Total Core Strength on the Ball

Rating:
Summary: well worth the price
Review: For some strange reason, I have only seen one review for any of the books in the 'Total' exercise series, which left me wondering really how these books were (the one review gave a high rating) and if anyone was actually buying them! None-the-less, I decided to take a chance on this book, because it had the right title - I was looking for an exercise ball program that was exclusively for core strength. This is a large book that is styled on the order of Ungaro's 'Pilates: Body in Motion'. If you are not familiar with that book, it is the most well laid out Pilates book I have found, with abundant and important tips, pointers, and cautions, and all the steps involved for every move. Total Core Strength on the Ball offers clear explanations of everything from what the core muscles are and why it is important to strengthen them, to when to breathe during each exercise. Exercises are clearly photographed with a series of photos for each exercise, and a well written and easy to understand explanation of how to do each step. There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced exercises, with a variety of different exercise programs laid out at the end of the book with the exercise name, a thumb-nail photograph, number of recommended reps and page number. The routines given are beginner, intermediate, advanced, a 15 minute routine, a 30 minute routine, a hotel room routine, an office routine (what have I left out?). There is a short stretching routine, although there is a long series of stretching exercises in the stretching section. I have never been 'into' stretching, but I went through the entire stretching section and really enjoyed it. I would say that in general, the exercises in this book, for each level, are challenging without being complicated or dangerous (as I have found in some other ball books). Since I have experience and practice on the ball already, I started at the advanced level, and I either do the advanced routine or the 30 minute routine, and found them both to be sufficiently challenging. I suppose that if you want super-advanced moves for a gymnast or a professional athlete, you could find those moves else-where, but for an at-home exerciser in decent shape, this book is an excellent resource. I am very pleased with this book and am glad I invested in it, it is easily one of my favorite ball books. By the way, the spiral binding is a big plus (and was one of the main reasons I bought the book - I was tired of poorly bound 'exercise ball' books either falling apart, or not staying open during exercise.)