A Basic Understanding of Pilates

Pilates was named after Joseph Pilates who developed various exercise methods to help master health and develop a strong and healthy body. Joseph was a sickly child growing up with compications from rickets, rheumatic fever and asthma. The interesting thing is he did not let his illnesses get the better of him. He turned to exercise for help.

Pilates did not succeed at once to create the perfect health program. He failed many times but perservered in the end. His collection of movements were finally perfected and are what we today call Pilates. During World War I Joseph he continued to develop and refine his techniques to help patients wth battlefield wound recovery. This helped patients recovering from injuries to exercise with ease.

Joseph Pilates came to the United States in the late 1920s and his studio offering fitness techniques soon became popular among actors, athletes, gymnasts, and dancers. Owing to his mastery of fitness exercises, Joseph lived to 87 years and wrote several books on fitness. After him, his disciples kept his teachings alive and today his program has been molded to fit in with scientific principles of the age.

Pilates Defined 

Pilates is the collective name for a set of exercises or techniques that condition the body to acquire greater flexibility, strength, greater endurance, and improved coordination without addition of bulk of muscle to the body. Also, the basics of Pilates increases circulation and shapes the body in a more balanced form. Essentially, these exercises are mat exercises that focus on the body’s torso.

The body’s own weight is used as resistance against which the exercises are designed. These are very easy to begin with since these do not require any specialized pilates equipment but only a floor mat. However, several machines are currently used to tone the body and increase its strength and endurance. The principle of resistance applies here as well.

Pilates Strengthens the Core

Exercises of Pilates are focused on strengthening the body’s core or essentially the muscles surrounding the stomach, around the belly and waist. These also align the bones along regular lines. Regular exercises of the program result in feeling a more balanced posture, enjoying a better health, and greater resistance to injuries.