The Joseph Pilates Method
An overview of the Pilates method and the story behind its creator, Joseph Hubertus Pilates.
Pilates is a method of body conditioning created by Joseph Hubertus Pilates. It is a unique system of corrective exercises that strengthens and tones the entire body.
These exercises are the culmination of Joseph’s personal observations and research throughout his life.
His exercises focus on the ‘core muscles’ that support the back and are principally the abdominals, inner thighs and glutes. These exercises also work on the strength and flexibility of the spine and muscles of the entire body.
Early Life
Joseph was born in Germany in 1883. As s a young child, he suffered from health issues and began to take control of his own health, encouraged and guided by his father who was a gymnast.
He believed and was a living testament to his own theory, that exercise was the key to optimising health and physical wellbeing .
In these early years he practised boxing, gymnastics and self defence. He enjoyed nature and observing the effortless movements of animals. He would later use this experience and observations to develop his first exercises.
Development of the Method
Before the outbreak of World War 1, Joseph was living in England working a circus performer. However in 1914 as a German he taken to an interment camp by the British. He remained there until the end of the war
It was during this time that he started to develop more specific ideas for what would eventually become his first exercise method: ‘The Mat Work’.
As he observed the men in the camp he began to understand the impact of inactivity, the loss of physical strength and the decline in morale. He began to teach mat work , drawing on his knowledge of gymnastics to optimise their physical condition and prevent illness.
Contrology and the Pilates Apparatus
“Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit” Joseph Pilates
When the war ended Jospeh was released, and returned to Germany where he continued to train people with the exercises he developed during his time in the interment camp. It was during this period that he began to build what we now know as the ‘Universal Reformer’ and the ‘Foot Corrector’.
He eventually emigrated to America at the age of 42 where he would open his first gym in New York City. The gym focused on boxing and is where he first showcased his exercise technique that he called Contrology now known as Pilates.
He continued to teach The Mat Work and began to develop the exercises for the apparatus he had created.
The New York Studio and Legacy
The studio began to attract dancers , singers and ordinary people who wanted to exercise to improve there physical fitness and help them recover from injury.
As the studio evolved Joseph continued to create and build many of the pieces of apparatus you find in a classical studio today. The Spine Corrector, Small Barrel, Ladder Barrel, Wunda and Electric Chairs, Pedi Pole, Breath-a Cizer, Cadillac, Toe Corrector and more.
The New York City studio attracted many students that would eventually become teachers and continue his legacy.
Perhaps the most famous is Romana Kryzanowska who continued to run his New York Studio after his death in 1967. My own training follows this lineage having trained and certified through The New York Pilates Studio which wrote the first professional training program in the world.