A plethora of new fitness options are popping up in Denver, so why consider Pilates?

Classical Pilates is not a trend, but a tried-and-true method of changing your body and life that's been around since the early 1900s. It's lasted so long because it's so highly effective.

What's the difference between Pilates and Barre?

Barre classes, as well as Lagree Fitness classes (like those at Pilates Evolution), tend to focus on muscular endurance through high repetitions of the same movement targeting specific muscles. Classical Pilates believes that the whole body should be challenged in every exercise, and that fewer repetitions is preferable so that form and alignment are not compromised. If you need additional challenge, rather than adding more weight or reps, you learn more difficult exercises.

The story of Joseph Pilates is the stuff of legends. He was born in 1883 in Germany, into an impoverished family with many children. He was a sickly child, who was bullied and teased for having the same last name as Pontius Pilate. His father was a prize winning gymnast and his mother was a naturopath. As a child, he received an anatomy book from a family physician and learned every page. He would also lie in the woods for hours, observing how animals moved and especially how the mothers taught their offspring. The careful observation of animal movement, particularly that of cats, greatly impacted him. In addition to anatomy and animals in nature, Joseph Pilates studied a variety of exercise forms, including yoga, Zen, and ancient Greek and Roman regimens. By 14 years of age, his body was so well developed that he began modeling for anatomy charts.