History Of Pilates

The history of Pilates begins with the birth Joseph H. Pilates in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880. He was the creator of Pilates exercise. His father was a prize winning gymnast and his mother was a neuropath.

He studied both the Eastern and Western forms of exercise including yoga. As he grew, he came to love exercise more and more. In his adolescent years, he often modeled for fitness charts, showing the degree to which his training encompassed.

Pilates seems to have burst onto the fitness scene out of nowhere, but the reality is that this popular body conditioning practice has been around for decades. The story behind Pilates is fascinating and learning more about the origin of this exercise can help you grasp the fundamental philosophy of this mind-body practice.

Pilates In Great Britain

He was a German national who moved to Great Britain before the outbreak of the First World War. He immigrated to England in order to work as a self-defense instructor at Scotland Yard. He was charged with teaching Scotland Yard detectives how to protect themselves on the job.

When World War I broke out, Pilates was interned as an "enemy alien." Pilates turned this potentially dark period into a moment of inspired opportunity. It was during his internment that he refined the principles of his new body conditioning routine.

After the war Joe returned to Germany and began training the Hamburg Military Police in self-defense and physical training as well as taking on personal clients.

Invention Of His Equipment

He drew upon his knowledge of ancient exercise practices as well as thinking about his own experiences when it came to keeping in shape. He converted the hospital beds into resistance training machines by rigging the springs on the beds.

One of the key pieces of equipment in modern day Pilates, known as the Reformer, was created by Joseph and made out of an old hospital bed. He taught the wounded soldiers in the hospital his special resistance movements.

When the great influenza of 1918 swept across England, Pilates boasted that all of his patients survived while thousands died. This helped back up his claim that his Pilates exercises helped strengthen the whole body and provided a strong defense against disease.

His exercise program was seen to be of much merit to his fellow interns, and word soon spread of his ideals. After the war was over, people were clamoring for Pilates to help them to train, and he did. He gave instruction to many, with professional boxers and police officers regularly requesting his help.

Eventually Pilates returned to Germany, where his methods became popular among professional dancers, including Rudolf von Laban and Hanya Holm. His technique began to receive greater renown, and even the German government sought his expertise. Pilates declined and immigrated to the United States in 1926.

Pilates In United States

On his voyage to American, Pilates met his future wife Clara. Together they settled in New York and eventually opened a fitness studio located in the same building as the New York City Ballet.

He created his own studio, and he based his designs off of not repetition, but of intense form. Over 500 exercises were used by Joseph, and he stressed the use of both mat work and equipment work in order to fully reach the benefits of the exercise.

He created five different pieces of exercise equipment which were to be used in conjunction with his program, and he came to receive quite the regular clientele. He wrote two books on the subject, helping him to detail exactly what he believed were the important points of Pilates.

Throughout this period, professional New York dancers took up Pilates' methods with great zeal. George Balanchine studied with Pilates, and instructed all his ballerinas to study with Pilates. In this period, as ballet flourished in popularity throughout the United States, Pilates began to be incorporated in ballet classes in the 1960s.

As Pilates continued to grow in popularity, several of Pilates pupils began teach the Pilates method in their own studios. The most well known of Pilates' students turned teachers were Carola Trier and Bob Seed. The relationship with Seed turned sour when he began to actively compete with Pilates for clients.

Even after Pilates death in 1967, his wife Clara carried on his legacy for 11 years. She continued to operate their popular studio located on Eight Avenue. Pilates may have not gained wide acceptance while Joseph lived, but it most certainly picked up when the stars and starlets of Hollywood began to attribute their physiques to the regular use of Pilates program.

Some of Pilates' most successful students turned teachers were

• Ron Fletcher
• Kathy Grant
• Lolita San Miguel

These along with a handful of Pilates' other successful students turned students continue to bring Pilates to new generations seeking a solidly effective mind-body conditioning routine and exercise.