Origin of pilates exercises

Joseph Hubertus Pilates, the founder of the Pilates method, was born in Germany on 9 December 1883. Although he wasn’t the healthiest of children - having had asthma, Ricketts disease and a spell of rheumatic fever - he was highly motivated to better his physical strength.
His father, a metal worker and gymnast, introduced Joseph to body-building, gymnastics, boxing and jiu-jitsu from a young age.

- Interesting fact -
It is said that at age 14, Joseph Pilates was fit enough to pose as a model for anatomical charts.

Over time Joseph Pilates came to believe that many diseases were linked to poor posture, poor movements patterns and inefficient breathing and he started to design a series of exercises to address the problems he saw.

In 1925 Joseph emigrated to America via boat on which he met his future wife, Clara. Together they set up a very successful studio in New York where they used his exercises to build stamina, strength and flexibility in his clientele, amongst whom were many dancers.

Joseph died in New York on 9 October 1967 at the age of 83.

- Interesting fact -
Joseph Pilates called his exercises 'Contrology'. It is only after his death that it became know as 'Pilates' as it is today.