A Guide to the Original 34 Pilates Exercises

While you can find several varieties of Pilates now — such as Mat Pilates, Reformer Pilates, Hot Pilates, yoga and Pilates fusion, etc. — the original 34 Pilates exercises detailed in creator Joseph Pilates’s book Return to Life are the foundation.

Joseph and his wife, Clara, began teaching Pilates in New York City in the 1920s when they called his work “Contrology.” In his book, he claimed, “If you will faithfully perform your Contrology exercises regularly only four times a week for just three months as outlined in Return To Life, you will find your body development approaching the ideal, accompanied by renewed mental vigor and spiritual enhancement.”

If you’re a Pilates traditionalist or tend to love set sequences, you’re sure to enjoy this classic set of moves. Pilates was adamant about performing the 34 exercises in the exact order detailed below without deviating from the instructions. He emphasized the importance of the aspect of mind control in Pilates, saying that “Contrology begins with mind control over muscles.” Pilates requires the strength of will, but in return, provides you with mental restoration and when performed correctly, a stronger, more limber body, or as Pilates himself said, it “is the complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.”

Benefits of the Original 34 Pilates Exercises

Increases flexibility and mobility
Greater strength
Prevents and rehabilitates injuries
Increases core strength
Balances muscular strength
Improves posture
Increases energy
Boosts your mood

What You Need To Practice Classical Pilates

The beauty of Classical Pilates is that it’s versatile – it can be practiced with just a mat, or by using a specialized Pilates apparatus, like the Reformer. The exercises described below are designed to be performed on both, but demonstrated from the Classical Pilates Sequence class on Alo Moves, which utilizes the mat exclusively.