The Pilates Method of body conditioning was developed by German Joseph Pilates more than 70 years ago. For many years, Pilates training remained a well-kept secret in the world of dance and the performing arts. In recent years the growing interest in "mind/body" exercise has brought Pilates concepts to the forefront of fitness training.
   The Pilates Method comprises more than 500 exercises, performed as a mat-based workout or using special resistance equipment developed by Joseph Pilates and emphasizing spring resistance.The central concept of Pilates training is strengthening the so-called "Powerhouse" or core of the body - the deep abdominal muscles, buttock muscles and the muscles around the spine. A training program based on Pilates will stabilize the pelvis and shoulder girdle, stretching and strengthening the entire body with movement initiating from "the center".

Who is Joseph Pilates?

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born near Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880. As a child, he suffered from a number of physical ailments including Rickets, Asthma and Rheumatic Fever.
Pilates, determined to overcome these health issues, began a lifetime dedication to physical fitness beginning with gymnastics, body building, and skiing. He also studied eastern methods of training such as Yoga and Zen meditation. By the time he was a teenager, he was in good enough physical condition to pose for anatomical charts - quite a transformation!

   "We should recognize the mental functions of the mind and the physical limitations of the body so that complete coordination between them may be achieved."

   Pilates left his native Germany for England in 1912, where he earned a living in various ways - as a professional boxer, circus performer, even teaching self-defence to members of the police force at Scotland Yard. He continued to develop his system of exercise whilst interned during World War 1. The origins of the modern day "Reformer", with its spring resistance and sliding carriage, are to be found in equipment that Joseph Pilates developed during this period to enable bed-ridden patients to continue to exercise and develop strength and flexibility, working with springs taken from their beds.