Joseph Pilates was born in Germany, in 1880. He was a sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever and dedicated his entire life to becoming physically stronger. He was an avid exercise enthusiast, skier, gymnast, diver, martial arts student. In his teens he was fit enough to pose for anatomical charts.
In 1912 he moved to England earning a living as a boxer, circus performer and self-defense trainer. During World War I he was interned with other German citizens in a camp near Lancaster, where he trained other inmates in fitness and exercise. It was here that the beginnings of the Pilates Method began to take shape.
Learn more about: Joseph Pilates and the History of Pilates
