Pilates

Pilates

Pilates instructor demonstrating "Bird Dog"
Characteristics
Mixed-sex	Yes
Equipment	Yoga mat
Glossary	https://www.pilatesencyclopedia.com/blog/glossary-of-pilates-terms

Pilates reformer machine

Pilates (/pɪˈlɑːtiːz/ ⓘ pil-AH-teez,[1][2] German: [piˈlaːtəs] ⓘ) is a type of mind–body exercise that encompasses the original discipline created by Joseph Pilates and the modifications to it that have arisen over the years. As of 2023, over 12 million people practice Pilates.[3]

Joseph Pilates created the method over the course of his lifetime and called it Contrology.[4] He also invented a series of apparatuses necessary for execution of many of the exercises. Some of his assistants and students went on to teach the method, most of them incorporating their own modifications to Contrology. This process repeated itself in successive iterations, giving rise to the different varieties known generically as Pilates. In parallel, the original apparatuses invented by Joseph Pilates underwent modification, and new ones were introduced.

The method is designed to improve physical abilities in a balanced way through the coordination of the body and mind in the execution of his exercises. In a Pilates lesson, the student performs a limited number of repetitions of a series of low-impact exercises tailored to their level and physical characteristics. They can be executed solely using the body, or with the help of apparatuses invented especially for the method or adopted from other disciplines.[5]

Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates from Mönchengladbach, Germany.

Pilates said that the inspiration for his method came to him during World War I, while he was being held at Knockaloe Internment Camp in the Isle of Man.[6] Pilates spent four years there, working on his fellow internees,[6] developing his method of a system of exercises intended to strengthen the human mind and body, believing that mental and physical health were interrelated.[7]

In his youth, Pilates had practiced many of the physical training regimens available in Germany, and it was from these that he developed his own method. It has clear connections with the physical culture of the late nineteenth century, such as the use of special apparatuses, and claims that the exercises could cure ill health. It is also related to the tradition of "corrective exercise" or "medical gymnastics" as typified by Pehr Henrik Ling.

A reformer Pilates class.

Pilates accompanied his method with a variety of equipment, which he called "apparatus". Each apparatus was designed to help accelerate the process of stretching, strengthening, body alignment and increased core strength started by mat work. This included the Reformer, originally called the Universal Reformer, named for "universally reforming the body". Eventually Pilates designed other apparatus, including the Cadillac, Wunda Chair, High "Electric" Chair, Spine Corrector, Ladder Barrel and Pedi-Pole.[7] These machines incorporate the following features: Adjustable resistance, A moving base, Directional loading. This combination makes the Pilates Reformer and mat Pilates fundamentally different in terms of difficulty and precision.[8]

He published two books related to his training method: Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education (1934) and Return to Life Through Contrology (1945).

Pilates teacher using verbal and tactile feedback to ensure proper form

A systematic review of Pilates in 2012 examined its literature to form a consensus description of it, and found it could be described as "a mind-body exercise that requires core stability, strength, and flexibility, and attention to muscle control, posture, and breathing".[9]

According to The New York Times, Pilates "can be tailored to a spectrum of fitness goals, ages and abilities".[10] Pilates is not a cardiovascular workout, but rather a strength and flexibility workout. There are various elements that contribute to distinguishing Pilates from other forms of resistance training. For example, Pilates places a heavy emphasis on breathwork and creating a mind-body connection. Joseph Pilates even states "Above all, learn how to breathe correctly."[3] Participants consciously use the core and breath for all forms of movement.[10]

In his book Return to Life through Contrology,[4] Joseph Pilates presented his method as the art of controlled movements, which should look and feel like a workout (not a therapy) when properly done. If practiced consistently, Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength, and develops control and endurance in the entire body.[11] It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, developing a strong core, and improving coordination and balance. The core, consisting of the muscles of the abdomen, low back and hips, is often called the "powerhouse" and is thought to be the key to a person's stability.[12] Pilates' system allows for exercises to be modified in difficulty, from beginner to advanced or any other level, and to accommodate the instructor's and practitioner's goals and/or limitations. Their intensity can be increased as the body adapts itself to the exercises.[11]

A number of versions of Pilates are taught. Most are based on up to nine principles.[13][12]

In 2015 the Australian Government's Department of Health published a meta study which reviewed the existing literature on 17 alternative therapies, including Pilates, to determine whether any were suitable for being covered by health insurance. The review found that due to the small number and methodologically limited nature of the existing studies, the effectiveness of Pilates was uncertain.[14] Accordingly, in 2017, the Australian government named it a practice that would not qualify for insurance subsidy, saying this step would "ensure taxpayer funds are expended appropriately and not directed to therapies lacking evidence".[15]

For the treatment of lower back pain, low-quality evidence suggests that while Pilates is better than doing nothing, it is no more effective than other forms of physical exercise.[16][17] There is some evidence that regular sessions can help condition the abdominal muscles of healthy people, when compared to doing no exercise.[18] There is no good evidence that it helps improve balance in elderly people.[19]

From the limited data available, it would seem from the statistically and clinically significant findings that Pilates has demonstrated efficacy as a tool for the rehabilitation of a wide range of conditions.[20]

A reformer apparatus in a Pilates studio in London

As Pilates spread and grew more popular into the 1980s with the opening of new studios, three main styles emerged: East coast, West coast, and British.[21] After the boom years of the 1990s and the constant appearance of new modifications, the classification criteria shifted from geography to the degree of similarity with Joseph Pilates’s original work and concepts. This criteria allows us to identify the following styles:

Contrology is understood to mean the original (only) method created by Joseph Pilates. It involves a limited number of exercises, some of which must be executed using apparatuses having special characteristics, systematically and in a specific order. During his lifetime, Pilates was very controlling of how his method was taught and did not allow others to teach it with any modifications or enhancements. He did allow others to teach modified versions of his method as long as they made it clear that it was not the same method taught by Joseph Pilates but rather one derived from it.

The term "classical Pilates" encompasses different versions based on Contrology but which include small changes. These can include: modifications in the execution of certain exercises, the addition of new exercises similar to the original ones or using his apparatuses, or minor variations in the order in which they are performed.

The type of Pilates taught by direct disciples of Joseph Pilates who acknowledge adding their own contributions to the method and the training programs created by them would be classified within classical Pilates. Contrology is often classified as part of classical Pilates.

The term "contemporary Pilates" encompasses different and varied methods that incorporate a succession of changes to classical Pilates. These changes may include the addition of new exercises in place of the original ones, modification of the original apparatus designs and incorporation of new equipment, elimination of the need for a specific order of execution, modification of the breathing patterns, among others.

Pilates has also been combined with other disciplines, to produce hybrid forms of exercise: AquaPilates, Yogilates, Cardiopilates, Pilates Barre, Piloxing, Aeropilates.

Despite this general classification, given that the variations between styles arise gradually, there are no well-defined criteria for precisely differentiating between classical Pilates and contemporary Pilates, or which exercises (after successive modifications and additions) can still be called Pilates.[22]

The meaning of the term “Pilates” has varied over time. The disciples of Joseph Pilates active in his day made it clear that their work was based on Joseph Pilates' method. After his death, his disciples started using the term “Pilates method” to describe their work (that which would be considered classical Pilates). When referring to major modifications to the method, they used terms like “Pilates-based exercise", "Pilates-inspired exercise", or similar, rather than "contemporary Pilates".[23][24][25][26] Following the Pilates boom and the appearance of more and more contemporary styles, the term when used alone typically refers to contemporary Pilates, while the word "classical" is added to mean the more original form of the Pilates Method.

Classical Pilates enthusiasts[who?] assert that the term “Contemporary Pilates” is contradictory and that the term "Pilates" should only be used for Classical Pilates or Contrology and that the use of the term "Pilates" for marketing or business reasons has resulted in the degradation of the method.[27][28] Contemporary Pilates enthusiasts[who?] argue that new knowledge about the human body, unavailable to Joseph Pilates, needs to be incorporated into the method (hence the need for modification) and that if he were alive he would continue modifying his method. They believe that classical Pilates is too rigid and that the contributions of numerous professionals serve to enrich Pilates.[citation needed]

Modern yoga, like Pilates, is a mind-and-body discipline, though yoga classes are more likely to address spiritual aspects explicitly. Both yoga and Pilates incorporate elements of stretching and breathing.[29] Both are low-impact, low-intensity exercises, but there are key differences. When practicing yoga, individuals hold certain poses for longer periods of time and flow into others; when practicing Pilates, individuals move their arms or legs while in certain positions.[30] With yoga, breath is used for relaxation and to hold poses. With Pilates, breath is used to power the muscles with more energy. Most Pilates exercises start from lying down, while most yoga poses start from standing up.[29]

Some poses are similar in the two disciplines, for example, open leg balance closely resembles Navasana (boat pose), roll over is similar to Halasana (plough pose), and swan and push-up are essentially identical to Bhujangasana (cobra pose) and Chaturanga Dandasana (low plank pose). Both disciplines develop strength, flexibility and fitness. Pilates, however, emphasises core strength, while yoga emphasizes flexibility.[31]

Pilates is not professionally regulated.[32]

In October 2000, "Pilates" was ruled a generic term by a U.S. federal court, making it free for unrestricted use.[33] The term is still capitalized in writing due to its origin from the proper name of the method's founder.[34] As a result of the US court ruling, the Pilates Method Alliance was formed as a professional association for the Pilates community. Its purpose is to provide an international organization to connect teachers, teacher trainers, studios, and facilities dedicated to preserving and enhancing the legacy of Joseph H. Pilates and his exercise method by establishing standards, encouraging unity, and promoting professionalism.[35]

• Calisthenics
• Meditation
• Squatting position
• Yoga

• Mazzarino M, Kerr D, Wajswelner H, Morris ME (2015). "Pilates Method for Women's Health: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials". Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 96 (12): 2231–42. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2015.04.005. PMID 25912668.

• Media related to Pilates at Wikimedia Commons