This book has really helped me improve my core fitness - especially ability to do core related exercises in a HIIT or longer term endurance style. The pictures are outstanding and I have been able to really apply a lot of these exercises. For example, I used to struggle with 6 or 8 rounds of the plank style exercises, and now this is much easier. I successfully used this during the holidays to keep my tummy from stumbling with the extra food. ( )

Interesting book, interesting topic. I showed it to one of my fitness trainers at the local gym. They found it more intriguing and kept it! So from my standpoint, I gave it 3 stars. I would imagine that this book would better work for trainers or serious athletes. ( )

Recommended for serious athletes of all kinds and the trainers, coaches, body-workers and physical therapists who work with them. I used the book myself (even though I am not a serious athlete) and I liked the results of the stabilization exercises I used. I plan to keep using the books exercises over time. The four exercises I tried did not require any special equipment although many of the books hundreds of exercises do.
After three weeks of practicing my stabilization exercises 3x/week, I did notice that I felt more 'stable' when exercising with the Jillian Michaels DVD that I use (occasionally and often with the modifiers). This lead me to think about others who might find the book useful such as professional organizers, wait staff, trades people, and others who are on their feet or have the potential to injure themselves while working. There is a learning curve to the workout programs in this book so be prepared to put some time into it. Once you get it though, it's pretty easy to use.
This book is divided into five sections.
Section one discusses the benefits of the exercises in the book which are designed to first stabilize, then strengthen, and then increase power to core muscles. It includes a discussion of each muscle that makes up the core muscles as defined in this book. The authors draw on their vast experience in training serious athletes and I'm sure they've read their fair amount of literature. This is, however, not designed to be a scholarly work as it does not provide citations to back up their assertions.
Section Two is color coded as blue and has the stabilization exercises. Each exercise has photos and a step by step explanation of what to do. The exercises in all sections are broken down further into sub-sections depending on what part of the body they target.
Section Three color coded as red has the strength training exercises. The exercises from each section can be mixed and matched depending on the goals of the person using the book. With so many exercises available, it is easy to see how one could use this book for years without getting bored with the training.
Section Four is color coded in green and has the power training exercises.
Section Five has a test that you take to assess your core strength. After your assessment, you either begin with stabilization or strength exercises and gradually move to integrate power exercises into your routine. Section five also includes sport-specific suggestions. ( )

Brittenham and Taylor's "Conditioning to the Core" is another of Human Kinetics well written handbooks for athletes, trainers, physical therapists and kinesiologist which can be easily digested by anyone. For anyone who moves I would suggest you buy this book and just read the first five chapters. The well diagrammed anatomical illustrations and physiological descriptions are written in layman terms. As an advanced athlete you will find exercises,fully illustrated, easy to interpret, along with the specific benefits gained. You are given the tools to build your own program for core strengthening and conditioning. If you play football, basketball, baseball, distance run or swim there are programs already there in the final chapter. If you want peak performance, are a professional, amateur or novice athlete, This book belongs in your gym bag or your locker. ( )

Received this book on librarything.com in exchange for honest review. This book is wonderful. I think the first chapters would be great for trainers or those way more into the science of fitness than I am. My other half, who has taken several anatomy & physiology courses says the first chapters are well done. I was totally overwhelmed with the descriptions of muscle groups and how they all work. But, that's me - I don't want to understand WHY it works, I just want to know WHAT works, and how to do it correctly. And the later chapters tell me exactly that. The descriptions and pictures of exercises were excellent. Overall 5 stars. ( )