Learn about Pilates

Joseph Pilates, creator of the Pilates group of Exercises was sickly as a child. He suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. At age 14, he remedied his health status by engaging in exercise and body building, and in doing so, became the model for anatomical drawings.

With determination and dedication to his exercise, Pilates became skilled in sports like skiing, diving and gymnastics. In 1912 he worked as a self defense instructor for Scotland Yard, in England. When World War I came, Pilates, a German national, was named an “enemy alien” like most other German nationals at the time. During his capture, he started perfecting the methods of the Pilates exercise, and started teaching it to the other interns. He would make use of springs attached to hospital beds to enable bedridden patients to do exercise, with resistance. Pilates was first designed as a reconstructive form of exercise, mostly for those injured and unable to move freely, or else confined in a bed or a chair. The crude “exercise machines” was the basis for his later designs.

In 1918, an Influenza epidemic struck England, but none of his trainees were among the thousands killed, this strengthened his claim for the exercise’s efficiency. After being cleared of accusations, and his release, Pilates returned to Germany to perfect his method. The dance community, through Rudolf Van Laban, highly regarded Pilates’ techniques and adapted his exercises. In 1926, Pilates immigrated to the United States, after being asked to teach his techniques in the German Army. This is where he met his wife Clara, and with her, he opened a studio in New York, with the New York City Ballet. In the 1960’s most of Pilets’ students are New York Dancers. One of which, George Ballanchine, also had Pilates teach the ballerinas at the New York City Ballet. As time passed, his method became popular, not only in New York, but also everywhere in the United States.

Two of Pilates’ Students, Carola Trier, and Bob Seed, on the other hand, opened their own studio, demonstrating the methods and techniques, taught them by Pilates himself. Carola Trier, found solace in fleeing to the united Sattes, when she escaped a Nazi Holding Camp, and found Pilates in 1940. Having pertinent dance background and the techniques under her belt, she became a contortionist, only stopping when getting injured in 1940. Due to this, Pilates helped Trier to open her own studio in 1950.

Bob Seed, aformer Hockey player, and an avid student of Pilates opened a studio across form Joseph’s and tried to make a competition out of it by opening early in the morning. Some people say that Pilates threatened Seed one day, and told him to leave town, and indeed he left.

When Pilates died, he left no instruction as to how to continue the line of Pilates work, nevertheless, his wife Clara, continued with the Studio, already known as the Pilates studio. Romana Kryzanowska, a student who studied with Joe and Clara around the 1940’s continued their work and became director of the studio in 1970.

Also in 1970, A man named Ron Fletcher, a Martha Graham dancer, opened his own studio in Los angeles. He attracted many Hollywood stars, and this so impressed Clara, that she gave him permission to cary on the pilates name. Fletcher however, brought on improvements to the regiment


About the author:

Authored by Michael Bens – For more great information on how to lose weight, get in shape, and live healthy, visit Gabae Weight Loss for great resources, training and motivation!

Written By: Michael Bens

For anyone with even a remote interest in Pilates, the equipment used for training is extremely interesting. With exciting names like the Reformer and the Cadillac, how could one not be interested? While there are literally dozens of individual pieces of equipment and props for use in Pilates training, we will be focusing on two of the more popular ones.

The idea for the Reformer was born when the founder of the Pilates system, Joseph Pilates, was interned in England during the First World War. He spent much of his internment training investigators from Scotland Yard in the Pilates method, and working to find ways to help rehabilitate bed-ridden patients suffering from the 1918 influenza epidemic. The first prototype was actually created using bits and pieces of old hospital beds.

The Reformer is comprised of a series of springs attached to a sliding platform supported by a frame. In some ways, it is very similar to rowing machine. The platform can be moved in two ways; by pulling on the pulleys, or by pushing off of the foot bar. It can be challenging for some people to get used to the sensation of moving the platform and maintaining balance at the same time. There are dozen of exercises that can be performed on this piece of equipment, but please consult a professional instructor before attempting these exercises on your own.

The Cadillac is another popular piece of Pilates training equipment. It has been said that the Cadillac resembles some form of medieval torture equipment, and has earned the nickname of “the rack”. Be not afraid. The Cadillac is one of the most ingenious and effective types of fitness equipment ever designed. It has a platform and posts on each of the four corners. It is not unlike a bed, in some ways. The corner posts support various levers and pulleys, which provide resistance during your workout.

Joseph Pilates, and his legion of protgs, have designed well over 80 individual exercises that can be performed on the Cadillac. Each group of exercises is designed to focus on a specific group of muscles. Many of the exercises have a particular focus on developing core strength in the abdominal region. As with other types of exercise equipment, do not attempt to use the Cadillac without a proper demonstration from a certified professional.


About the author:

Natalie Brown is a certified Pilates instructor from Canada. When she is not consumed with her busy class schedule, she writes for http://www.pilatesinsight.com – a site that offers information about pilates equipment like the Reformer and the Cadillac.

Written By: Natalie Brown

Joseph Pilates was born in Dsseldorf, Germany in 1880. He was a frail young boy, who suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever. In order to overcome his weakened state, he studied body building, skiing, diving, and gymnastics. In time, he developed his own series of exercises. He moved to England in 1912, and spent much of his time working as a circus performer and a boxer. Eventually, he started teaching self defense methods to a group of police detectives from Scotland Yard. In 1914, at the outset of World War I, he was interned at a camp in Lancaster as an “enemy alien”. While in the camp, he spent a great deal of his time developing his exercise techniques.

After his release, Joseph returned to Germany and began teaching his method to dancers. He decided to leave Germany when he was asked to teach his exercise methods to the German Army. In 1926, he emigrated to America and took up residence in New York. He met his wife, Clara, on the voyage. Joseph and Clara opened a fitness studio in New York City, and shared an address with the New York City Ballet.

Joseph spent the remaining years of his life operating his studio. The nature of his work in those years was more akin to a physiotherapist for dancers than an exercise instructor for the masses. He also spent a considerable amount of time designing and constructing exercise equipment for use in his programs.

Joseph Pilates was one of the first fitness instructors to advocate the mind-body connection, which consisted of both physical and mental training to achieve the desired results. His method consists of slow, deliberate movements combined with breathing and a focus on the abdomen, lower back, and buttocks.

As quoted from his 1945 book, Return to Life with Contrology, he states that “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.”

Joseph Pilates passed away in 1967. The studio is still in operation today.


About the Author

Harriet Spinzer is a history student and Pilates enthusiast. When she is not consumed with her studies, she likes to stretch and stuff. When she is not tangled up in her “Reformer”, she like to write freelance articles for websites such as http://www.pilatesinsight.com – a site that offers information about pilates.

Written By: Harriet Spinzer