A Pilates Primer

By George N. Saliba, Managing Editor On Dec 20, 2019

By the time Joseph Pilates immigrated to the United States in 1925, he had already overcome a sickly childhood replete with rickets and rheumatic fever, become healthy enough to pose as an anatomical model, was developing his namesake Pilates method (then termed “Contrology”) and even taught at police academies. While War World I saw him interned by the British for his German heritage, he used the sequestered time to further develop his Contrology method.

Pilates met his wife on the long immigration sea journey to the United States, and the two operated a New York City studio for many decades; he died at age 83, in 1967.

Arguably above all, Pilates believed in the coordination of “mind, body and spirit” and his method – often associated with physically large apparatuses designed to strengthen various anatomical regions – generally fosters spinal alignment and body strength/flexibility via specific techniques involving the participant’s concentration and muscle control, among other aspects.

While the medical efficacy of the Pilates method in healing disease has long since been debated (with inconclusive results), it is sometimes recommended by physical therapists for patients who wish to further strengthen their “core” abdominal muscles.

His 1945 seminal book “Return to Life through Contrology” details an array of strength and flexibility exercises, and additionally outlines broader philosophies. Dissimilar from many book-learning pursuits, the Pilates method is purportedly best learned via a qualified instructor.

Overall, more than 10 million Americans today partake in it, with Pilates studios and instructors dotting America’s landscape. No United States government entities now regulate Pilates instruction, although the non-profit Pilates Method Alliance provides a backdrop for the activity.

For those businesspersons who wish to incorporate Pilates into their exercise routines, a simple internet search will reveal many New Jersey-based studios – and often a referral from a business colleague or local neighbor is enough to open doors to the Pilates method’s many advertised benefits.

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