Lyon's book is designed specifically with men in mind, at a time when the number of male Pilates practitioners has rocketed to about three million and will likely continue to grow at an exponential rate. "The Complete Book of Pilates for Men" offers an inspiring self-guided program that adapts to all experience levels and requires nothing more than floor space, an exercise mat, and the desire to look and feel your best. Lyon walks you through forty "traditional mat" and sixty-plus "reformer on the mat" exercises, each one brilliantly illustrated and accompanied by inspiring, easy-to-follow instructions. While the Pilates philosophy applies to both men and women, Lyon has tailored his program to target trouble spots for men and help them achieve a strong, lean, masculine aesthetic. Men tend to have more body strength, but less integrated strength or flexibility than women; they tend to be tighter in the shoulders, back, legs, and throughout the hips.

Following the six principles of Pilates - control, center, concentration, precision, flow, and breath - Lyon offers a straightforward, time-efficient program that has proven to make men fitter, healthier, sexier, and altogether more confident. "The Complete Book of Pilates for Men" will appeal to any man who believes in self-empowerment and seeks a competitive edge in all aspects of his life.

2007-09-21 Marvellous! Recommended.

When it comes to "self study" guides for pilates, yoga, etc. it seems to me you've got to find the book or DVD that works best for you.

With yoga my favorite guide of all time is Richard Hittleman's 28 DAY YOGA EXERCISE. The simple, figure-against-black photographs and straight-forward descriptions are exactly what I needed to learn (decades ago now--my mother gave me my first copy!). For busy folks Hittleman provides easy-to-follow routines.

Having bought several pilates books and a DVD, none of which did it for me, I had stopped looking for a pilates book. Then I chanced to see PILATES FOR MEN. 10 minutes later I bought it.

Like Hittleman's approach it's the accessibility and ease-of-use that does it for me. The pencil drawings are excellent, with the required movements easy to see. The text is straight-forward. And the exercises are presented in the order you might use them in. This is just what I needed given the way I process "kinesthetic instructions on the page" and a fairly busy life.

The trick is to get a copy of this book in your hands and get a sense of how you might use it learning pilates or brushing up and how it might serve you in developing a plan to squeeze into your life.

Personally, I'd say this is a classic. But who knows and only time will tell.

Dr. Kirtland C Peterson