Who The Heck Was Joseph Pilates

Who the Heck Was Joseph Pilates?

In the last decade, the general public has discovered and embraced an exercise program that is decades old. The Pilates method of exercise has become the latest 'flavor-of-the-month' in the fitness world or a 70 year old 'overnight success.'

The man who invented the Pilates method of exercise did it not to become the latest fitness craze decades later, but out of necessity. Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880 and was an extremely sickly child. Because of his physical condition, he began to study all manners of Eastern and Western exercise programs in an attempt to improve his general health and well-being. The young Joseph had plenty of help at home in his mother, a naturopath and his father, an award winning gymnast. A family friend who was a physician also gave him a book on human anatomy, which he studied obsessively. Joseph also began to study and participate in yoga, skiing, wrestling, and gymnastics. Taking the best from the diverse and eclectic physical education background, Pilates devised his own unique series of exercises now known as the Pilates Method.

In 1912, Joseph Pilates moved to England and began working as a self-defense instructor for Scotland Yard, while he boxed in his spare time. While Joseph did many things to make ends meet, he eventually began working as a circus performer and toured with his brother as 'Greek statues."
When World War I broke out in Europe, Pilates was detained in an interment camp because of his German heritage and while he was there, he began to teach his Pilates method of physical fitness to the other detainees. Pretty soon, something odd was noted by the people in charge of the camp. it was noted that the detainees who were using the Pilates method of exercising were proving to be resistant to a particularly nasty influenza that was going around the camp at the time.

After World War I, Pilates moved back to Germany where he began to train the Hamburg police. It was at this time that Pilates met Rudolf von Labon, a man he began a collaboration of many years with. Von Labon was famous for his knowledge of the analysis of movements. While they worked together, von Labon began to incorporate many of Pilates exercises in his own exercise routine.

In 1925, Joseph Pilates was invited to begin training the new German Army. However, Pilates experiences during World War I and his dislike of the political leanings of the new government, caused him to politely decline the appointment. Luckily, soon after, Pilates and his wife immigrated to the United States where they opened a dance studio with much success. Many dancers began to use the Pilates method of exercise in their training with positive results and Pilates reputation began to spread.

Many may say that Pilates is a fad exercise program. However, having been around in one form or another for the better part of a century, it certainly seems that this statement is erroneous. The Pilates Method has a good track record, with all students and trainers being able to trace their exercise genealogy back to the originator, Joseph Pilates. This kind of thing is unheard of in the exercise community and gives Pilates an added prestige, along with it being refreshingly unique. Undoubtedly, Joseph Pilates would be proud to see how popular his program has become these days. I daresay if Pilates were alive today, he would be improving and perfecting his program to help people to become the best they can be.