Pilates, formerly Contrology, exercise discipline created by German American gymnast, bodybuilder, and entrepreneur Joseph H. Pilates in the mid-20th century and refined by his students and disciples. The Pilates regimen was practiced largely in a prone, supine, or seated position on a mat and emphasized the development of stability and flexibility by strengthening the musculature, particularly the core abdominal muscles, through a series of controlled movements. The practice was widespread in the Western world by the second decade of the 21st century.
