This is an in depth explanation of Pilates and the goal is the clear up confusion about the methods. If you are interested in learning more about Pilates this is will be a great read.
The legal definition of Pilates is that Pilates is a generic term used to describe a method of exercise created by Joseph Pilates and the inventions he created for his exercise method. A generic term means something pertaining to a group of things in a non-specific way. That means that Pilates pertains to an exercise method created by Joseph Pilates and the inventions he created for his exercise method in a non-specific way. With this definition it is easy to argue that almost anything and everything could be considered Pilates. The definition allows many Pilates teachers the freedom to teach without having one person or group of people charging other Pilates teachers fees to use the name Pilates and use other aspects of Joseph Pilates method. If this wasn’t the case, it could ultimately lead to less access for the public to benefit from Pilates. The not so good part of this definition is that not everything may actually be Pilates. For instance, if a cat jumps on a Pilates reformer and takes a nap, you can argue that the cat did Pilates because it did something pertaining to Joseph Pilates exercise method and his inventions in a non-specific way. Therefore using the legal definition of Pilates, the cat did Pilates. This is a rather absurd example, but it does highlight the issues with the legal definition of Pilates.
When the legal definition of Pilates boils down to almost anything being Pilates, it is too broad a definition to help the public actually understand aspects of what Pilates is. Therefore it is best to categorize Pilates. There are two main methods (sometimes called styles or types) of Pilates and they are Classical Pilates and Contemporary Pilates. Classical Pilates maintains Joseph Pilates method as handed down by his teachings and the teachings of his students. Contemporary Pilates takes things inspired by Joseph Pilates method and utilizes other movement methodologies. What the other movement methodologies used in Contemporary Pilates are, varies by training schools or by the individual teacher themselves. Most often Contemporary Pilates training schools will utilize traditional strength training methods, but they may also use yoga, aerobics, martial arts, dance, or other methods for example.
This is the part where everyone asks “Which is better Classical or Contemporary Pilates?” Lots of people have opinions about this, but currently there are no research studies that have compared the Classical Pilates method and the Contemporary Pilates method to each other. There are, however, many research studies that indicate that active lifestyles versus sedentary (inactive) lifestyles can maintain and/or improve mobility and decrease health complications and both methods of Pilates will help with increasing activity levels. I encourage everyone to experience both methods and to do their own research to determine what their preference is rather than jumping to conclusions.
Now, back to what Pilates actually is. Pilates is a generic term used to describe a method of exercise created by Joseph Pilates and the inventions he created for his exercise method. There are two main methods. Classical Pilates, which maintains Joseph Pilates method as handed down by his teachings and his students teachings and Contemporary Pilates which is inspired by Joseph Pilates method and utilizes other movement methodologies. These two methods are different and therefore they may be less similar to each other than expected, however both the Classical method and Contemporary methods will typically focus on core strengthening, alignment, and posture. They can use mats and other Pilates apparatus and accessories (sometimes called equipment and props) that are based on or inspired by Joseph Pilates inventions. Regardless of the method of Pilates, Pilates can increase activities levels, strength, and improve overall mobility.