Welcome to our online Pilates DVD store

We are glad to see you on our website and we are hoping to offer you the best selection of Pilates DVDs. Pilates is a wonderful exercise program that can get your body in the best shape of your life time. For a long time women and men could try Pilates only in expensive Pilates studios but today anybody can experience amazing results that Pilates offers from the comfort of their own home. We've handpicked the best Pilates workout DVDs so that you can find the right workout for your fitness level and for your goal.
Start browsing our huge library of Pilates DVDs and check out our articles that can help you choose the best Pilates video for you.

Pilates DVD reviews

Best Beginner Pilates DVD

We have watched dozens of Pilates DVDs to bring you our top five picks. If you want to start your Pilates practice but don't know which DVD to choose then we have solved your problem. We have picked five DVDs that offer the best value for your money as well as the fastest results. Take a look at our Top Pilates for Weight Loss DVD, Best Value Beginner Pilates DVD, Best Time-Saving Beginner Pilates DVD,Best Classical Pilates Matwork DVD and our Best Overall Pilates DVD for Beginners. Which one are you going to try? Click here to read more.

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Pilates History

Pilates has exploded from an obscure idea to one of the leading exercise practices throughout the world. Pilates not only provides for the strengthening of key muscle groups, but encourages flexibility in the lower extremities.

Pilates was developed by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. In his formative years, Pilates was often very ill and endured asthma, rheumatic fever, and other illnesses. The son of a gymnast, Pilates competed as a diver, boxer, gymnast, and circus act. Pilates believed that his early years of bad health were due to poor posture, improper breathing, and a bad lifestyle. He taught physical fitness to police forces at Scotland Yard in London, but when World War I broke out in 1914, he and other Germans were sent to an internment camp. During his time there, Pilates helped his fellow Germans by teaching them his new exercise method he called “Contrology.” He believed that the mind and proper form during the exercise could help the muscles reach their fullest potential. Pilates stressed that if the body was balanced, the spinal column was aligned correctly, and proper breathing techniques were implemented during the routine, the body would achieve great physical results. Many believe his methods helped his fellow inmates survive the great flu pandemic of 1918.

At the end of World War I, Pilates immigrated to New York City. While traveling to America, Pilates met and eventually married his wife Clara. Upon arriving in the Big Apple, the Pilates opened their first fitness studio. Some of the greatest dancers of that era sought the Pilates’ studio to maintain their form. The legendary Ron Fletcher and Martha Graham were among Pilates’ first students. In fact, Fletcher helped save the original Pilates studio in New York City and kept the Pilates exercise method known throughout the United States during the early 1970s.

Dancers like Graham and Fletcher were drawn to the Pilates method because of its emphasis on strong core muscles for balance and flexibility crucial in ballet and modern dance. Pilates often used the body as the mechanism for stronger muscles and based all of his exercises with the use of a simple floor mat. Each exercise progression added resistance to promote strength and flexibility. Most modern Pilates teachers use a combination of classic and contemporary exercises to fulfill Pilates’ original vision. For example, many Pilates instructors will start with floor exercises, but will often use variations of yoga disciplines to enhance the workout. Romana Kryzanowska, a dancer who met the Pilates in the 1940s, is often considered the standard for classic Pilates instruction. Prior to her death in 1979, Kryzanowska assured the Pilates that she would continue their life’s work. In 1980, two Pilates instructors named Gail Eisen and Philip Friedman published a book entitled "The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning." This bestselling book laid the foundation for future Pilates studios and stressed six Pilates principles: center, concentration, control, flow, breathing, and precision. Most Pilates devotees believe that the use of proper spinal alignment by keeping it neutral during various exercises reduces stress in the shoulder, neck, and back.

Today, millions throughout the world have adopted Pilates as their primary tool for physical fitness. Thousands in North America alone have become certified Pilates instructors to keep Joseph Pilates’ vision of mind and body unity alive.