What is pilates and how can it help me? Well, Pilates is really just a type of exercise, developed by a dancer named Joseph Pilates to help his dancers develop proper strength before hitting the dance floor. Pilates uses special equipment like the reformer and cadillac that reduce stress on joints while allowing strengthening. Theres other equipment like the wanda chair and pilates rings too. These are all just tools that are helpful in getting a person to activate the right muscles while strengthening and lengthening. I love pilates. I can get a full body work out in 30', bouncing from one exercise to the next. I like to use the pilates reformer with my clients because it's a great way to begin strengthening the core muscles and scapular stabilizers in a relatively easy way. There are also many creative floor pilates poses and exercises that help clients to engage stabilizing muscles and lengthen tight muscles.