Pilates For Dummies

I'm a 65 year old woman trying to learn Pilates due to back issues. Look at the picture of the front of thisbook. I should have known even this book would not be basic enough for me. There are areas in the book thatstate "It is so simple you don't even need a picture". I NEED a picture.This book will not teach you how to breath, finding your neutral position or show you the ten basic exercises thatstrengthen but do not hurt or harm back injuries.Find a good Pilate instructor and pay for one on one instruction until you know what you are doing.

This is a good introduction to Pilates, however, the exercises are a bit hard to understand via a book, but it is easy to look the stuff up on YouTube, which is why I didn't dock the book another star. May be something to think of if you are getting as a book for a technophobe, though.

This is a geat resource for those who are new to Pilates and also for some of us who have been doing Pilates for a long time and who have forgotten (or never learned) so of the basics. I love this book because it is easy reading and provides clear guidelines for effective Pilates workouts!!!! I used to do competition body-building years ago and wish that I had learned Pilates back then because I'm sure my body-building and weight training would have been even better and will less chances for injury and eliminate some pain due to poor core work!!!! Better late than never!!!!

I borrowed a copy of the book from my local library and liked it so much I bought it for myself and for my daughter-in-law.I attended a Pilates class and told my instructor that I had the book - she remarked that it is one of the best and recommended it to the whole class here at the University of California, Santa Cruz.The book gives excellent explanations. While the class gave me a sense of how a flowing routine will work, I can do it at home with the aid of the book.I recommend it highly. Thanks, A Pilates Dummy Fan

Like most of the whatever for Dummies books this is a great reference for people who know absolutely nothing about the topic. I had to get interested in pilates because I am getting old and need to strengthen my core muscles without destroying my back and joints. This book is a good place to start if you don't have access to an instructor, like me. It also gives you enough knowledge to talk to an instructor when/if you decide you need one.

I usually don't like this line of books, but this one is great. I started doing Pilates at home with DVDs and needed a good book to explain the principles that a teacher in a class would normally do. This book is it. The author has a nice, breezy way of writing that is easy and interesting to read. I keep this book by my bed and read it at night in order to inspire me to work out the next day. So far it's working!

I wanted to buy Pilates for Dummies and noticed that a new "hardcover edition" was selling for $1.02 so I immediately ordered. What I received, was not the full edition but a mouse sized (3" x3") "minature edition" that only contains a portion of the full text and no pictures. I immediately requested a refund and found that I would have to pay $3.99 to return it to get the $1.02 refund. The book should not be even listed along with the original title because it really doesn't qualify as "edition" if it is a substantionally different book. Amazon should fix this.I suppose the book might be useful for someone wanting to outfit their Barbie Doll Pilates display with a cute tiny book. For the rest of us, it is pure junk. Burn your money instead. It will save your aggravation.

When it says miniature it means miniature! Very small, smaller than what I expected but still it is what I ordered! Came on time and no ripped or missing pages. The only problem I had was that it was smaller than I expected.

I teach fitness an and dance so this book was a useful reference point for me. Much of my contemporary dance traing was pilates based and I thought it good to have a reference as a guide for myself or my clients to refer to if they were interested. It certainly isn't for 'Dummies' as the author discusses other established links with Pilates technique. It reaches to the interest of anyone in fitness, sport, dance, well being etc. Important topics such as the 'lower back' are thoroughly discussed and this book has got me to research further on such topics with physiotherapists and clients. It resonated with me and brought back memories of earlier fitness and dancing times . It is well written and the reader is encouraged to reference around the book. A delight!

I ordered this because I have jumped into a few pilates classes which were too advanced for me.. But watching other people do those intense core exercises was inspiring (and revealed a significant hole in my fitness!!). I thought the book might help me to fill in the gaps. It is taking patience and careful reading, but I definitely feel that I am understanding some of the principles of pilates much better. I am working on learning to activate my deep abdominal muscles, and on posture. I will still probably try to take a private class at some point, but for a book about physical movement, this does a great job!

I love the Dummies series, they are so comprehensive and clear and this one was no disappointment. Easy to follow, lots of information and diagrams. Haven't managed to read the entire book,(although have read a lot and skimmed through the rest) but had anyway planned to dip in and out as I get to each stage with my pilates teacher. In other words, she will show me something and I will then read more about it, and this is the perfect book for that.

the book seems comprehensive enough but it will be a few months before I can assess the benefits.

It was too americanised, different terms were used for exercises I do at my class and some things i need to know were not covered.