

Price: $15.95 – $14.83
(as of Sep 20, 2025 18:40:22 UTC – Details)
The surprising story of Pilates—the man and the method.
Part biography, part history, and part memoir, “Caged Lion” untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates’s opaque life story and the perilous journey of his exercise program known the world over as Pilates.
This is the story of Joseph Pilates, a gifted man who immigrated to the United States at forty-three with no assets or credentials. He not only invented an exercise regimen—which today is practiced by more than ten million people—but in the process, reinvented himself.
John Howard Steel brings Joseph Pilates and his eponymous exercise regime to life from his unique perspective as a student, friend, and confidant. Joe’s influence profoundly changed Steel’s life; in turn, Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe’s legacy. Steel’s vivid account traces the expansion of Pilates from a small cadre of dedicated adherents, through two periods of near extinction, to the global sensation it is today. Steel describes Joseph Pilates’s years as a prisoner during World War I, Joe’s motivation to discover his system of exercises, his inspirational teaching technique, and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method. It’s quite a story.
Publisher : Last Leaf Press
Publication date : May 20, 2020
Edition : Illustrated
Language : English
Print length : 213 pages
ISBN-10 : 1733430709
ISBN-13 : 978-1733430708
Item Weight : 11.9 ounces
Dimensions : 6 x 0.54 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #57,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #6 in Pilates (Books) #23 in Emigrants & Immigrants Biographies #89 in Rich & Famous Biographies
Customer Reviews: 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 971 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
Customers say
Customers find this book to be a must-read about Pilates, providing a fascinating look into the early days of the practice. The writing captures interest, and customers describe it as an amazing story that is both entertaining and full of intrigue. They appreciate the author’s unique perspective, with one customer noting how well it relays personal experiences with Joseph Pilates.


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