No-Risk Pilates: 8 Techniques for a Safe Full-Body Workout

An illustrated, anatomical guide to improve the benefits of your Pilates workout while also preventing injury • Examines the correct movements, specific risks, and common mistakes associated with 8 fundamental Pilates exercises, including practices using Pilates exercise equipment • Offers guidelines to increase the effectiveness of your Pilates workout, maintain correct alignment, improve stability, and prevent injury to the pelvis, back, wrists, and ankles Developed in the early 20th century by accomplished boxer and gymnast Joseph Pilates, the Pilates Method aligns the body, builds long, lean muscles, and develops core abdominal strength. However, practiced improperly, Pilates exercises can lead to injuries such as pinched discs, hyperextension of the wrists, or low-back pain. No-Risk Pilates reveals how to minimize the risk of injury and maximize physical benefit for a strong, toned, and aligned physique. Using Blandine Calais-Germain’s signature anatomical style, this illustrated guide examines the body’s movements during 8 fundamental Pilates exercises, including practices using the Pilates Reformer, and explores the specific risks and common mistakes associated with each exercise. Detailing how injuries occur to the pelvis, back, wrists, and ankles during Pilates, the authors offer tips and guidelines to maintain correct alignment, improve stability, and prevent injury as well as increase the effectiveness of your Pilates workout.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Footwork and Yo-yoing of the Pelvis 2 Teaser and Its Effect on the Perineum 3 Stomach Massage and Inversion of the Lumbar Curve 4 Elephant and Pressure on the Wrist 5 Long Stretch and Hyperextension of the Wrist 6 Down Stretch and Lumbar Hyperextension 7 Forward Lunge and Foot/Ankle Instability 8 Side Sit-ups (Short Box) and the Vertebral Ligaments Appendix: Summary Chart Further Reading Index

About the Author :
Blandine Calais-Germain is a dancer, dance instructor, and physical therapist. Renowned for her movement-based classes on anatomy, she is the author of several books, including No-Risk Abs and the bestselling Anatomy of Movement. She lives in Limoux, France. Bertrand Raison studied dance and the Pilates method with Jerome Andrews in Paris as well as with Merce Cunningham in New York and Japan. He currently teaches at Physiotonics Pilates in Paris.

Review :
“In No-Risk Pilates we learn to practice this discipline not only safely but also in a way that maximizes its benefits. The explanations of the basic biomechanics of wrists, ankles, and lower spine are essential for Pilates practitioners and applicable to dance, yoga, and other popular fitness regimes. Calais-Germain clearly teaches us why we must perform the movements of Pilates with exquisite and informed awareness.” “Timely and important. Why do some students strain their necks, backs, and wrists in Pilates classes? This clearly illustrated guide looks closely at frequently made mistakes and explains how to make Reformer and Mat exercises safer and more effective.” “No-Risk Pilates is an intelligent look at repetitive movement and stressing the joints. Every Pilates student, from novice to expert, will gain insight for a safer workout and fewer unnecessary injuries. It is highly informative and well–written in plain language, paired with illustrations and photos to enhance the reader’s visualization. Calais–Germain, and her co–author Bertrand Raison, with their devotion of movement coupled with the depth of their knowledge of anatomy, have created another must–have movement guide for physical therapists, dancers, Pilates practitioners, and fitness pros of all levels.” “This book is essential reading for Pilates instructors and Pilates enthusiasts with a history of back pain or sports injury, as well as physical therapists, yoga teachers, and fitness trainers.”