Pilates is not a new fad. It has been around for nearly 100 years. It is a method of body conditioning developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880-1967) which uses specially designed equipment as well as traditional mat work.  Joseph Pilates called his method “The Art of Contrology” which refers to the way that the method encourages the use of the mind to control the muscles.

Pilates consists of a series of precise, rhythmic, fluid movements achieved through a harmony of breath, concentration and control.

It focuses on strengthening the core postural muscles of the body, named “The Powerhouse”, which stabilize the torso and improve flexibility and strength for the body without building bulk. The exercises length and strengthen all the major muscles in a balanced way.

The method is designed to strengthen the weaker postural muscle groups. 

As we go through life we settle into specific patterns of movement, the more frequently used muscles gradually get stronger while the under used muscles get weaker. This pulls the skeleton out of kilter leading to an unbalanced posture that requires much more energy to achieve a given movement. Pilates helps correct these inefficient patterns, resulting in more natural efficient movements. 

Balance of mind and body is achieved through the adherence to the method’s inherent principles of concentration, centering, control, coordination of breath and integrated movement.  

WHO WAS JOSEPH PILATES?

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in 1880 in Dusseldorf, Germany. A sickly child, Joseph suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. A strong determination to overcome these illnesses and to improve his physical health and appearance bred a keen interest in body conditioning. As a  result of this determination, Joseph Pilates became an accomplished skier, diver, gymnast and boxer.

In 1912 Joseph Pilates left Germany for England to train as a professional boxer, supporting himself by teaching self-defense to English police. His boxing ambitions soon ended with the outbreak of  World War I where he was interned as an ‘enemy alien’ at a camp in Lancaster. While in the camp Pilates continued to instruct in self-defense as well as bodybuilding.

 
He was later transferred to the Isle of Mann where he worked as a nurse; it was at this time that he designed exercise aides for bedridden patients using bedsprings and pulleys.

These basic implements have since evolved into the Pilates equipment used today. Indeed it was this experience that inspired Pilates to design the "Universal Reformer", a piece of exercise equipment now central to Pilates based studio work.

After the war Pilates returned briefly to Germany, where his exercise method gained favor in the dance community notably among Rudolf Von Laban and Hanya Holm. However concerns about the political situation and requests that he train the German army in his technique fueled his decision to leave Germany for America. 

On the way to America he met his future wife and business partner, Clara. By 1923 Joseph and Clara had established their studio in New York. Once in New York, Pilates dedicated himself to fully developing his program for physical fitness, and he named his method “The Art and Science of Contrology”. Influenced by the early Greeks, Pilates emphasized the role of the conscious mind in conditioning the body in his technique. A self taught genius, Pilates drew from many influences, eastern and western in design. A sound knowledge of anatomy and exercise experience underpinned and continues to underpin the development of the technique.


Once established in New York, Pilates attracted the attention of dancers and choreographers, most notably Martha Graham,  George Balanchine, Eve Gentry...  His technique and exercises were to spread quickly among the dance world.

Over the past 20 years, famous Pilates advocates like Madonna, Sharon Stone and Dustin Hoffman have increased public awareness of the benefits and results of Pilates.

TESS WHELAN'S BIOGRAPHY

Tess is the owner of Pilates Premier Studios Inc. in St. Petersburg, Fl. a Power Pilates Affiliate Training Center. As owner of Pilates Premier Studios Tess has successfully established her studio as “Tampa Bay’s First and Finest”, and has been recognized and awarded by Pinellas County Economic Development. Her business has been featured on Good Business Pinellas and she has appeared on Studio10TV with Prime Care LLC. Tess has developed her style of teaching and her expertise through 15 years of teaching, studying and practicing Pilates. Through the years Tess has worked with a multitude of clients from children to the elderly, from the de-conditioned or injured, to the professional athlete. Tess has been certified through The Pilates Studio under the tutelage of Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates’ protégé and Power Pilates. She is a PMA Pilates Certified teacher.

Prior to her Pilates and entrepreneurial careers, Tess earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Barry University. During her sixteen year career as a RN she provided nursing care in a variety of different settings which even included “the Movie and TV set” having worked as the “set medic” for the cast and crew of major motion pictures such as Armageddon, Contact and Rosewood. She has studied and performed in the arts since age 4 and her performing career includes professional credits in theatre, film, dance and music. She is an adjunct faculty member of St. Petersburg College and a Power Pilates Teacher Trainer.

MORE ABOUT PILATES?

Listen and watch Tess Whelan talk about Pilates and demonstrate various exercises.