What’s in a Name: Pilates

Have you ever wondered what “Pilates” is supposed to mean? Here’s a little bit about its origins, in particular, its founder.

Originally, Pilates was called Contrology. In fact, the name “Pilates” comes from its founder, Joseph Hubertus Pilates. If you’ve ever attended a class or done a video that focused on Pilates, you may have noticed that the exercise often incorporates movements from other methods, including Yoga, Tai Chi, dance & martial arts. It can be confusing for exercisers what exactly Pilates is.

Essentially, Pilates is all about controlling & strengthening your core muscles – your abdominals – which then extends out to strengthening & toning the rest of your body. Before we jump into an in-depth discussion about that, though, let’s talk about its history, in particular, its father, J. H. Pilates.

Joseph was born in 1880 in a rural German village, Monchengladbach. As a child, he had several health problems, including asthma, fever, & rickets. Other kids mocked him and called him “Pontius Pilate, killer of Christ.” Unfortunately, Joseph was frail, weak & too skinny to fight back. To make matters worse, he had super healthy & intelligent parents. His father was a prizewinning gymnast & his mother was a naturopothist  (holistic healing & natural approaches to health problems).

As a result of his physical challenges & social obstacles, Joseph sought to transform his body into a physical masterpiece of well-being & health. A close family friend & doctor gave him an old anatomy book, which he studied devotedly. Pilates also spent hours in the woods closely observing how animals moved. In addition to these activities, Joseph studied both Eastern and Western exercises. By age 14, he had developed his body to the point that he could & did model for anatomy charts.

Pilates continued to hone his understanding of kinesiology through his various experiences (listed below). He united principles & practices from many exercise programs & philosophies, including Yoga, Tai Chi, and dance among others. As a result, he created what is now known today as Pilates. This program is well illustrated by his definition of fitness:

“The attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with asound mind fully capable of naturally,easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneously zest and pleasure.”

His philosophy emphasizes what matters most in being fit – utilizing mind and body in accomplishing acts of daily living (ADLs) with ease & satisfaction.

As demonstrated by photos of him throughout his life – it worked.

A quick overview of Joseph Pilates’ career is below:

• Before 1912: Worked as a boxer, gymnast, skier & diver.
• 1912: Travelled to England for more training as a boxer; became a circus performer.
• 1914: Circus star & toured the country with his troupe; WWI breaks out, interned in an enemy camp in Lancaster (due to German ethnicity).
• Internment camp: taught wrestling & self-defense; began designing Contrology
• Transferred to camp on Isle of Man: Worked as a medic with victims of wartime diseases & incarceration. Began creating equipment to rehabilitate the bedridden.
• 1918: Influenza epidemic sweeps through the country, killing tens of thousands in England. None of Joe’s followers succumbed to the disease.
• Post-war: Returned to Germany, began training Hamburg Military Police in self-defense & physical training.
• 1925: Invited to train the New Germany Army, but wasn’t comfortable with the country’s political direction. Left for New York.
• En route to New York: Met Clara, his future second wife.
• 1926: Joseph & Clara open a gym that shared space with several dance studios. Began working with dancers by utilizing Contrology.
• 1939-1951: The pair work with dancers at Jacob’s Pillow, summer dance camp.
• 1966: A fire blazes into the studio, Joseph runs in to save research & tools. Temporarily becomes trapped.
• October 1967: History of smoking cigars & the studio blaze hasten his death; dies at 87 years old. According to some sources, Joseph died from emphysema – not smoke inhalation.

Here are more resources that discuss the history of Pilates’ founder, Joseph Pilates.

• History of Pilates
• Biography of Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880- 1967)
• History Of Pilates: Joseph H. Pilates (1880 – 1967)
• History/Origins of Pilates