German-born fitness guru Joseph Pilates (1881-1967) developed the Pilates exercise system in the 1920s.

 Joseph Pilates devised a unique sequence of movements that worked the mind and muscle in harmony.

 

He fine-tuned his wellness regimen while interned in England during World War I. Working as an orderly at an infirmary, he engineered a way to rig springs on hospital beds to offer light resistance exercises to bedridden patients. This was later refined and became known as the reformer.

 

After the war, Joseph Pilates moved to New York and opened a studio near the New York City Ballet in 1926. It wasn't long before he attracted a large following of dancers who took to Pilates for its ability to create long, lean muscles and a strong, streamlined physique.

 

In 1945, Joseph Pilates published Return to Life Through Contrology, which described his philosophical approach to exercise. Soon, some of his students began opening studios of their own - some making subtle adaptations to the method - and word of Pilates started to spread.

 

By the mid to late 1990s, mind-body fitness methods took off as people started seeking gentler paths to health and wellness. Pilates became popular amongst top athletes and Hollywood stars. Even more recently, it has become very popular amongst Physiotherapists as a rehabilitation tool as more and more research concludes just how important core stability and strength is in injury management. Joseph Pilates always claimed he was ahead of his time, and his legacy lives on beyond his wildest expectations. His own fitness is a testament to his method – this is a photo of Joseph Pilates at the age of 80 teaching a student and performing a stretch.