Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. Pilates, which has encountered asthma and rheumatic diseases in its childhood, has been a mockery from time to time because it has a very fragile structure. All this has been effective in his determination to improve his health and increase his fitness. Joseph devoted his life to healthy living by strengthening his body and laid the foundations for today's method of exercise. Beyond gaining health with his exercise method, he became a good boxer, athlete and skier. By the age of 14 his body was so advanced that it was used as a model in anatomy charts. He was an athlete who knew how to teach well. He was also successful in sports such as bodybuilding, gymnastics, skiing, diving and boxing. His father was an award-winning gymnast and his mother was a natural therapist. He was inspired by western and eastern exercise systems and especially Greek and Roman philosophies to achieve Physical and Mental perfection. Joseph Pilates primarily produced exercises that strengthen the abdominal muscles and control the body with the ground works called "mat work". When he was 32 years old in 1912, he went to England. There were different claims about why he was here. Some said he was going to be a boxer, while others claimed that he played the role of a Greek statue in the German circus community and went on a tour of England. When World War I broke out in 1914, he became a citizen of the hostile country because of his German citizenship and was sent to Lancester and then to the Isle of Man detention camp. He helped the bedridden patients in the camp gain strength and muscle control. He started teaching classes on defense arts and fitness. In the camp where he stayed, he started to create an exercise program, which he would later call "Contrology". For this, he used hospital beds with spools, springs and belts. These adapted beds constitute the principles of pilates equipments used today.

 Joseph Pilates went to America in 1923 and opened a studio in New York. On his journey to America, he met Clara, who would later become his wife. Clara was a nurse. She worked in the studios they opened with Joseph Pilates. In this studio, he started working with professional dancers and rehabilitating the injured. In addition to working with famous dancers, he also worked with boxing, bodybuilding sports. Joseph Pilates also trained many instructors. These instructors then spread all over the country and opened their own studios. Over the next 50 years, the pilates method developed with expert instructors. Pilates published its first book, Your Health, in 1934. The book included the philosophy of exercise method and information about healthy living. His second book, Return to life Through Contrology, was published by W.J. He wrote with Millar and published it in 1945. The book included the philosophy of control method and a series of exercises that can be practiced at home. Today, over 500 movements can be done in pilates ground works. In addition, pilates method has been developed using many equipment. Exercises are generally classified as beginner, intermediate, advanced, and super advanced.