The Pilates Promise

by Alycea Ungaro

Book Overview

, Alycea Ungaro offers three step-by-step programs tailored to target everyone's biggest problem areas: arms and back, buns and thighs, and posture and flexibility. The book follows three ordinary... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756603374
• ISBN13: 9780756603373
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.09 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Customized pilates workout!

If you like pilates, but want to custom -design a pilates workout for your needs, such as weak upper body, more flexability, etc. this book is great, but its better for someone whos already been doing pilates for a while. wouldn't recommend it for a fresh beginner.

A Really Neat Book!

I am so impressed with this book with its color photos, and the wonderful descriptions of the exercises. It includes adaptations of the exercises to the Magic Circle. The book has a 10 week workout schedule that allows you to progress through the exercises. It's definitely better than some videos I've purchased.

A fresh approach to introducing Pilates Exercises

There's a quote from Joseph Pilates where he claims that doing 30 Pilates sessions will change your entire body. Pilates instructor Alycea Ungaro takes up this "Pilates challenge" with 3 women. She breaks down the fundamental Pilates work into 3 different developmental programs: Upper Body, Lower Body, and Flexibility/Posture. Alyecia documents the beginning, progress, and final results of the three volunteers in these programs in this photo-intensive book.First, I want to thank the three women who agreed to work with Alyecia on this project. It takes a lot of courage to go down this path so publicly -- especially when *you* are the ones who are blazing the trail. The results you achieved are fabulous, and people you will never ever meet will be inspired and benefit from your example for years to come.As with "Pilates: Body in Motion", Alyecia and the DK Books staff have created a betutiful book. There are hundreds of pictures with breakdowns and tips on every single exercise. What's different is that Alyecia uses her students as the models for most of the exercises. This is absolutely brilliant: it shows real people with real bodies doing exercises -- as opposed to those Pilates instructors who already have "perfect" bodies. Starting a Pilates program is a pretty intimidating thing to do; this book's design removes some of that intimidation.I like the breakdown of the Pilates work into the 3 separate programs. This helps emphasize that Pilates is really a total-body strength/flexibility/posture system of exercise. Alyecia also includes the classical arm series exercises -- plus some extensions -- in her upper body program. This arm work often shakes up people's misconceptions about the nature of Pilates. I also like the inclusion of optional equipment/props to the exercises. These props provide variety in the exercises and help students learn the new skills while developing their muscles. Make no mistake: this is challenging work.The before/after pictures of the models are absolutely stunning. You see both dramatic and subtle shifts to their bodies. It's interesting how Alyecia points out some of the changes but not all of them. I noticed some remarkable improvement in shoulder alignment in all three women (but especially in Casey).I have two quibbles with this book. First, I do not believe that anyone can effectively learn Pilates from simply reading and applying a textbook. The three women here didn't do that; they worked one-on-one with a consummate Pilates instructor. The book can be excellent supplementary material, but it cannot stand on its own. Even so, I think this is a "best in class" instuctional book and deserves 5 stars; it does the best job that you could expect any book to do.Second, why no men? When are we going to see the Pilates Challenge tested on some male volunteers? I fondly hope that Alyecia is considering that for her next book.

"...in 30 sessions you will have a whole new body."

I've been a Pilates believer since I took the Pilates challenge a few years ago. Indeed, in 30 sessions, I had muscles I'd never known about, as well as being overall stronger and more limber (and I was pretty limber to start with). Many people, of course, are quick to dispute the claim, although they've never tried it themselves, and many others don't want to devote the two months/ten days necessary to achieve the results.The Pilates Promise shows three realistic bodies taking up the challenge. Better yet, Ungaro created three different programs, one for Upper Body, one for Lower Body and one for Flexibility and Posture. I liked her choices, especially since 1) most people think of Pilates as a glorified abdominal workout and 2) a lot of people hold that it's not possible to use Pilates to improve your upper body (and sometimes lower body).Each program is a derivative of the classic Pilates mat sequence. Only the most advanced movements (the JackKnife, the Underwater Series, the Rollover, etc) are not included in the programs she designed. She also includes the Standing Sculpting Series/Arm Series, the Rowing Series and some movements with the Magic Circle. All of the participants came into the program with real bodies and left the program with real bodies. However, the participants did get their desired results. For example, the woman who wanted to improve her upper body gained 1/2 an inch in her deltoids, 1/2 an inch in her biceps and 1 inch in her bustline (while also losing 1 inch from her waistline). (While those results may not impress someone trying to build significant mass, Ungaro notes that in the absence of serious weight training most women are going to have difficulty gaining large muscle mass.) The woman who wanted to improve her lower body lost 2 inches in her waist, 2 1/2 inches in her hips, 2 1/4 inches in her upper thighs and 3 1/4 inches in her lower thighs. The most dramatic results were from the woman trying to improve her posture and flexibility. Though she changed her proportions somewhat, the overall improvement in her range of motion is what was most impressive.If you're looking for dramatic "Body for Life" results, this is not the program for you. This is not a weight-loss program (though I wonder if that's Ungaro's next book?) and changing one's diet for the program is never suggested. In fact, at one point one of the participants notes that she made a conscious decision not to change her diet while pursuing the program.As with Pilates: Body In Motion, this book is very easy to read and follow. Ungaro uses color coded charts for each program and then includes all of the exercises used in the book in the sequence they would be traditionally performed. As a bonus, she also includes charts for four time-crunched Pilates workouts, the Side Kicks Series, the Arm Series, the Abdominal Series and the Wall Series (all of which take about five minutes). Finally, for those of us who have always wondered how to