Pilates has become more and more popular these days because it works to elongate, strengthen, and restore the body back to into natural balance. But, do you know where it all started? The history of Pilates started with one man who was looking for a new way to train his fellow Germans during World War I.

Joseph Pilates was trained as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. When World War I started, Pilates was interned as an “enemy alien” with other German nationals in the country. During his internment, he started to teach others about his system of exercise. He rigged springs to hospital beds which allowed bed ridden patients to use the resistance of the springs to exercise. These rigged hospital beds were what he based his equipment on.

After his release from the internment camp, Pilates immigrated to the United States, where he met his future wife Clara. Together, they opened their first fitness studio in New York and began training dancers with the new workout. Many of his students went on to open their own studios, two of them while Joseph was still alive, which has helped to spread Pilates throughout the country.

If you would like to experience the benefits of Pilates, contact us to set up a session. Here at One Body we work with you to create a Pilates program that caters to your body’s needs.