Pilates 101: The Infamous Origin Story
If you have no idea what Pilates is, or even how to describe it to others, you’re in good company. Most people have never heard of Pilates, have only heard of it in relation to super hot rich celebrities, or confuse it with yoga.
If you know a little about Pilates, you may be familiar with sleek studios, strange equipment and depending on your age, Pilates may draw up visuals of Jane Fonda workout videos or youtube Pilates.
What you might not know, is that Pilates was originally called Contrology and was invented by a chain smoking, cigar loving, former assistant brewer and boxer with a flair for tall tales.
What we know now as “Pilates” is named after the man who invented it, Joseph Pilates.
In many ways, Joe was larger than life and the stories about him and the history of Pilates are made for Hollywood. Common myth has Joe as a weak sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and a whole host of maladies. Tired of being a sick weakling, Joe took matters into his own hands and began to study anatomy, gymnastics, boxing, yoga, body building and martial arts. His father actually owned a boxing gym, making this pursuit a little easier on the young Joe.
Story tells that Joe transformed his body into such a strapping specimen that he was utilized as a model for anatomy books. Looking at photos of Joe throughout his life, it’s easy to believe. Well up into his 80’s, he was extremely fit and muscular, and often wearing what could only be described as a fitness version of “tighty whities”.
The story takes a gritty turn in the early 1900’s. Allegedly, Joe was living in England and teaching self defense for Scotland yard, while also working as a circus performer and a professional boxer. When England entered WWI, they rounded up all foreign nationals living in England at the time and thus, Joe, a German citizen, was interned at the Isle of Man. It was apparently during this time without much else to do, that he began to develop “Contrology”. The frequently repeated (and probably false) Pilates origin story claims that he utilized the springs from the hospital beds as resistance trainers and that’s how the Reformer and Cadillac were born.
After the war, Joe returned to Germany for a short time before abandoning a second family and heading off to New York City where he opened up his first Contrology Studio with his third wife (and possibly just life partner), Clara.
Due to the studio’s proximity to the New York City ballet and Joe’s reputation for helping injured dancers extend their career, Pilates became a mainstay in the dance community.
Joe spent the rest of his life chain smoking, teaching his method, inventing equipment, giving wild interviews and sending friends Christmas Cards with photos of himself wearing tighty whiteys.
When Joe died, Clara struggled to keep the business running and the entire method was at risk of being lost forever. Two of Joe’s former students stepped in to keep the Pilates Method going, leading into the branching of Pilates into the Classical and Contemporary methods, a long drawn out court battle over trademarks and who owned Pilates, before the eventual explosion of Pilates as we know it. (See, Hollywood is written all over this story.)
Now a days, Pilates still attracts dancers, athletes and celebrities, as well everyday people who want to move better, recover from injuries, and improve posture.
My Unexpected Introduction to Pilates
In my early 20s, I came home for a visit and went for a trail run. Mid-run, a lightning storm rolled in, and I was hauling ass down the trail when I slipped, fell and took a very painful tumble down three switchbacks. I chipped my teeth, scraped up my arms and legs, and jammed my femur into my hip socket. I was in severe pain and limping for weeks from that fall, which led to countless chiropractor appointments and an eventual referral to try Pilates.
At the time, I didn’t even know what Pilates was. I walked into a mat class at the gym thinking, “How hard can it be?”. I was running 40 mile weeks, lifting daily, doing yoga multiple times a week, and cycling up to 70 miles every Saturday.
Five minutes into class, I was panting, sweating and my legs were trembling uncontrollably. After struggling to do a single rollup, I looked around, and saw the room was full of sweet little old ladies absolutely crushing it. By the end of that class, I was toast. I actually waited until everyone else left before very ungracefully lumbering off of the mat and staggering out of the room.
I was hooked.
Why Pilates Works
Joseph Pilates was incredibly adept at anatomy and spent a lot of time studying different movement practices and observing animals. Pilates utilizes all of the planes of movement and at its core (pun intended!) it is about intentional, holistic, mindful movement. Every exercise emphasizes:
Core strength not just abs, but the deep stabilizing muscles
Alignment maintaining optimal posture and position during movement
Breath breathing patterns in Pilates support movement and release tension
Control & precision Pilates emphasizes controlled precise quality of movement over loads of wild ranges and qualities
This blend of strength, mobility, and mindfulness makes Pilates a powerhouse exercise method, whether you’re recovering from injury, cross-training for sports, or just hoping to move with more ease.
Ready to start your own Pilates story?
Luckily, you don’t have to fall off of a mountain to start your own Pilates journey. But if you did, we’ve got you covered.
In addition to our private one-on-one sessions, we have multiple small group classes and some special series kicking off.
I can’t wait to see you in the studio!
-Rubecca
So What is Pilates Anyway?
Posted on September 17, 2024 by pilatesnative
“Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.”
-Joseph Pilates
The majority of my clients are brand new to Pilates and are usually starting out on their journey because their doctor, Physical Therapist, trainer or massage therapist recommended it for a specific injury or as part of their rehab process. It’s not uncommon for newbies to ask “What exactly is Pilates?” or “So what are we doing here?” It’s also pretty common for new folks to say “I didn’t know Pilates was hard” or “I don’t feel like we’re doing anything at all. I’m not sweaty, I don’t get sore. But I feel good afterwards.”.
It’s not just newbies who have a hard time defining Pilates. Many long time Pilates practitioners and even instructors will struggle to explain Pilates to others. Today, we’ll take a quick deep dive into what the heck Pilates is.
Who, Not What
Originally called Contrology, Pilates is a full body, low-impact exercise method developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century.
Legend has it that Pilates was a sickly child who studied and rigorously practiced varied exercise methods in an attempt to heal himself. As a young man, Pilates, who was born in Germany, was a boxer, gymnast, circus performer, martial artist and body builder, who refined his exercise methods while interned on the Isle of Man during WW1. After leaving England and returning to Germany, he continued to study movement, including yoga and studying animals at the zoo in his inspiration. When the German government invited Pilates to train their soldiers, he decided to emigrate to the United States. On the boat over, he met his wife, Clara. In 1926, they opened up their Contrology studio in New York City where they spent the rest of their lives teaching and refining Contrology.
While Pilates originally refined his method for men, being in direct proximity to the New York City Ballet meant that Contrology spread quickly through the ballet community, with Pilates frequently being credited for extending many dance careers.
Ever the German inventor, Pilates designed and patented 26 pieces of exercise equipment throughout his life, incorporating the Reformer, Cadillac, Ped-o-Pull, Wunda Chair, Spine Corrector and other gadgets and gizmos into his exercise method which includes over 600 different exercises. Along with inventing and teaching, Pilates also wrote two books: “Return to Life” and “Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising that Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education”.
When he died in 1967 at the age of 83, his life’s work limped along the fringes of the fitness world, with just nine of his students taking his teachings out into the world. It wasn’t until the 80’s/90’s that Contrology was re-christened as Pilates and the Pilates exercises became more mainstream as they slowly began to attract high profile clients like super models and actresses.
Classical Pilates vs Contemporary Pilates
As so often happens, each of Joe’s students, now referred to as the Pilates Elders, took their understanding of Joe’s work and developed their own styles and techniques. Those styles quickly fell under two umbrellas, Classical Pilates and Contemporary Pilates.
The Classical folks define their work as maintaining the integrity of the system Joe created without modern adaptations. These sessions stay true to the exercises, sequencing, and principles he designed.
The Contemporary folks brought a broader lens to the work and while it incorporates the core principles of Pilates, a contemporary session may include updated techniques, modifications, variations, physical therapy practices and offers more flexibility in how the exercises are taught and performed. Contemporary sessions may also include other non-Pilates modalities during the session.
So what exactly, is Pilates?
At it’s most basic, Pilates is a low-impact, full-body workout that focuses on strength, flexibility, balance, coordination and alignment. Pilates sessions may utilize body weight, the diverse collection of Pilates equipment, a fun collection of props or a combo of all three.
The 6 Principles of a Pilates Practice
Joseph Pilates believed that true health incorporated mind, body and spirit and was a product of the functional union of the three. His Contrology method was designed to “reinvigorate” the practitioner by emphasizing precise, controlled movements that lead to better overall mechanics. Every Pilates session will focus on the “6 Pilates Principles”: Concentration, Control, Centering, Flow, Precision and Breath.
Pilates movements are often initiated from “the core” or the “powerhouse” as it’s frequently called in Pilates. A Pilates core includes the abdominals, low back, hips, and glutes. Each movement is deliberate and executed with purpose, with the intention of stabilizing through the core and avoiding the use of momentum or uncontrolled movement to complete an exercise.
By design, the Pilates exercises are meant to be fluid, graceful and precise. The flow works to promote efficient movement patterns, enhance coordination, and allow exercises to build on one another. The focus on precision ensures correct alignment and engagement of the muscles.
New practitioners, especially runners or weight lifters, may feel like they don’t “feel the burn” during a Pilates session. That’s because Pilates focuses on quality over quantity. This helps prevent overuse of dominant muscles and builds balanced strength across the entire body. Breath, the final principle is integral to a Pilates practice. Proper deep breathing aids in concentration and control, while also promoting proper functional use of the expiration system.
Why Do So Many Doctors Recommend Pilates?
Doctors and PTs often recommend Pilates as part of a treatment plan because it is a low-impact, full-body workout that focuses on strength, flexibility, and alignment.
Pilates is unique it its ability to strengthen the deep core muscles (abdomen, back, and hips) without putting excessive strain on the joints.
Some common reasons doctors refer patients to Pilates include:
Chronic Pain: Pilates can help alleviate chronic pain, especially in the back, hips, feet, neck, and shoulders by improving posture, improving functional range of motion and strengthening muscles in efficient patterns.
Pre-Surgery or Injury Recovery: New research has shown much better surgery outcomes if the patient has strengthened the body prior to the surgery. Pilates can help prepare clients for surgery by safely improving mobility and strength, often without aggravating the affected area. For this same reason, Pilates is a great injury recovery tool.
Poor Posture & Core Strength: Poor posture and low core strength may be contributing factors to chronic pain and discomfort. Pilates helps correct alignment and teaches efficient, functional movement while also strengthening the deep core muscles.
Flexibility & Mobility: Pilates exercises frequently focus on the functionality of movement, with an emphasis on recovering or using the full functional range of motion available in each joint.
No matter your age, ability, fitness level, or medical history, Pilates can be adapted to meet your needs. The versatility of the Pilates method is one of the reasons why I love Pilates and it’s also why it’s so highly and frequently recommended by medical professionals. A good Pilates practice meets you where you’re at and helps you gradually improve, whether you’re looking to get stronger, move better or relieve pain.
As always, I love hearing from you and can’t wait to talk Pilates (the man and the method) with you. Shoot me an email or bring it up in your next session. Have a great day!
-Rubecca
p.s. The book “Caged Lion” was a great read all about Joseph Pilates and the founding of Contrology. Highly recommend if you’d like to learn more about Joe and how Pilates came to be.
5 Books to Add to Your Wellness Reading List
Posted on November 8, 2023 by pilatesnative
This month, I wanted to share my top 5 book recommendations for Fitness/Wellness books this year. These books are all related to movement in someway and either inspired, validated, created action or taught me something new. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
-Rubecca
p.s. I read 1-2 books a week and am always sharing these reads on Instagram and am always on the lookout for new books! If you love #pilatesandbooks as much as I do, you’re in the right place!
1) Caged Lion
Joseph Pilates was a wild character and it can often be difficult to separate fact from fiction. This is all the harder due to the fact that Joe himself often embellished stories as a way to market his method.
Caged Lion is a great read for any Pilates enthusiast looking to learn more about Joseph Pilates and his life. Written by his personal lawyer and Pilates student, this book provides some valuable insight into Joe’s life, his marriage to Clara and how they ran their original NYC Contrology studio.
I got to meet John Howard Steel at Momentumfest last summer and was able to enjoy an author talk and Q&A with him about this book. He’s a very sweet guy and even in his 70’s, he’s still a Pilates enthusiast. This book was super interesting and I loved getting John’s take on Joe’s life, especially after having read all of Joe’s books.
2) Let’s Get Physical
Let’s Get Physical was probably my favorite audio book of the year. Author Danielle Friedman digs into the history of women and exercise; from being prohibited completely from exercise because of “medical advice” that their uterus would fall out, to sneaking into marathons dressed as men, to the now multi-billion dollar fitness industry powered by women.
This book does a great job digging into specific trends through each decade and talks about the big names behind those movements. Unlike other pop culture fitness books which paint fitness gurus and trends in a favorable light, Friedman holds no punches and lays out the dirty laundry for all to view.
I honestly had no idea how much societal trends, culture and government policies influenced women’s fitness. This book is a must read for all women or folks who work with women in fitness.
*It was super light on the Pilates info. Maybe 2 sentences. Total bummer there, but the rest of the info was fantastic.
3) how to keep house while drowning
“how to keep house while drowning” isn’t technically a fitness book. It’s more of a cleaning and organization book for folks with ADD/ADHD. However, this little book packs a wallop and really stood out with some sound advice. Plus, I really liked how the entire book was formatted and easy to read. (I did audio and print book for this one.)
One of my favorites from this book was the concept of doing your future self a favor. I have sat with this phrase for a long time and find myself doing little things like going for that extra dog walk instead of having a hyper dog later, cleaning up the studio right now instead of tomorrow, finishing up a small task today instead of saving it for tomorrow. These small things in the now make life a little easier for future me.
There’s a current Instagram trend that encourages women to ditch their goals of training for a “summer body” and working out instead for their “old lady body”. This idea of doing my future self a favor really plays well into this idea. Doing Pilates, Strength Training and Running are how I’m training for my old lady body and doing my future self a few favors.
4) Yoga for Bendy People
Yoga for Bendy People is a MUST READ for all of my hypermobile and hEDS folks. While hypermobility is nothing new and it’s something fitness trainers have been working with for decades, diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is fairly new and it’s an extremely difficult and obscure process.
Libby Hinsley does a great job of taking this very complex and often misunderstood topic and really making it personable, easy to read and scientific. And she does it all without oversharing her own story, writing a dull/dry scientific paper or adding confusion to an already obscure topic.
I really enjoyed this book and learned SO SO much. EDS and Hypermobility are definitely things for all movement instructors and bodyworkers to be familiar with, and this book provides an excellent intro into further research and study of the topic.
5) The Way Out
Last, but not least, we have The Way Out. If you are living with chronic pain, this book will blow your mind. When you’re in the studio with me and we’re working past injuries or old pain patterns, we talk a lot about Mental and Emotional safety. We spend so much time building confidence and awareness around specific movements and muscle patterns, in order to reach functional movement.
It turns out, that what I have been teaching totally by instinct, is an actual scientific thing, called Corrective Experiences. Part of the Pain Reduction Therapy (PRT) protocol, Corrective Experiences are the things you do that affirm that you are safe in your body and that doing certain activities are safe.
The Way Out details multiple scientific studies and the research done by Alan Gordon and his team around chronic pain. One of the controversial takes from this book, is that the majority of chronic pain is mental. Gordon presents his position that pain without structural cause is caused by our brains misfiring.
This book was fascinating and gave me some new tools to use while working with clients, as well as validated some of the work that I’m already doing. If you have chronic pain or work with folks who do, this is an excellent read.