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Can Pilates Training Help

May 31, 2022 | By: Tracy Markley, C.P.T.

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What Can Pilates Do for Me?

The History of Pilates 
Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in 1880 in Germany. His father, a native of Greece, had been a prize-winning gymnast.  His mother was born in Germany and  was a naturopath who believed in the principle of stimulating the body to heal itself without artificial drugs. No doubt his mother's healing philosophy and father's physical achievements greatly influenced Pilates' later ideas on therapeutic exercise.


He was small and sickly as a child.  He was had asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever, and was bullied by the bigger children. He quickly became determined to overcome his physical disadvantages. Thereupon young Joseph began to self-educate himself in anatomy, bodybuilding, wrestling, yoga, gymnastics, and martial arts. He soon achieved an almost Adonis-like "anatomical ideal," to the extent that at the age of 14 he was posing as a model for anatomy charts. Joseph was also an accomplished boxer, skier, and diver.
He was enamored of the classical Greek ideal of a man who is balanced equally in body, mind, and spirit. He grew  to believe that our modern lifestyle, bad posture, and inefficient breathing were the roots of poor health.


He designed a unique series of vigorous physical exercises that help to correct muscular imbalances and improve posture, coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility, as well as to increase breathing capacity and organ function. He also    Invented a variety of machines, based on spring-resistance, that could be used to perform these exercises.  There is a famous story about Pilates' inspiration for his unique apparatus. Before World War I he was touring England as a circus performer and professional boxer, and even teaching self-defense to the Scotland Yard police force. But when the war broke out, he found himself interned in England as an enemy alien on the Isle of Man.
The health conditions in the internment camps were not great, but Pilates insisted that everyone in his cell block participate in daily exercise routines to help maintain both their physical and mental well-being. However, some of the injured German soldiers were too weak to get out of bed. Not content to leave his comrades lying idle, Pilates took springs from the beds and attached them to the headboards and footboards of the iron bed frames, turning them into equipment that provided a type of resistance exercise for his bedridden "patients."


These mechanized beds were the forerunners of the spring-based exercise machines, such as the Cadillac and the Universal Reformer, for which method is known today.  Pilates legend has it that during the great flu epidemic of 1918, not a single one of the soldiers under his care died. He credited his technique (which he called "Contrology") for the prisoners' strength and fitness.  This is remarkable under the less than optimum living  conditions of internment camps, which were hit especially hard by this deadly flu.
Pilates returned to Germany after the war, and his achievements with the German soldiers in the prison camp did not go unnoticed. In 1926, the Kaiser invited him to begin training the German secret police.


At this point Pilates decided to emigrate to the United States. He met his future wife and dedicated teaching partner, Clara, on the boat to New York City. Together they opened the first Body Contrology Studio on Eighth Avenue at 56th Street in Manhattan, in the same building as a number of dance studios.


His greatest legacy remains his 34 Contrology Exercises. Many modern Pilates schools teach them differently.

Very often, the exercises lose something in the translation. For example: the editor (Bruce Thomson) has considerable problems with tight muscles and trigger points. Many supposedly sound physiotherapeutic interpretations of Joe's work do not fully cater for the problem of tight muscles. But the Joe Pilates 34 exercises do. They do this by working the muscles over their longer range, and by "finding the stretch".

Modern interpreters say that Joe's exercises are too difficult in their original form. But Joe had an answer for this: “If you can only perform 10 of the 100’s then do 10.   The next time do 11

There is a famous story about his inspiration for his unique pilates apparatus.  Before Wold War I he was touring England as a circus performer, a boxer and teaching self-defense to the Scotland Police force.  But when the war broke out he found himself interned in England as an enemy alien of the Isle of Man.
 
The health conditions in the internment camps were not great.  He insisted that everyone in his cell block participate in daily exercise routines to help maintain both their physical and mental well being.  Some of the injured German soldiers were too weak to get out of bed.  He would not leave his comrades lying idle.  He took springs from the beds and attached them to the headboards and footboards of the iron bed frames and turning them into equipment that provided a type of resistance exercise for his bedridden patients.  These later were what became the Cadilac and Universal Reformers used in Pilates. 
 
In the great flu epidemic in 1918, not a single one of the soldiers under his care died.  He credited his technique that gave prisoners strength and fitness keeping them healthy.
 
He called his technique Contrology, which later became to being called Pilates.
 
One of the reasons Pilates gets related to dance often is because when he migrated to the United States with his wife that he met on the boat to New York City they opened the first  "Body Contrology Studio" together in the same buidling as a number of dance studios.
 
Contrology (now Pilates) was know for his 34 Contrology exercises.  They flow in order for the best in warming up the body and building up the strength the best way possible to help the body become the strongest it can be in balance and strength as it flows as a whole unit.  Keeping the body balanced in function and movement. 
Which is best for everyday health and movements.
 
There is "Mat Pilates" which is known as "Mat Science" in fitness studies.
A good Pilates teacher has many hours of education in anatomy and the study of muscles and muscle movement as well as having the pilates exercise series, safety and modifications well grounded in their teachings.
 
There is a "10 20 30" Rule in Pilates.
After 10 sessions you start to feel stronger
After 20 sessions you start to see a difference.
After 30 sessions you see your body has been transformed.
 
You need to do these sessions consistently. 
 Popping into pilates classes Once or twice a month will not give you all the benefits you can gain from pilates. 
 
If you have a good instructor you will love pilates.
 You will love how you feel and look. 
Give yourself time to gain the strength and endurance your body will obtain.  You will be happy you did.
 
I have read and seen for myself in the last 20 years in fitness that when one is strong in Pilates as having a fit, blanced body with a strong core, one gets less sicknesses and ailments.
 
Of course times have changed, we have computers and many sit down jobs that effect our bodies that were not around back in his day.  Exercise studies as your pilates instructor stays updated on the latest safety in exercises (which make sure your fitness teachers and trainers do so) you may find some changes in the method of certain exercises.
 
Remember to always stay safe and listen to your body. 
Check you teachers and fitness trainers credentials. 
 
Happy Pilates to YOU!
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