Pilates is a body conditioning routine that seeks to build flexibility, strength, endurance, and coordination without adding muscle bulk. In addition, Pilates increases circulation and helps to sculpt the body and strengthen the body's "core" or "powerhouse" (torso). As a result, you should be less prone to injury, have better posture, and experience better overall health. The eight principles of Pilates are: relaxation, coordination, concentration, breathing, flowing movements, alignment, stamina, and centering.

The founder of Pilates was Joseph H. Pilates, a man who was born in Germany and as a child found it hard to participate in sports because of his frail body. Later, though, he trained himself to become an accomplished athlete. While interning as a nurse for the British during World War II, he designed exercise apparatuses for immobilized patients as well as the men in his regiment. These apparatuses later became the inspiration for the machine comprised of pulleys, cables, and springs that Joseph Pilates designed for his exercise program. Pilates also developed 500 specific exercises that focus on the torso. He later became a trainer for dancers who wished to tone their muscles and achieve coordination, strength, and flexibility.