cover image REAL MEN DO YOGA: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance

REAL MEN DO YOGA: 21 Star Athletes Reveal Their Secrets for Strength, Flexibility and Peak Performance

John Capouya, . . HCI, $12.95 (195pp) ISBN 978-0-7573-0112-4

This is an excellent introduction to yoga for men, although sportswriter Capouya is a little too concerned about reminding his male readers that yoga "isn't a chick thing." By keeping his book's focus on "yoga's fantastic physical and mental benefits, without getting into the more cosmic stuff," Capouya shows what yoga enthusiasts have known for years—that yoga is a "complex, sophisticated exercise system" that can be used to increase flexibility, build muscle energy and functional strength and help prevent sports injuries. The clever thing about this book is that it takes traditional and well-known yoga moves such as the Cobra, the Cat Stretch and the Eagle along with other basic yoga breathing techniques, and shows how they can fit into other body-building programs such as weight-lifting for better overall result. But the book's subtitle is a bit misleading. The book does feature short and direct page-long testimonials by "yoga jocks" like pitcher Al Leiter, as well as comments by other pros such as golfer David Duval and star running back Eddie George ("Yoga definitely builds strength. I've noticed it mostly in my upper body"), whose well-chiseled frame is featured on the cover in a yoga position. But the book's strength is its easy-to-handle introductory program of yoga techniques that can be applied to existing workouts for any other sport. (Oct.)