Welcome to the Get Fit Guys' quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up.

My name is Ben Greenfield, and I'm the Get Fit Guy.

You know, I remember when Pilates first arrived on the fitness scene.

Some of us personal trainers were a bit embarrassed about how to even pronounce the name of the new

exercise style. Was it pronounced pilots like an airplane driver or Pilates like some fancy French

drink? Regardless, from private personal training studios to strange-looking devices called

reformers, Pilates has emerged as a very popular form of exercise utilized by

everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Madonna to seven foot tall professional basketball players.

In this episode, you'll learn what Pilates is, how to start Pilates, who can use Pilates, and

if Pilates will actually increase your fitness. So let's start with what

Pilates actually is. Pilates is a form of exercise developed by its namesake, Joseph Pilates, in the

1920s. Originally, it was used as a rehabilitation program for prisoners of war who needed a safe and effective way

to regain the fitness they lost during their sedentary captivity.

Though most of the exercises in the original Pilates program were performed on a mat on the floor,

Joseph developed special pieces of Pilates' equipment, such as the Reformer, to guide a person through proper range of motion for Pilates' exercises, until their body was strong enough to do the Pilates' floor exercises.

Today, you'll see modern variations of that Pilates reformer, which is basically a sliding platform with springs at one end that's moved

by pulling on ropes or pushing off from a stationary footbar. Though it can be used for more

advanced fitness routines, the reformer is still a very good tool for helping people who may

need alternatives to regular exercise, such as individuals with heart conditions, pregnant women,

or people with hip, back, or knee problems. Reformers are rarer than the Pilates floor workouts,

which is the type of Pilates you'll find taught in most gyms. These workouts incorporate exercises

that focus on your hip, pelvic, low back, and abdominal muscles. In most of these

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