The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Every Woman [Paperback]

''After two months of prepping . . . I was taut, lean and strong,'' she says. ``I had such great muscle tone. I had danced all my life, but never felt quite as feminine and powerful as I had after the film.''
The S factor, so called because of the curvature of the female body, ''is my passion in life at the moment,'' Kelley says.
And that passion is evident as she takes charge of the class, with lights dimmed and music playing.
We let our bodies take over as we stretch like cats, hands forward, butts pointed toward the ceiling. We tighten our abs while planting our feet and moving our hips in a slow, circular motion. We stand and lower ourselves to the floor, up and down, up and down, feeling it in our quads. We don't walk; we glide like a lioness, dragging one foot diagonally in front of the other, almost in slow motion. We find our organic walk, our predatory walk.
And we don't move to the beat of the music. That's not allowed.
''When I move to the beat, the music has the power,'' Kelley says. ``When you don't move to the beat, everything's about you. You have the power.''
The moves are clearly inspired by stripping, but they also incorporate dance, yoga and Pilates.
For example, one move, The Frisk, is more about flexibility, rather than leaning against a wall with your legs spread, waiting for Officer Friendly to handcuff you.
''It's moving your body into its own shape,'' Kelley says. 'All of a sudden you go, `Hey! That's why I have a butt. That's why I have breasts.' I think women for so long have carried the weight of shame because certain movements make people get aroused. Women need to move their bodies freely. We were made to move.
``My 3-year-old is so unmarred. She moves freely and feminine. It's so breathtaking. I learn from her.''
But ``the message our culture is giving my children is that a woman's body, her breast is obscene and indecent. I take offense to that. What [Janet Jackson] did, you can go after her action. Her behavior . . . was bad, maybe. Go after the behavior, but don't tell my 3-year-old and 9-year-old that her breast is indecent and obscene . . . I find my husband's chest (The West Wing's Richard Schiff) incredibly erotic, but he doesn't have to cover it . . . Modesty should not be a law. It should be a personal issue.''
For women who think the moves are too sexy, Kelley asks: ``Are you looking at it from a male point of view or a female point of view? We need to . . . not get bullied around into thinking it's too sexual. It makes you feel beautiful because you're using your body 100 percent rather than moving up and down like a guy doing guy calisthenics. Look at your beautiful body. It's curving.''
The moves weren't too sexy for Michelle Mendez, 33. The DJ on 97.3 The Coast's Those Two Girls in the Morning show says: ``It's an amazing workout and it brings the sexy girl out in you. You feel very, very, sexy afterward. I'm gonna get a pole and [my fiancé] Honey Bunny's gonna love it.''

After that, it moves on to wall work and some other standing moves. These focus more on your legs, but fear not, your abs are still involved. Then there's a section on pole work, which is great for upper-body strength and burning calories - IF YOU HAVE A POLE IN YOUR HOUSE. I, for one, do not, so I just looked at the pretty pictures and sighed wistfully. Fear not, though - you can buy a stripper pole for your living room if you're so inclined, and if you have $300 just lying around begging to be spent.

Towards the end, there are various routines for you to use once you get accustomed to the individual exercises. There's also a small list of resources for buying exotic dancewear, poles, etc.

All in all, this book was well worth the $15 I spent on it. I can't stress how awesomely detailed each exercise is, with clear photos for each step. And for more advanced exercises, she offers a detailed beginner's alternative until your muscles are ready for the advanced move. Score! Plus, the exercises are fun, sexy, and guaranteed to strengthen your muscles.

On the negative side, Kelley likes to dis strippers and strip clubs - a LOT. I understand that she's probably doing it so that the soccer-mom housewives won't consider themselves "dirty" and "obscene" if they buy this book and do the exercises, but still. Lay off the exotic dancers, eh? She can also be very cheesy in her between-section monologues. On a few occasions, I read something that made me want to bang my head against the wall.

All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who like yoga and Pilates but is looking for something a little more intriguing. And, if you're into fun cardio and have the cash to burn on a pole, I would doubly recommend this book to you.