Who is Joseph Pilates?

Joseph Pilates Joseph H. Pilates was born in Mnchengladbach Germany, in 1880, to parents of Greek and German ancestry. His father was a prize-winning gymnast of Greek origin and his mother a naturopath of German origin. A sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever, he dedicated his entire life to becoming physically stronger. Joe began studying body building and gymnastics and by the age of 14 was fit enough to pose for anatomical charts. He came to believe that our modern life-style, bad posture, and inefficient breathing were the roots of poor health and ultimately devised a series of exercises, training techniques and engineered all the equipment, specifications and tuning required to teach them properly. Ouroldstudio.jpgIn 1912 he moved to England earning a living as a boxer, circus performer and self-defense trainer. During World War I he was interned with other German citizens in a camp in Lancaster where he trained other inmates in fitness and exercises.  more

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany and developed a method of exercise he called "Contrology" in the early 1900s to overcome a body left frail by childhood illnesses. He moved to England as an adult where he worked as a boxer, circus performer, and self-defense instructor. During WWI he was imprisoned on the Isle of Man along with other German Nationals; there he devised innovative methods using bedsprings to help rehabilitate non-ambulatory patients. Pilates moved back to Germany following WWI where he continued to develop his "Method." He moved to the United States in 1926 where he opened the first Pilates Studio. He was soon "discovered" by the dance community including Martha Graham and George Balanchine. His following increased to include athletes, performers and the fitness-conscious public. Pilates developed more than 500 different exercises on five different pieces of equipment he designed in order to develop the entire body.  more

Joseph Hubertus Pilates Joseph H. Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1880. He suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever as a child and because of this he was determined to overcome health problems through a dedication to physical fitness. By age 14, Pilates had already achieved his goals boasting a body of perfect fitness, which he modeled for German medical anatomy charts. He studied diverse movement arts including yoga, martial arts, boxing, ancient Grecian and Roman regimens. Pilates focused on developing mind and body together, specifically, by integrating the practice of spiritual and physical arts. At the breakout of World War I, Pilates was touring England. He was interned into a camp for "enemy aliens". Here, he trained fellow detainees, and began to develop his original method of exercise, which he would call “Contrology”. Pilates built the first apparatus to rehabilitate those injured and diseased in the camp.  more

Pilates' full name was Joseph Hubertus Pilates. He was born in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880. He was a weak child plagued with asthyma, rheumatisms and rickets so all he could think about was how he could become stronger physically. He began training in gymnastics and body building and in a very short time he became wonderfully fit. While working, as the bright minded boy he was, he decided that the bad posture which is pushed on us by the modern life (working environments etc) and that we didn't know how to properly breathe were the main reasons of health problems on earth and in the end, he invented a form of exercising-training. He also created the equipment, designed the specs and optimized the tuning of the equipment. When he moved to England in early 1910s, he was a boxer, a circus performer and a self-defence teacher. When he was imprisoned with other germans during the first World War, he trained his fellow inmates in his unique practice and so was born the Pilates Method. When ...  more

Joseph H. Pilates was born in 1880 near Düsseldorf Germany, son of a naturopath mother and gymnast father. He had a sickly childhood, suffering from asthma, rickets (weak or deformed bones), and rheumatic fever (an immune disease affecting the joints, heart, skin, nervous system and brain). Often teased as a child about his frail body, he was committed to finding greater fitness and health. At a young age he began building his stamina and strength. He was in prime condition by age fourteen, and had developed his body so completely, he was the model for a series of anatomy charts. He studied anatomy books, and watched the movement of babies and animals as he lay in his woods. Later he studied such techniques as yoga, martial arts, Zen meditation, and the Greek and Roman body conditioning exercises. These inspired him to create his own set of exercises. Over time, these exercises, which he named “Contrology” became what we now know as “Pilates”. Joe went to England in 1912 either to ...  more

Born in Germany in 1880, Joseph H. Pilates had a lifelong interest in body conditioning. As a frail child dedicated to becoming stronger, he later grew to become an accomplished skier, diver, gymnast, and boxer. While interned in England during World War I for his German citizenship, Joseph became a hospital orderly. During this time, he designed exercise apparatus for immobilized patients by attaching springs to hospital beds. This system formed the foundation for his style of body conditioning and specialized exercise apparatus, which he brought to New York City when he opened the first Pilates Studio in 1926.

Joseph Pilates was a sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. In an effort to make and keep his body healthy he studied yoga, Zen and ancient Greek and Roman physical exercise regimes. At the outbreak of World War I, while living in England as a performer and boxer, Pilates was placed under forced internment along with other German nationals in Lancaster, England. It was at this time that he began devising the original mat work exercises that he referred to as “Contrology”. A few years later he was transferred to another camp where he began working with bedridden patients who were unable to walk or exercise. Joseph Pilates attached springs to their beds which enabled them to exercise their limbs, gain strength and improve at a quicker rate. This form of rehabilitation was the beginning of his spring based machines. To find out more about Pilates please visit the Pilates Method Alliance at www.pilatesmethodalliance.org.  more

Joseph Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1880. As a child he suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever, to help strengthen his own body he created a body conditioning system, his determination led to him becoming an accomplished gymnast, diver and skier During World War I, he was interned with other German nationals and it was during this time that he further developed his technique of physical fitness. Pilates immigrated to the USA in the early 1920's opening a 'body-conditioning studio' with his wife Clara in New York City in 1926. The studio featured the apparatus that he designed to enhance his rehabilitation work. It soon became very popular with the dance community, offering dancers a chance to improve their technique or recover from injuries. Very quickly he became the best-kept secret in New York. The public took note and nowadays, one can find Pilates studios all over the world. Today, many famous athletes, dancers, models, actors, as well as business ...  more

Joseph Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1880. His father was an award-winning gymnast and his mother was a naturopath, so he was exposed to the world of alternative wellness and fitness early in his life. As a child Pilates suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever, but was determined to overcome his physical ailments and eventually become an accomplished skier, diver and gymnast. As a young man, he researched Eastern and Western forms of movement, including Yoga, and eventually trained as a rehabilitation nurse. The fusion of his early movement studies resulted in the development of Contrology (what is now known as Pilates).