Pilates

Pilates — is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA.

Pilates called his method Contrology, because he believed that his method uses the mind to control the muscles. The Pilates method seeks to increase the strength, flexibility and control of the body.

The Pilates method seeks to develop controlled movement from a strong core and it does this using a range of apparatuses to guide and train the body.

Each piece of apparatus has its own repertoire of exercises and most of the exercises done on the various pieces of Pilates apparatus are resistance training since they make use of springs to provide additional resistance.

Principles:

• breathing
  (to find a right way of breathing)
• concentration
  (pilates demands intense focus)
• control
  (it is based on the idea of muscle control)
• centering
  (in order to attain control of your body you must have a starting place: the center; the center is the focal point of the Pilates method; many pilates teachers refer to the group of muscles in the center of the body – encompassing the abdomen, lower and upper back, hips, buttocks and inner thighs – the powerhouse)
• flow or efficiency of movement
  (pilates aims for elegant sufficiency of movement, creating flow through the use of appropriate transitions)
• precision
  (concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value)
• regularity