THE STUNTWOMAN’S WORKOUT BY TOP HOLLYWOOD STUNT DOUBLE DANIELLE BURGIO SET FOR RELEASE MAY 2ND FROM QUIRK BOOKS

The Stuntwoman’s Workout, an at-home workout primer designed for all ages and fitness levels, was released May 2, 2005, from Quirk Books.

Written by top Hollywood stunt double Danielle Burgio, this instructive and entertaining guide provides a complete fitness program based on the principles and exercise regime of Burgio’s extensive stunt training. Burgio, who in the past year has been profiled on Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, the Montel Williams Show and Soaptalk (in addition to numerous print publications including Self Defense For Women, Maxim, TV Guide) has stunted for over 80 film, television and commercial projects including high profile doubling for the likes of Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix), Kelly Hu (Martial Law), Jennifer Garner (Daredevil), Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor) Debra Messing (Will & Grace), and Jennifer Lopez in Monster-in-Law. Says Burgio, “With the publication of The Stuntwoman’s Workout I’d like to inspire people to be active, healthy and follow their passion. It doesn’t matter whether you are a size 4 or 14 as long as you’re fit, strong, healthy and happy. Everyone has his or her own unique beauty, and the trick is letting it out.”

Featuring a foreword by Director John Carpenter (for whom Burgio stunted in his horror film Vampires), The Stuntwoman’s Workout is divided into six chapters which Burgio feels are the necessary elements for both a successful workout and lifestyle: Strength, Endurance, Focus, Flexibility, Coordination and Speed. Each individual chapter highlights exercises culled from Burgio’s stunt training repertoire that focus on building and sustaining these individual elements.

The final section of the book, Circuits, provides a 5-day workout program using the skills featured throughout the book. Also included are warm-up and cool-down regimens, tips for stocking your medicine cabinet, a peek inside a stuntwoman’s work-out bag and Rolodex, a glossary of stuntwoman terminology, and more.

The release of The Stuntwoman’s Workout will be accompanied by a nationwide publicity campaign for both broadcast and print as well as appearances at Fitness expos, bookstores and other lifestyle events.

The Stuntwoman’s Workout is 192 pages and will retail for $19.95.

HOW TO GET IN ACTION-STAR SHAPE

Forget about Angelina Jolie's toned, svelte figure or Taye Diggs' awesome abs. The most enviable bodies on a movie set may belong to people who perform stunts. To perform a variety of ultra-cool, demanding moves, it is essential to be in tip-top shape. "The Stuntwoman's Workout" (Quirk Books, 2005) offers a comprehensive fitness plan for the aspiring stuntperson - or wannabe.

| Jeannine Stein |

The Stuntwoman's Workout: Author Danielle Burgio has been a stuntwoman for eight years; before that, she was a dancer. Add some martial arts and gymnastics training, and you have a well-rounded athlete who can do everything from skydive to kick-box. The book's subtitle is "Get Your Body Ready For Anything," and Burgio takes a smorgasbord approach to working out that includes warm-ups, strength and cardio exercises, yoga poses and flexibility training. She also includes interesting tips and tricks of the trade, such as juggling exercises for coordination, first-aid kit musts, and what's in the stuntwoman's Rolodex (dance studio, massage therapist, spas and sporting goods stores). Beginners should note that although many of the exercises are geared to newbies, others have a high degree of difficulty, such as back flips, roundhouse kicks and ab-strengthening exercises done while hanging onto a horizontal bar. The L.A. based Burgio, who worked on the two "Matrix" sequels as well as "Pearl Harbor," says she wanted to include "different elements of being a good athlete - strength, endurance, focus and coordination. I'm encouraging people to get in touch with their bodies and figure out what works for them," she says. "We're capable of so much more than we think we are."

Price :: $19.95; available at bookstores.

| ERIC BOYD Los Angeles Times |