Who was Joseph Pilates and what is the exercise method that bears his name?
Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. Former acrobat, nurse, pugilist and World War I POW, he developed into what can only be described as a fitness visionary. After decades of research, he brought to New York City in 1926 a method of body conditioning the likes of which health and exercise enthusiasts had never seen. Rather than focusing on sets of repetitive weight-bearing movements, Pilates developed a series of specialized exercises to build strength, control and flexibility. Many of the exercises could be performed on nothing more than a floor mat, although hundreds were developed using a series of specialized machines which he specifically designed. Joseph Pilates taught his method of “Contrology” until 1967, when he died at the age of 86.
