Pilates - an exercise system developed by Joseph Pilates

The Pilates Method (sometimes called Pilates) is a exercise system that was developed at the beginning of the 20th century by Joseph Pilates.

Joseph Pilates named this method Contrology, for the way in which the method encourages the control of the mind to use the muscles. In this style of fitness the core postural muscles are the main focus. These muscles help to bring balance to the body and are very important in providing support for the spine. Joseph Pilates's system teaches awareness of the breath and alignment of the spine. This can then help the deep torso muscles to gain strength, which will in turn help to decrease and ultimately stop back pain.

Joseph Pilates was born in 1880 in Dusseldorf, Germany. He became a fitness enthusiast and worked his body into excellent condition. As a teenager he was used for fitness charts in photographs.

He was a trained nurse and spent most of WW1 in the Isle of Man as a prisoner of war. He was experimenting with different ways he could help bed-ridden patients rehabilitate. He then developed a series of movements that could be completed in this small space. The Pilates Reformer is still used today and this piece of equipment he designed in this time. Many believe this was first an old hospital bed.

In 1926 he moved to the United States where he opened his first training space in New York City with his wife, Clara. Pilates believed that performing less and more precise movements that demanded control of mind and body worked far better than many repeats of each exercise. He developed upwards of 500 defined exercises. The most often used style is called "matwork" which is practiced on a padded mat. The student performs a series of movements that use their own weight as an apparatus for strength.

Pilates was of the opinion that mental wellness and physical wellness were essential to one another. Pilates also believed that his system developed a total body conditioning. Working on correct alignment, focusing the mind, controlling the body, breathwork and flowing movement would bring about an increase in flexibility for the student, also an increase in energy, flexibility and improved mental concentration.

Pilates also developed five important pieces of individual exercise equipment that he believed if used, would produce the best results. Today, these two components (matwork and exercise equipment) are frequently taught separately but they were always meant to be taught together.

Pilates has been used by countless physical therapists to rehabilitate all kinds of injuries. Dancers have been known to train this way and also professional athletes looking to strengthen their "core" and gain flexibilities for their chosen sport.