The Core Connection: Go from Fat to Flat by Using Your Abs for a Total Body Workout

by Chris Robinson

A revolutionary fitness book by Chris Robinson that will change your body and your life Personal trainer Chris Robinson has helped celebrities, athletes, top executives, and ordinary people from coast to coast tone their muscles and melt away pounds in a matter of weeks with a simple workout train from your core . To most, the core is synonymous with washboard abs, but it also encompasses twenty-nine muscles in and around your trunk, pelvis, hips, buttocks, and lower back. A strong core gives you the stability and mobility you need for better posture and balance, reduced back pain, and a more effective overall workout. In The Core Connection , Chris invites a team of five brave men and women with busy, stressful lives to follow his life-changing regimen for six weeks. The result -- a combined total weight loss of 78 pounds! Chris's unique program integrates the important principles of Pilates -- emphasis on core strength, muscle control, breathing, and correct posture -- into standard cardio and weight-bearing exercises for a total body workout. By learning to engage all the muscles in your core, you also increase your calorie burn and reduce your risk of injury. The Core Connection is a safe, effective, portable workout that is perfect for people of all ages and fitness levels. Chris's explicit, easy-to-understand instructions are accompanied by clear illustrations that will help you check your form as he focuses on the specific aspects of alignment, muscle control, and breath that are essential for achieving the maximum benefit from each exercise. He offers a plan for simple, total body workouts that include mat work to help you find and feel your core muscles, cardio, and strength training -- with the option of using weight machines or your own body weight. He also shares important tips for improving your diet without completely giving up the foods you love. The Core Connection is more than just a workout plan. It's a totally new approach to your life. Your body is only as strong as its core. With Chris Robinson's help, you can look and feel better than ever.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2008

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

That's what I'm talking about! Pilates instructor giving very clear step-by-step instructions for detailed core routines, WITH illustrations. The bane of my existence is instructional articles describing some stretching or strengthening routine with just verbiage or just drawings. You need both. Well done. I am going to add his "intermediate mat work" routine to my cycle of core stability workouts. This will put me at 5. I think if I can get to where I do a different one every day of the week I'll be less bored by them.

To make it a whole book he also gives very standard nutrition advice, familiar upper and lower body weight training suggestions, and what sound like extremely dull aerobic/cardiovascular exercise suggestions (e.g., for walking on the treadmill), topped off with mercifully brief anecdotes/testimonials from satisfied clients. I can take or leave all that but the "core" (ha ha) of the book looks valuable.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great introduction to pilates components, stances, and movements, in addition to very helpful tips on how to measure form and function in a wide variety of exercises for the core and total body. I really enjoyed this book, and appreciated Chris Robinson's easy explanations, expansions, and encouragement throughout the work. Highly recommended for both beginners and veterans who want to have a complete body workout.

[Cardyn Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Core Connection, Chris Robinson lays out his fitness philosophy and guiding principles in clear, easily accessible language. His exercises and workout routines are practical and effective, and of reasonable duration to incorporate into the lives of everyday people. There's also a helpful approach to food choices and portions.

Core Connection offers interesting ways to introduce exercise newbies to Pilates, and exercise regulars to variations that freshen up familiar moves to make them more effective.