Pilates History

Pilates took the world by storm in the late 20^th century. This popular approach to studio and home exercise was named for its creator, Joseph Hubertus Pilates who was born in Germany in 1883.  As a young man, Joseph accepted a position teaching self-defense to Scotland Yard detectives. With the outbreak of WWI, Joseph was interned because of his German heritage.  As an athletic individual with limited resources, he developed the Pilates system which focuses on developing core strength through a series of repetitive movements using resistance.

Pilates initially rose to fame in the international dance community as it focused on core strength and overall body toning. This exercise philosophy emphasizes proper breathing, spinal and pelvic alignment, and the importance of full concentration. It helps the practitioner gain longer, leaner muscles as well as increased flexibility.  Joseph Pilates emigrated to the U.S. in 1926 and opened a fitness studio in New York City.

The popularity of Pilates spread quickly and continues to expand its followers in the world of fitness. Since its introduction to the health and wellness world, several fitness experts expanded and rebranded Joseph Pilates’ original creation. Ron Fletcher was one of those people; here is his story.

Fletcher Pilates History

Fletcher Pilates was developed by Ron Fletcher, an American who became a Pilates Master Teacher. This title is given only to those students who studied under the Pilates inventor Joseph Pilates; Fletcher is often referred to as a “Pilates Elder”. Fletcher spent the majority of his life in the dance world. He was a Martha Graham dancer and worked as a choreographer for a number of notable industries including Broadway, network television, and even the International Ice Capades.

Ron Fletcher originally met Joseph Pilates due to a chronic knee injury. After learning about Pilates and seeing its ability to address his own chronic knee injury, Fletcher became a devout student and eventually created his own brand of this very popular approach to health and wellness known as Fletcher Pilates.

While Pilates was extremely popular on the East Coast, where the majority of Joseph Pilates’ studios were located, Fletcher is credited for the popularity of the Pilates method becoming bicoastal. Fletcher opened his first studio, Ron Fletcher Studio for Body Contrology on May 1, 1972 in Beverly Hills. While Joseph Pilates created the original Pilates workout, it was Ron Fletcher who modified the exercises to make it easy to do without equipment.

The popularity of Fletcher Pilates soon exploded, and Fletcher is credited with truly bringing Pilates to the population at large. Many of today’s branded Pilates versions incorporate exercises and approaches developed by Ron Fletcher. 

Principles of Fletcher Pilates

While the original Pilates focused on using both large and small equipment to complete the exercises, Fletcher worked to incorporate many elements from his years of dance choreography to make the exercises more fluid.  His additions improved Pilates’ focus on stretching and extension, as well as transitional ease between movements.

The Pilates industry credits Ron Fletcher with incorporating vertical exercises into this exercise philosophy and moving it away from Joseph Pilate’s original focus on machine work.  Fletcher additionally introduced a variety of floorwork and towelwork exercises that are exclusively trademarked to the Fletcher Pilates method. 

Health Benefits of Fletcher Pilates

Many of the students, both celebrity and regular alike, praise the Fletcher Pilates method because it delivers the results they seek with a committed practice.  With attention to the core elements of the method developed by Joseph Pilates and its incorporation of key elements from dance, this approach to Pilates offers many important benefits to its students including the following:

·       Circulation Improvement

Fletcher Pilates’ incorporation of diverse dance movements and breathing techniques really gets the blood moving.  And a bonus to improved circulation?  More oxygen!  Since the blood carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, better circulation improves overall body functioning.

·       Increased Flexibility

Over time, Pilates students noticed an increased flexibility.  This is very important as we age for the health of the overall body.  Ron Fletcher, with his background in choreography, attentively incorporated a variety of patented exercises to specifically target and improve the body’s overall flexibility. 

·       Enhanced Balance

Just as important as flexibility, balance assists individuals in avoiding mishaps like falls that can result in twisted and sprained muscles or broken bones.  Fletcher Pilates works to create enhanced balance on both sides of the body; this not only helps to prevent falls, but improves everyday activities such as walking or lifting as well. 

·       Stronger Mind-Body Connection

Regular devotees report increased focus and the ability to concentrate for longer periods of time.  In addition to these improvements, since students must become in tune with their body placement, many report better posture as well as the ability to sense when something is “off”. 

·       Weight Loss

As with any solid approach to weight loss, Pilates practitioners should notice a slow yet steady weight loss with commitment to the program.  As the muscles strengthen and can handle increasing resistance, the body burns more calories during a Pilates workout. Additionally, those that try Pilates report truly enjoying this low-impact yet results-oriented exercise and report that they do Pilates several times each week, burning more calories.

Overall, Ron Fletcher’s approach to Pilates made it more accessible to the population at large.  Students trained in his method continue to increase the popularity of Fletcher Pilates across the globe.  For more information on his approach, or to locate a studio near you, visit the Fletcher Pilates official website.