Pilates Books

* Highly recommended for beginners to advanced home practice.	The Pilates Body The Ultimate At-Home Guide to Strengthening, Lengthening, and Toning Your Body—Without Machines Each exercise in The Pilates Body can be performed with just an exercise mat. While all parts of the body are used in the exercises, the focus is on the abdominals, or "powerhouse," which support the back; this makes Pilates an ideal exercise for those with back problems—or those hoping to prevent them. Author Brooke Siler, who trained with Romana Kryzanowska, the oldest living protégé of Joseph Pilates, organizes her book impeccably. After discussing proper alignment and ways to modify the exercises for those with neck, knee, or lower back pain, she jumps right into the 60-plus exercises, which are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. What differentiates Siler's book from the other Pilates titles is that she includes a disclaimer about the models: "The models in this book have been training in the Pilates method for years. Although their bodies may seem to represent an unrealistic ideal for many, they have worked hard to achieve their fitness goals. I hope in earnest that they do not intimidate but inspire." Also, each exercise is given a two-page spread of its own, and is accompanied by clear photographs and helpful graphics. Each exercise also includes what Siler calls "The Inside Scoop," or tips she's learned from training hundreds of clients. These include the main goal of the exercise; simple modifications for beginners; important keys to remember while doing the move; and no-nos to prevent injury. While it's important to concentrate and get the technique of each exercise down, Siler's book is perfect for anyone looking for a simple exercise program that promises results, requires a minimum of time, and can be done at home or while traveling.
	Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge At the Gym, on the Mat, and on the Move In this remarkable new program, Pilates instructor Brooke Siler once again revolutionizes the world of Pilates, reinventing how and where Pilates is performed, to take your fitness to a whole new level. Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, Your Ultimate Pilates Body Challenge takes a fresh approach to Pilates, challenging readers to rethink the way they move and to incorporate Pilates-conscious movements into every aspect of life: At the Gym: Siler takes you through a fun, rapid-fire circuit of machines that gets and keeps you in your cardio target zone. For the first time ever, you will learn how to use powerful Pilates techniques to maximize your workouts on standard gym equipment (StairMaster, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.). At Home: Siler steps up the at-home basics by applying Pilates— principles to work with weights, bands, and non-equipment-based exercises. On the Mat: As so many readers and clients have requested, Siler has created four brand-new mat routines specifically to target abs, lower body, posture, and flexibility, and designed to take experienced practitioners and beginners alike to new levels of body-sculpted accomplishment. Sports: Siler offers insight into secrets of the world's best athletes, explaining how to move with Pilates form in individual and team sports. With core strength created in Pilates you can hit better golf shots, ski with less fatigue than ever before, and bring more power to your tennis game. Everyday Life: Using her trademark 'Invisible Workout,' Siler shows you how incorporating Pilates-based awareness and movements into everyday activities—such as restocking the pantry, working at the computer, climbing stairs, or picking up the baby—can tone and strengthen your body. You will be amazed at how much better you feel when your carriage, breathing, posture, and movements are done Pilates-style. This dynamic book shows how Pilates can actually be the basis for total-body transformation—by simply challenging you to get the absolute most out of everything you already do.
	Anatomy of Pilates Ideal for anyone with a serious commitment to understanding Pilates thoroughly. Clear anatomical drawings that relate to specific Pilates exercises, with definitions of muscles and how they work and where they attach. Muscle recruitment is explained for each exercise. Excellent for both learners and instructors. Illustrated throughout.
**Profiled in The Wall Street Journal, his program requires just fifteen minutes a day for eight weeks to restore flexibility and prevent future injuries.	Back RX A 15-Minute-a-Day Yoga- and Pilates-Based Program to End Low Back Pain From a noted pioneer in sports medicine comes a breakthrough regimen for stopping back pain once and for all—without surgery. Eighty-percent of Americans suffer some form of low-back pain—usually due to a herniated disk—but long-term relief is rarely achieved. As a physician specializing in treating athletes, Dr. Vijay Vad has spent years researching how to cure back pain using medical yoga and Pilates. Offering a proven alternative to invasive surgery, Dr. Vad's Back Rx provides the best of mind/body medicine by giving readers three step-by-step exercise series, demonstrated in 130 precise photographs, for implementing his popular program at home. Even readers with severely limited mobility will rejoice in Dr. Vad's gentle introductory workout. Progressing through his self-paced program, they will discover a new range of exercises, breathing techniques, and tips for self-massage. For those who want to go even further and use this program for more than the treatment of a single injury, an advanced workout is included that puts readers on the road to peak performance. The perfect combination of modern medicine, Pilates innovations, and ancient yoga postures, Back Rx builds important new fundamentals for lifelong freedom from pain.