Pilates 101: A Guide to Its History, Equipment, and Benefits

Pilates is a popular whole-body workout method that focuses on strengthening and building your core muscles. Named after its founder, Joseph Pilates, the system develops muscle tone, increases flexibility, and improves posture, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

If you’re considering adding Pilates to your wellness routine, here's what to know about its history, equipment, and benefits.

Origins

German native Joseph Pilates had asthma and rickets as a child, according to the Pilates Foundation. He became physically fit to overcome his challenges and eventually started diving, skiing, and doing gymnastics.

During World War I, Pilates was in an internment camp and taught fellow internees his fitness routine. As an orderly in a hospital on the Isle of Man, Pilates attached springs to the beds of patients who couldn't walk, to support their limbs. This led to his development of the cadillac reformer machine.

In the early 1920s, Pilates and his wife, Clara Pilates, moved to the United States. In 1926, they developed and taught their fitness method, known then as "contrology," at their first studio in New York.

Dancers flocked to the studio to recover from injury and improve their skills. Clara Pilates trained others to teach the method and adapted exercises to accommodate individual needs. Once the word spread, celebrities and other fitness seekers embraced the system.

After Joseph Pilates died in 1967, the method became known as Pilates.

Principles

Today, Pilates instructors uphold the method's original principles, which promote whole-body health while concentrating on specific, controlled movements with controlled breathing, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Repetitive daily activities like standing, walking, or sitting cause muscle imbalance, and Pilates aims to restore it, yoga therapist Judi Bar told the Cleveland Clinic. Workouts focus on building muscle tone in your core, which includes your abdomen, back, hips, and sides, Bar said.

Practicing precise movements creates a mind-body connection and awareness of how your core strength impacts and relieves pressure on other muscle groups.

Equipment

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Joseph Pilates designed a variety of apparatuses that studios still use today. Common ones include the reformer, cadillac (also called the trapeze table), wunda chair, and ladder barrel, according to The World Book. These machines offer spring-loaded resistance and properly align your body for exercise.

For example, the reformer is a bed-like apparatus with a padded platform that glides on rails via a set of pulleys. It has a foot bar, shoulder pads, and headrest. As you exercise, springs and pulleys provide adjustable resistance.

Modern studios also use various props, like rubber resistance bands, rollers, balls, and rings. These accessories offer resistance and improve core strength, balance, and flexibility, according to The World Book.

You can do Pilates online or in person on a mat but, if you’re a beginner, you may find it helpful to use machines to align and guide your body, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Rehab and health benefits

Pilates is a low-impact exercise, and instructors or physical therapists can tailor workouts to meet individual needs. It's great for rehab for spinal conditions, hip and knee replacements, and sports or dancing injuries, according to the Pilates Foundation.

Practicing Pilates also offers many health benefits, according to Mayo Clinic:

Adding Pilates to your fitness routine will help you move and feel better in your whole-body wellness journey.