Joseph Pilates facts for kids

Joseph Hubertus Pilates (born December 9, 1883 – died October 9, 1967) was a German physical trainer, writer, and inventor. He is famous for creating and sharing the Pilates method of physical fitness. He also invented and patented 26 different exercise machines during his life.

Who Was Joseph Pilates?

His Early Life

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, on December 9, 1883. His father, Heinrich Friedrich Pilates, was a metal worker and a very active gymnast. His mother was a housewife.

Joseph was a sick child. He had asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever. Because of this, he spent his whole life trying to make his body stronger. His father taught him about gymnastics and body-building. He also learned martial arts like jiu-jitsu and boxing. By the time he was 14, he was so fit that he could pose for anatomy charts.

Pilates believed that modern ways of living, bad posture, and not breathing well caused poor health. He created many exercises and training methods. He also designed all the equipment needed to teach his unique system.

Early Career as a Trainer

Joseph Pilates started as a gymnast and bodybuilder. In 1912, he moved to England. There, he worked as a professional boxer and a circus performer. He also taught self-defense at police schools and Scotland Yard.

During World War I

During World War I, the British government held Pilates in a camp with other German citizens. This was at Lancaster Castle. While there, he taught wrestling and self-defense. He even said his students would leave the camp stronger than before.

Pilates studied yoga and watched how animals moved. He trained his fellow prisoners in fitness and exercises. He often said that the natural movements of cats inspired many parts of his fitness plan. It was in this camp that he began to improve and teach his exercise system. He called it "Contrology." Later, he was moved to another camp called Knockaloe on the Isle of Man.

During this time, he worked hard to develop his full exercise system, "Contrology." This name meant using the mind to control muscles. It focused on the main postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and support the spine. Pilates exercises teach you to be aware of your breath and how your spine is lined up. They also make your deep torso and stomach muscles stronger. Some of the first people to use Pilates's exercises were soldiers who were seriously hurt in the war.

After World War I, Pilates went back to Germany. He worked with famous experts in dance and exercise, like Rudolf Laban. In Hamburg, he trained police officers.

Moving to the U.S. and Marriage

Around 1925, Pilates moved to the United States. On the ship to America, he met Clara, who would become his wife. They opened an exercise studio in New York City. They taught and watched over their students until the 1960s.

Joseph and Clara Pilates quickly became popular with dancers and artists in New York. Famous dancers like George Balanchine and Martha Graham sent their students to the Pilates studio. His exercises helped them become more flexible, stronger, and have more energy. Soon, society women also started going to the Pilates gym.

Joseph Pilates wrote several books, including Return to Life through Contrology and Your Health. He was also a great inventor, with over 26 patents.

Pilates kept teaching his method even when he was very old. He continued to share his ideas even when he could no longer do the exercises himself.

His Death

Joseph Pilates passed away in New York City in 1967. He was 83 years old and died from a serious lung illness.

Books by Joseph Pilates

• Your Health by Joseph H. Pilates (1934)
• Return to Life Through Contrology by Joseph H. Pilates and William J. Miller (1945)
• "The Pilates Pamphlet: Return to Life Through Contrology" by Joseph H. Pilates and Frederick Rand Rogers (1957)