For many money is in short supply and in an effort to save pennies more and more people are looking for free exercises on the Internet.
Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing as there are some fantastic resources which give safe and qualified advice about how and who should do the free workouts.
The problem arises when normal people with no Pilates experience go looking for Free Pilates exercises to perform. After all Pilates is great for rehabilitation right? So if you have a back, neck or postural problem doing Pilates is the right thing to do isn’t it?
Yes and No 
Assuming you’ve been cleared by your Physician to do Pilates and assuming you’re in a Pilates class with a fully qualified instructor who can assess your injuries and modify any exercise that isn’t suitable for you then yes Pilates can only be beneficial.
But the free Pilates exercises found on many of the video sharing sites don’t know about your physical challenges and mostly assume everyone copying them is fit and healthy.
The following video will help ensure you don’t injure yourself whilst exercising. The advice applies to all exercises not just Pilates. Take a look and let me know what you think.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a great article. There was a similar problem with the advent of Web MD– suddenly everyone utilized the Internet to begin self-diagnosing problems that more often than not never existed.
Hopefully this danger will likewise subside.
Wonderful warning! It is sad how many people end up getting hurt doing Pilates because they try to do a video at home. Also, group Pilates classes are another place for potential injury, especially when there is a large and diverse class. As a Pilates instructor, I can attest to how difficult structuring a large group class can be.
In my opinion, the best way to learn a routine for home or start Pilates is to find a Pilates instructor who can help teach you the basic exercises appropriate for your body. I have done this in 2-8 sessions depending on the fitness and kinesthetic awareness of the client. Be sure to ask about the training of the “Pilates instructor.” Some instructors have only taken one weekend course and start teaching. Yes, scary! The good Pilates training programs I know of are hundreds of hours. Mine was a minimum of 400 hours. With all the various Pilates training programs available, a good Pilates instructor will be thrilled to educate you about their particular training.
Yes we have the “Weekend Pilates Warriors” in the UK as well. Some of them are lethal if you have an existing back / neck problem. Snag is clients never check the qualifications of a Pilates Instructor. In six years of teaching I’ve never been asked