A Guide to the original 34 Mat Exercises of Joseph Pilates

Guide to the Original 34 Pilates exercises 

March marks the Mat challenge across the global Pilates community, inviting enthusiasts to take on classical Pilates exercises.

Where this challenge comes from ?

In late 2012, Pilates instructor Benjamin Degenhardt, armed with a new smartphone and a coveted first edition of Joseph Pilates' original book 'Return to Life Through Contrology", took a vacation that sparked a unique idea. Capturing his self-practice on camera, he curated a collection of images inspired by the book's illustrations, intending to ignite discussions online about the original Mat work. With the creative push from his partner, March MATness was born when Benjamin shared these images daily in March, initiating a community movement that has since evolved into an annual celebration. 
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Joseph Pilates developed a sequence of exercises designed to progress logically and effectively. The sequence begins with warm-up exercises, gradually advancing to more challenging ones once the body is adequately prepared. Finally, it concludes with cooling-down exercises to conclude the session. The aim is to target all areas of the body in various positions, initially utilizing gravity and body weight, and then working against them.

All the exercises description and the pictures taken by original writings of Joseph Pilates’ Return to life through Contrology.

See you on the Mat!

The Exercises

1. The Hundred
2. Roll Up
3. The Roll Over
4. One Leg Circle
5. Rolling Back
6. The One Leg Stretch
7. The Double Leg Stretch
8. The Spine Stretch
9. Rocker with Open Legs
10. The Cork-Screw
11. The Saw
12. The Swan Dive
13. The One Leg Kick
14. The Double Kick
15. The Neck Pull
16. The Scissors
17. The Bicycle
18. The Shoulder Bridge
19. The Spine Twist
20. The Jack Knife
21. The Side Kick
22. The Teaser
23. The Hip twist with stretched Arms
24. Swimming
25. The Leg Pull - Front
26. The Leg Pull
27. The Side Kick Kneeling
28. The Side Bend
29. The Boomerang
30. The Seal
31. The Crab
32. The Rocking
33. The Control Balance
34. The Push Up