REVIEWS BOOKS AND DVDS DVD AND BOOK REVIEWS DVDS REVIEWED

Title – 3D Anatomy: Resistance Training

Author – Jeffrey M. Willardson Publisher – Primal Pictures Ltd ISBN – 978-1-907061 Cost – £145.00

Reviewer Bob Bramah

Target audience – This DVD-ROM is intended for fitness professionals and students.

Overview – This new addition to the Primal Pictures range focuses on

anatomy relevant to resistance training. The explanatory text can be saved or printed and all the features can be exported into PowerPoint presentations. The anatomy section is similar to the ones in other Primal Pictures titles, offering the same ability to rotate the image and view layers from superficial to deep. Movie clips show live action exercises being performed. Animations of the same exercises can be viewed from 360 degrees and they highlight the stretch–shortening cycle of the muscle groups in use. There are also written instructions for correctly executing the exercises. A final section contains an interactive test. Key features – The material is

arranged in five sections. The section on 3D anatomy gives detailed, labelled

3D models covering bones, joints, joint actions, muscles, and respiratory and cardiovascular systems. The muscle atlas shows 148 individual muscles in isolation. Muscle function animations include 43 3D animations of normal muscle function during movement of the joints. The resistance training section includes live action and

animations demonstrating the function of muscles during exercise. The final section contains multiple choice questions.

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Style – It follows the familiar Primal Pictures skeleton figure onto which you can add or subtract layers of soft tissue and rotate the viewpoint around 360 degrees. Clicking onto a muscle outlines its shape, labels it and reveals a text box with details of its actions,

attachments and innervation. Overall opinion – Other Primal Pictures products, such as their Interactive Regional range, are more detailed in the specific anatomy but this DVD-ROM has a very specific focus on resistance training. The animations in particular bring the anatomy to life and add an extra dimension to the more usual 2D images found in text books. This material will be useful to students in any musculoskeletal discipline and may be used as a demonstration aid for clients. However, it is not cheap and the best access may be via a group practice or institution. To order http://bit.ly/sportexprimal

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In response to requests from sportEX readers here is the first in what will be a regular review of new titles on the market. As you know from the CPD article published in this issue, books and DVDs can be a valuable source of knowledge – provided you learn from them and put the information to use in your own practice. So whatever your profession, if you have found something that has been useful why not write a review and share it with your colleagues in future editions of sportEX dynamics.

Title – The Integral Anatomy Series (four-volume boxed set comprising: 1 Skin and superficial fascia; 2 Deep fascia and muscle; 3 Cranial and visceral fasciae; 4 Viscera and their fasciae) Author – Gil Hedley Publisher – Integral Anatomy Productions Cost – £130 Reviewer Joan M. Watt Target audience – All that is stated on the cover of this set of DVDs is that the material is “suitable for advanced professionals as well as new explorers of human form”. We must remember that the USA has many different associations, not all of which are yet in Europe. On the author’s website for Integral Anatomy there are opinions

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from rolfers, yoga teachers and the managing editor of Spirituality and Health magazine in addition to very well known educators such as Art Riggs and Tom Myers. So the users of this series would appear to come from many different disciplines. Overview – The series aims to demonstrate the detail that can be gained from performing dissections and viewing of the tissues being described. Key features – These four DVDs cover skin and superficial fascia, deep fascia and muscle, cranial and visceral fascia and viscera and their fascia and are presented holistically, documenting very well the fascia and their connections with other structures. Style – This is an extremely holistic approach to a fascinating

subject, presented in an interesting way throughout. The attitude and presentation are very different from most material on this subject. Overall opinion – These DVDs are a refreshing change from the normal resources on dissection. They are interesting and definitely worth looking at to keep abreast of the many actions and interactions we now know the fascia has a role in. The full set has a total running time of over 7 hours – perhaps more suited to dipping into as a refresher rather than plodding through the whole lot regardless of how well it is presented. To order http://bit.ly/sportEXDVDs

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