, using mini stability balls or elastic resistance, and so on. While these chapters only show a couple of exercises, they do provide many resources where you can learn complete routines in these areas. The resources, both books and DVDs, that are provided will be very beneficial to anyone wanting to further their studies and practice in any of these areas.
For the person who just wants to learn a simple Pilates routine, or wants to include some of the exercises into their health and fitness program, this might not be the first book I'd recommend. However, for the person who wants to get to the roots of the Pilates movement and learn what the founder had to say, and then see some of the directions the exercises took once he was gone, this is a great primer. I'd also recommend it for the resource sections. It definitely has a place on any serious student and practitioner of Pilates' shelf.
Yes, this book is by Joseph Pilates, the founder of the Pilates exercise programs. How, you ask? I mean, Joseph Pilates lived from 1883 to 1967. This book contains authorized, copyrighted, original writings from Joseph Pilates. Both the 1934 edition of Joseph Pilates' “Your Health” and the 1945 edition of Joseph Pilates' “Return to Life through Contrology” are included. Reading these provides the foundation and history of this exercise system. They are both interesting reads, and though dated, still provide some basics in which to build an exercise program. When reading them, you must take into account when they were written.
The book then contains 10 short chapters on the evolution of the various exercise programs based on the original system. The authors briefly explain some of these evolutions, the key players, and provide a few sample exercises from these new routines. These include things such as using the magic circle, weights, doing seated exercises, using mini stability balls or elastic resistance, and so on. While these chapters only show a couple of exercises, they do provide many resources where you can learn complete routines in these areas. The resources, both books and DVDs, that are provided will be very beneficial to anyone wanting to further their studies and practice in any of these areas.
For the person who just wants to learn a simple Pilates routine, or wants to include some of the exercises into their health and fitness program, this might not be the first book I'd recommend. However, for the person who wants to get to the roots of the Pilates movement and learn what the founder had to say, and then see some of the directions the exercises took once he was gone, this is a great primer. I'd also recommend it for the resource sections. It definitely has a place on any serious student and practitioner of Pilates' shelf.
August 5, 2012
Well, I am a little biased but I loved it!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews