Title: Fusion Workouts: Fitness, Yoga, Pilates and Barre
Author: Helen Vanderburg
Publisher: Human Kinetics Australia, ISBN 9781492521389
Details: Paperback, 304pg
RRP: $41.99 OR $33.60 when you use the code HK20 to SAVE 20% at the checkout HERE.
PLEASE NOTE: Human Kinetics has a new Australian distributor, so purchases are now made via a different website than you may previously have visited.
Reviewed by Lisa Westlake
Helen Vanderburg is a highly regarded and awarded personal trainer who is renowned for her diverse range of inspiring and effective classes and presentations that are reliably delivered with passion, purpose and prowess. Her book is no different. Fusion Workouts combines the best of fitness, yoga, Pilates and barre to provide programs for everyone.
Fusion Workouts begins with an easy-to-use ‘Exercise Finder’ index in a table format that allows the reader to look up any exercise, identify its style and page number.
Part one ‘Foundation of Fusion Workouts’ explains the philosophy and principles of the fusion programs and outlines the basics of each movement discipline; yoga, Pilates, fitness and barre. User-friendly information on core conditioning, breathing, safety, intensity options, mindfulness and intention is also included.
Part two offers a comprehensive range of exercises, divided into the sections; ‘Warming up’, ‘Standing strength, balance and flexibility exercises’, ‘Floor strength, balance and flexibility exercises’ and ‘Calming restorative exercises’. Each section includes exercises from the various disciplines of yoga, Pilates, fitness and barre. Having one exercise per page allows streamlined photos demonstrating starting positions and action, as well as text that clearly outlines starting position, action, alignment, breath, technique tips, progressions and modifications and mindfulness. Approximately 100 exercises are superbly communicated in this way.
Part three, ‘Fusion workout system’ offers a comprehensive range of workouts, each outlined in a table format that includes exercise titles, photos, page reference, dosage plus a column for tips, recommendations and variations. The workouts cleverly cater for all goals and fitness levels by being organised into categories; ‘Fusion workouts by level’, ‘fusion workouts by time’, ‘fusion workouts by purpose’ and ‘Fusion workouts by activity’.
Appendices complete the book with workout templates and sample weekly workout plans.
Fusion Workouts is comprehensive, clear and superbly written and presented. Uniting a selection of exercise styles gives it a unique quality that reminds us that a blend of approaches provides balanced and engaging workouts. Vanderburg’s knowledge and professional, yet user-friendly, delivery and style shines through on every page.
