Joseph Pilates and his Exercise Program
The Pilates exercise programs are among the most popular ways
to keep fit today, enjoying a following that spans age
groups, and especially preferred by athletes and dancers.
Stilll, few know about the man who developed this fitness
method, Joseph Pilates. First known as Contrology, Joseph
Pilates' exercises were designed to build a strong, fit body
with lean and toned muscles. Developed during the 1920's,
Pilates completed his methodology, forming the program of
exercises we are familiar with today. There are Pilates
exercise programs enthusiastically practiced around the
world. Pilates' series of exercises are executed on mats and
with specialized equipment.
Born in 1880 in Germany, Joseph Pilates was himself a frail child, a fact which probably contributed to his desire to achieve a strong, attractive and healthy body. He eventually embraced the studies of various body disciplines, including yoga, Zen meditation and the martial arts, integrating what he learned into what became known as the Pilates methodology. In the process, he also achieved his personal fitness goals, becoming skilled as a gymnast, diver, skier and boxer.
Ironically, Joseph Pilates did the majority of his work while confined in an internment camp in England during World War I, because of his German nationality. During this period, he devised various exercises and exercise equipment to physically rehabilitate injured prisoners of war. In his role of hospital orderly, Joseph Pilates developed light resistance techniques, using bed springs as 'equipment'. The bed springs eventually evolved into the Pilates Trapeze table, also known as the Pilates Cadillac. Following this success, it was later found that the Joseph Pilates systems of exercises were of great benefit to anyone desiring fitness.
After his release from the internment camps, Joseph Pilates emigrated to the United States with his wife Clara, opening a fitness studio in 1926, in New York City, garnering the support of prominent dance masters impressed with his 'fit and lean' approach, among them such celebrity persons as Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine and Martha Graham. At the time,the Pilates methodology was known as 'Contrology'.
The dancers found a great affinity to Joseph Pilates method because his exercises resulted in lean and long muscles rather than the bulk associated with body builders. Some of his students opened their own studios, strictly adhering to his methods and practices.
Joseph Pilates' work did not immediately sweep the world. A small group of devotees practiced his methodology over the decades, keeping his work alive over the decades. Only a handful of years ago, science finally caught up with Pilates' principles, and people around the world flocked to the 'new' exercise regime that, finally, took the world by storm.
Joseph Pilates maintained his own personal fitness until 1967, when at the age of 87, he was injured in a fire and died as a result of his injuries.
His legacy lives on in the form of the Pilates exercise programs, with many happy, fit and strong adherents, due to the life's work of this innovative, humble man.