You’ve seen those people strapped into strange machines, or in poses that mimic that of a contortionist, and you may on more than one occasion asked yourself, “Just what in the heck is Pilates?”. Well, to get right to the point, it is a specific series of exercises and train of thought that work to improve overall posture, core strength, muscle control, and so much more. 

The training method was created by Joseph Pilates and is hinged on six basic principles: centring, control, flow, breath, precision, and concentration. Together they all work intrinsically to get you more in tune with your body and tap into muscles that you may not have ever known existed.

Unlike say cardio exercise in which you will be constantly in quick motion, Pilates exercises are much more smooth, fluid, and controlled. While outwardly they may seem like a piece of cake, anyone who’s done this kind of workout will tell you differently. A major factor that is stressed is that it is much more quality rather than quantity; you may only do a few reps of a certain exercise but you will focus more intensely on getting each one done with perfect form to maximize the benefits.

Joseph stressed that the foundation of the body and fitness is the core; this includes much more than the abs, but the obliques, back, pelvic muscles, and muscles around the hip and upper thighs as well.  With a taunt and toned core, the rest of the body will then be more apt to be stronger and you will be less incline to come down with an injury. There are two main kinds of Pilates classes that you will see: those done on a Pilates machine and those done on a mat. 

Both will follow the same tenets but with different pilates equipment and ways to get the resistance to gain strength. Pilates is not a sissy workout as some avid gym goers may profess, but it is a train of thought that will get you stronger from the core out. You will gain muscle tone from both the resistance repetitions and isometric moves that will keep you holding one position while your muscles fatigue and tire. 

As with anything, the exercise of Pilates will work from the more basic ones to those that may take years to master; yet in keeping with the rules of the game you should only progress and move on to the next when you are able to do each subsequent position perfectly, as Joseph himself had envisioned. So the next time you see people strapped in to what looks to be a kind of torture device, just know that they are in fact getting fit with the help of Pilates.