Joseph Pilates
In the early 1900’s, Joseph Pilates, a boxer and fitness enthusiast from Germany, developed a precise and efficient non-impact exercise program designed to encourage optimum health. He called it Contrology; a sequence of controlled fluid movements that stretch and strengthen the entire body. Contrology was the result of his interest in the disciplines of ancient Greek exercise, acrobatics, and yoga.
After WWI, Pilates worked to help rehabilitate non-ambulatory patients. To this end he designed several unique types of spring loaded apparatus that provided needed support while building strength.
In 1926, Pilates and his wife Clara moved to New York City and worked with many professional dancers and choreographers, including George Balanchine and Martha Graham. By then, his method became known simply as Pilates exercise.
Pilates has left a legacy that devotees enthusiastically promote worldwide; continuing to help people recover from injuries, perform better in their chosen sport, and maintain good health.
