Pilates: Body in Motion (Paperback)

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Product Description

The most authoritative, step-by-step guide to Pilates available on the market. Popular for decades with dancers, athletes, and celebrities, the Pilates Method is the perfect equipment-free workout for a stronger, leaner, fitter body. With great emphasis on precision and awareness, not only is Pilates great for the body, but for the mind as well. Using step-by-step mat-work exercises and a wide range of programs, from beginner to advanced, Pilate's Mind and Body is the only practical guide that shows you all of the proper steps to follow and how to avoid common mistakes in your conditioning.

About the Author

Alycea Ungaro, P.T., is the owner of Real Pilates (tm), and the author of several best-selling Pilates titles including Portable Pilates (tm) and The Pilates Promise. Alycea has personally trained many celebrities including Madonna, Uma Thurman, and Christy Turlington with whom she has also collaborated on a Pilates Bootie for Puma(tm). Alycea presents seminars and workshops nationally and also serves on the advisory board of Fitness Magazine. Alycea is a featured personality on iamplify.com where you can download her signature workouts to your desktop or iPod.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789484005
• ISBN-13: 978-0789484000
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,381 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

118 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Pilates book to date., June 7, 2003

By	M. E. Volmar (Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews

Pilates is a method of exercising, shaping and toning the body that's very different from a common workout. Two years ago I started doing Pilates aided by a very good book called The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler. In the first few weeks I had already lost some weight, was noticing the outline of my muscles and had stopped feeling hungry all the time. I have since dropped two dress sizes and I still do the workout daily.
After going through five other books I think that Pilates: Body in Motion is, without a doubt, the best Pilates workout book to date. Why? Well, first, the book is organized in a logical and easy-to-study format that helps to memorize and follow the different levels of the workout program without missing a single step, and allows browsing through them for quick consultations.
Second, it presents the complete sequence for each exercise photographed, and step-by-step instructions for each movement with detailed, but simple, explanations of posture, breathing and motion.
Third, it has complimentary information for each exercise: number of repetitions, warnings and alternatives for people who shouldn't perform particular exercises, modified versions to make sure the program is adaptable to almost anyone, dos and don'ts to insure proper execution, and transitional positions between following exercises to maintain the rhythm of the workout.
Fourth, it includes a thorough explanation of the key principles of the Pilates method, whose application is fundamental to achieve the benefits offered by the workout.
Fifth, it contains preparation exercises for each level (from beginner to advanced) that serve as a sort of test to indicate when to move on to the next level.
I recommend this book to anyone serious about maintaining a healthy, toned, and well-shaped body. I would also recommend buying The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler for additional exercises and The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford for a natural and effective way to backup your workout on advice on how to eat.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superlative Pilates manual, August 15, 2002

By	dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There are other good Pilates books out there. Brooke Siler's Pilates Body, in my opinion, raised the bar for all Pilates books- and so far few have come close. Jennifer Kries' Pilates Plus Method is VERY comprehensive and tells you more about muscle relationships and breathing patterns than you thought you needed to know, as well as quite a bit about yoga and dance. However, for the student who wants to learn Pilates (and not yoga or dance), this is the book to use.

Ungaro gives a brief description of the origins of Pilates (and hers is slightly more detailed than some of the other accounts) as well as an introduction to Pilates terminology and principles. READ THESE if you are just starting out. Also, better than other sources I have read, she explains why some movements are considered "Beginner" and some are "Advanced"- good information for anyone who has ever scratched their head when watching a video or following another manual.

Then to the body of the book. She first lays out the Introductory Program, a series of six or seven of the most basic Pilates movements done with modifications. Then the Beginner's Program, which is exactly the Introductory program only with more traditional form. For the Intermediate and Advanced programs, she uses guides which show all of the exercises in order. In addition to being a good quick reference to what sequence to use, it also gives the reader a sense for how each exercise should flow into another.

The exercises themselves are explained with photographs linking breathing to each "mini movement" and just enough text to explain what to do. The photographs in this book- as well as the pages themselves- are perfect. Color photographs in muted tones that make it easy to see what you're supposed to do without being distracting.

Ungaro also includes Circle and Wall exercises. These smaller, shorter routines can be incorporated into your day when you don't have time for a full mat workout, or added on to complement it. One drawback: she does not include the any of the Standing Sculpting Series (used with light weights). If you need a reference for this, see Siler's book. Otherwise, this is the perfect Pilates manual.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to do Pilates at Home....., April 14, 2002

By A Customer

Pick up Pilates:Body in Motion and you know you're actually going to work out with it. The photos are so beautiful and inspirational I found myself lying down immediately to attempt the routine. The introduction is thorough and simple to follow. The author sets the stage for the student to perform each exercise according to the principles she explains in the introduction.

Several added bonuses which I found in this book that were not in any of the other books I looked at. 1) There are breathing instructions on every page for every exercise. 2) Ms. Ungaro is a Physical Therapist and so each exercise comes with a "caution" for certain injuries. I found this very helpful as I have an old knee injury. 3) There is an actual "TRANSITION" for each exercise to help you link one exercise to the next. Although I haven't gotten that far, I imagine that this routine will be very aerobic if you keep moving through the exercises without stopping.

I have been doing the intro section now for just about a week and I think I have the "scoop" concept down pat. I plan to move on to the beginner section next week. I will write another review as my results become apparent.