Core Strength For 50+: A Customized Program for Safely Toning Ab, Back, and Oblique Muscles

excellent book; good selection of exercises

I am in my upper 60s, and except for walking a lot, I am exercise averse. Never enjoyed exercise. Never actually felt better after exercise. To the extent I have exercised it was to achieve a goal, e.g., getting in shape to go on a kayaking trip. Well, you see I don't think of kayaking as exercising, I think of it as getting into places I could not otherwise go. So, I am not in great shape but I am thin. I give you this background information only to help you determine if this is a good book for you. There are many levels of exercises in this book and many different exercises at each level. You can choose between equipment free exercises and some minimal equipment exercises, e.g., using a balance ball. I started at the very lowest level with the lowest intensity and without any equipment. I did not expect much. The book told me not to expect too much too soon. But I knew I needed to strengthen my core and whatever I tried before was too hard and/or painful, e.g., pilates. No level of pilates seemed doable given my generally weak core. Mostly, my pot belly, in spite of the fact that I am thin, spoke to me and said I had to do something. I found this book quite by accident. The author's book on stretching for 50+ was advertised in my Tufts Nutrition Newsletter and I have found the books they advertise/recommend to be very helpful. Anyway to cut to the chase. I went out to do an hour's worth of yard clean up this weekend, which generally involves quite a bit of heavy lifting and this weekend was no exception. I expected to be in pain the next day as usual. I was not in the least bit of pain the next day. None. I can only attribute that to 12 days with this book using the lowest level, lowest intensity of exercise. Nothing else has changed. I also feel that I can carry significantly more weight. In addition I do not hate doing the exercises. I am very happy with this book.

Core strength is a an important topic, quite often not adequately stressed in routine Gym training, even by professional trainers. Core strength is even more important for seniors and this little book is a good introduction to the subject. Figures are adeguate and clear enough. I might have liked it to go deeper, but I still recomend it to the novice as a useful introduction to safe core strength training by seniors.

Working at trying to stay active and core strenth is the key. Can use at the gym and at home.

I don't like exercising, but the reality is that at a certain age you realize that your body (without some effort) is going on a long slow decline. One of the things I especially dislike about exercising is that it hurts! You can end of in pain the next day and you don't want to exercise...so you put it off and the next thing you know, months have passed. Not so with this program. This program is gentle training aimed at people (like me) who don't want or need bulging muscles. Instead, it slowly strengthens core muscles (think abdomen and lower back), and stretches and loosens tight muscles and tendons. The exercises can be strenuous, but you're encouraged to start at a slow pace and focus more on form than repetition. Slowly, over time, the exercise that seemed difficult on the first day seems very manageable during the 2nd week, and actually feels *good* after a month. Yeah, I said it, it feels good! And when you're ready, you can move up a level and find yourself challenged all over again. The first levels start with no equipment required (I bought a yoga mat because I work on a tile floor). The equipment needed for the higher levels is minimal. I've been using this for a few months and really enjoy and appreciate this program.