About Joseph Pilates - Complete Pilates Method Information

By following the exercise program devised by Joseph Pilates you can achieve a strong, supple body.

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1 880. As a child he suffered from asthma and rickets and this early experience of ill-health shaped his attitude toward the importance of physical fitness throughout his life. In his youth he made determined efforts to build and strengthen his body. He became an all-round athlete and also began to develop the system of exercises that he later termed "Contrology." At the outbreak of World War I in 1914 he was in England teaching self-defense to British detectives. However, he was interned along with his fellow countrymen for the duration of the war and during this period he used his system of exercises to keep himself and the other internees fit and healthy. After the war ended Pilates returned to his native Germany. During the early 1 920s he began to work with some of the best-known dancers of the day. Then in 1926 he emigrated to the U.S., where he founded his first exercise studio. By the 1 940s his unique exercise regime had built up a growing reputation as a beneficial counterbalance to the sometimes damaging demands of dance training and he built up a wide clientele among New York's community of dancers and actors. Many world-famous show business personalities have benefited from the Pilates Method of exercise and celebrities such as Julia Roberts are known to use Pilates as part of their exercise routine. In recent years many sports stars have also found Pilates exercises valuable for redressing the physical imbalances imposed by rigorous sports training.

The Pilates legacy

In the decades between the founding of the Pilates Studio and the death of Joseph Pilates in 1967, numerous students became proficient and knowledgeable in his methods. Some of these students went on to found their own Pilates-style exercise studios and there are now many different strands of Pilates teaching. Inevitably, each teacher gives their own emphasis and interpretation to the basic exercise program that was laid down by its founder. Those who are interested in the authentic voice of Joseph Pilates himself can refer to his books, Your Health (1934) and Return to Life through Contrology (1945).