About
Pilates 
Is Pilates Right for You?
About
the Pilates Method
About the Pilates Method
The Pilates method of physical and mental conditioning strengthens the core abdominal and back muscles,
elongates the entire muscular system and increases flexibility. The method was developed by Joseph H.
Pilates to help rehabilitate injured World War I veterans.
Childhood bouts of asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever inspired Joseph Pilates to study anatomy and both Eastern and Western forms of exercise. He eventually designed apparatus customized to his own physiology. Pilates brought his conditioning method to the United States in the early 1920s.
Dancers/choreographers Martha Graham and George Balanchine and other performing artists in New York City discovered the benefits of the Pilates method in the 1950s. Athletes have come to depend on Pilates to keep them in competition shape and reduce the risk of injury. Because it provides an intense but low-impact workout, Pilates is ideal for people of all ages and fitness levels and is one of today's fastest growing fitness trends.
