Joseph Pilates / Innovator & Teacher

By Ross Titza :: More posts in Training and Exercise

There once was a little boy, lets call him Joey. Joey had bad asthma as well as other health issues.

Unfortunately, Joey’s health problems prevented him from joining the other children on the playground. As he grew up he decided that the conventional ways of exercise were not suited for him, so he began to design his own methods of exercise. Methods that could make your body strong, build your cardio-vascular endurance, even boost your immune system. This story is actually true and it occurred over 100 years ago- it is the story of Joseph Pilates.

Originally called Controlology, the Pilates Method was based of a series of mat work exercises. As time went on, Joseph Pilates’ ideas and concepts gained popularity with many populations and at one time in his life, Joseph constructed pulley and spring systems around a hospital beds to train injured soldiers inventing what is now known as the Cadillac in Pilates circles. A few years later he was training the most elite dancers of his time. Though his method gained popularity in the dancing and Hollywood scene decades ago, it has only recently become a household name.

In the past ten years the Pilates Method has exploded and a shift from “body part” training to core based functional workouts has grown with that explosion. The Pilates method builds movement through deep abdominal breathing and muscle awareness. The principles that Joseph Pilates introduced to world over 100 years ago are currently found in every reputable fitness club in the country. According to www.pilates.com, 10 million Americans currently practice the Pilates Method each year! The series of 5 is just a small sample of the mat work and the Pilates Method- let it inspire further study in the discipline.