What is Pilates?

Pilates is named after its original founder - Joseph Pilates.

Joseph Pilates Early Life

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. As a child, Joseph Pilates was very ill. He had asthma and a sunken chest among other physical limitations. As a young man, Joseph made it a goal to overcome these challenges. His plan was nothing short of strengthening and rehabilitating his body through physical fitness and muscular conditioning. He actively participated in boxing, gymnastics and ancient Greek and Roman training methods.

Early Professional Life

In 1912, Joseph Pilates left Germany to train as a professional boxer in England. While in England, he also worked as a circus performer and taught self-defense to Scotland Yard detectives. Joseph Pilates also added gymnast, skier, and diver to his list of accomplishments.

During World War I, Joseph Pilates was imprisoned in an English internment camp for German nationals.   It was during this internment that Joseph Pilates first began to work with exercise as a form of rehabilitation for others.  He was responsible for creating and implementing a physical fitness regimen for the injured soldiers who were housed with him.

Early Stages of Pilates Practice

Joseph Pilates positioned springs above hospital beds to create a revolutionary strength resistance exercise technique. This allowed patients to exercise while lying on their backs, a crucial requirement for injured or sick individuals with limited mobility. The resistance factor afforded by the springs abated the muscular atrophy associated with bedridden illnesses with the added benefit of healthful strength training which contributed to more rapid healing than would otherwise be expected.

Joseph Pilates returned to Germany for a short while after the war. Unhappy with the political situation in his country, Joseph Pilates decided to move to America. During his trip to America, Joseph met his wife, Clara.  In 1923, the couple established the first Pilates studio in New York. He became popular for training and rehabilitating professional dancers.

Growth of Pilates Practice

Joseph Pilates began to think about his methods on a larger scale and began to record his theories and practices.  In his book Return to Life, Pilates explains his plan for total body health. Pilates named his method “Contrology.” He explained that "Contrology" develops the body uniformly, corrects posture, restores physical vitality and invigorates the mind and spirit.  Later on, the practice of “Contrology” became known as “Pilates.”

Death of Joseph Pilates 

Joseph Pilates died in his 80s, the result of smoke inhalation suffered many years prior when his studio caught fire. As the story goes, his studio was burning down while he was running in and out of the building saving documents and papers from his life’s work and practices of "Contrology".  Pilates was advanced for his times and had unique ideas and visions on how to be a healthy and happy human.