Idiot's Guides Pilates Easy Lessons for Stretching, Lengthening, and Toning Your Body

Pilates is one of the healthiest activities you can do for your body with improvements in flexibility, posture, and strength, and decreases in back, neck, and joint pain. And, while more advanced Pilates requires the use of expensive machines (reformers) in a studio, a considerable amount of Pilates can be performed at home using only a mat, and a few simple props such as bands and balls. Idiot's Guides: Pilates is a beginner's guide to Pilates at home. It teaches beginners the benefits of performing Pilates at home, and the right and wrong ways of performing Pilates routines. This beautiful, highly-visual guide uses color photos to teach readers loads of exercises, and gives them multiple routines that will help improve sports performance, or help eliminate chronic pain in the body. Contents iii 5 Part 1 Pilates Essentials 3 11 1 What is Pilates 5 13 who was joseph pilates? 6 14 philosophy of pilates work 7 15 pilates principles 8 16 pilates exercises 9 17 2 Alignment 11 19 foot triangles 12 20 lower body (knees and hips) 14 22 pelvis 16 24 spine and ribs 18 26 upper body (shoulders and arms) 20 28 head and neck 22 30 3 Pilates Essential Practice 25 33 pilates scoop 26 34 breathing 27 35 half rolldown 28 36 head, neck, and shoulder lift 29 37 pelvic curl 30 38 single-leg lift on your back 31 39 single-leg lift on your stomach 32 40 child’s pose stretch 33 41 Part 2 Pilates Mat Exercises 35 43 4 On Your Back 37 45 hundred 38 46 roll-up 40 48 leg circles 42 50 single-leg stretch 44 52 double-leg stretch 46 54 straight-leg pull 48 56 crisscross 50 58 double-leg lifts 52 60 corkscrew 54 62 coordination 56 64 rollover 58 66 jackknife 60 68 neck pull 62 70 teaser prep 64 72 teaser 1 66 74 teaser 2 68 76 double-leg bridge 70 78 single-leg bridge kicks 72 80 rolling like a ball 74 82 open-leg rocker 76 84 seal 78 86 single-side leg lower and lift 80 88 double-side leg lower and lift 82 90 5 On Your Side 85 93 leg lift and lower 86 94 front and back sweeps 88 96 side-lying leg circles 90 98 side-lying bicycles 92 100 side-lying leg develope 94 102 inner thigh lifts 96 104 kneeling side kicks 98 106 6 Seated 101 109 spine stretch 102 110 spine twist 104 112 saw 106 114 mermaid 108 116 can-can 110 118 modified hip circles 112 120 seated fourth glute work 114 122 circles in the sand 116 124 7 On Your Stomach 119 127 single-leg kick 120 128 double-leg kick 122 130 swimming 124 132 swan 126 134 swan with neck rolls 128 136 rocker position 130 138 heel beats 132 140 8 Plank and All Fours 135 143 all fours to plank 136 144 cat 138 146 leg pull front 140 148 push-up 142 150 leg pullback 144 152 side bend 146 154 twist 148 156 plank to v-stretch 150 158 9 Standing 153 161 standing rolldown 154 162 shoulder shrugs 156 164 foot rolls and toe lifts 158 166 single-knee bends 160 168 Part 3 Pilates Equipment Exercises 163 171 finding equipment 164 172 10 The Ring 167 175 press and pull 168 176 bicep press and side-arm press 170 178 spine stretch 172 180 inner thigh presses and glute pulls 174 182 side-lying leg work 176 184 butt blasters 178 186 ab work with ring in hands 180 188 11 Arm Weights 183 191 hug a tree 184 192 rowing 1 186 194 rowing 2 188 196 arm circles 190 198 serve a tray 192 200 shaving 194 202 pullbacks and tricep extension 196 204 12 Band or Pole 199 207 front arm lifts 200 208 overhead arm press 202 210 front arm press 204 212 behind-the-back arm bends 206 214 side stretch 208 216 torso twist 210 218 13 Large Ball 213 221 bridge with arm circles 214 222 bridges with feet on ball 216 224 round back and round back with twist 218 226 shoulder slides and plank push-ups 220 228 side lifts 222 230 14 Foam Roller 225 233 mermaid 226 234 swan with neck turns 228 236 leg scissors 230 238 bicycles 232 240 crisscross 234 242 helicopters 236 244 Part 4 Pilates Routines 239 247 15 Total-Body Programs 241 249 preparatory program 242 250 beginner program 244 252 intermediate program 246 254 advanced program 250 258 16 Sports Programs 255 263 running program 256 264 swimming program 258 266 biking program 260 268 golf program 262 270 tennis program 264 272 17 To the Point: Short Routines 267 275 abdominals 268 276 lower body 270 278 upper body 272 280 flexibility 274 282 Index 276 284 Pilates is one of the healthiest activities you can do for your body. Using this full-color, highly-visual book for beginners, "Idiot's Guides: Pilates" will improve flexibility, posture, and strength -- all while decreasing back, neck, and joint pain. The step-by-step instructions feature Pilates skills at-home -- using only a mat, bands, and balls -- without the need for all of the expensive machines found in a studio