The History of Pilates

Joseph H. Pilates was born near Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880.
A sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever,
he dedicated his entire life to becoming physically stronger. In his youth,
Pilates studied and became proficient at body building, skiing, and
gymnastics. By the time he was 14, he was fit enough to pose for
anatomical charts.

In 1912, Pilates moved to England where he earned a living initially as a
boxer, circus performer, and a self-defense trainer of English detectives.

After World War I broke out two years later, he was designated an "enemy alien" and interned with other Germans at a camp in Lancaster and later on
the Isle of Man. Pilates became a nurse in the camp and trained other
internees in physical fitness exercises he developed

He was widely credited when none of the inmates succumbed to an influenza epidemic that killed thousands of others in England in 1918. After the war, Pilates continued his fitness training programs in Hamburg, Germany where he honed his methods with the city's police force.

In 1926, disenchanted with working with the German Army, Pilates
emigrated to the United States.On the ship to America, Pilates met his future wife Clara. Upon arrival, the couple founded a studio in New York City which is in operation to this day. Joe and his wife personally supervised their clients at the studio well into the 1960s.

Pilates and his method, which he called "Contrology" soon established a
following in the dance community. Such well known dancers as Martha
Graham and George Balanchine became his devotees and sent their own
students to him for training. Later on, athletes and other performing artists
studied under his method.

Pilates practiced what he preached and lived a long, healthy life. He died
in 1967 at the age of 87. Today, his methods and exercises are used
worldwide by dance companies, theater groups, students at performing
arts schools and universities, professional sports teams, spa clients and