The Shadows of Our Past – Part II The Evolution of Modern Fitness Training Settings “The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” Albert Einstein Introduction In Part I of this series entitled Shadows of Our Past, we brought forward 15 of the most influential innovations in fitness equipment that have taken place over the past 3,000 years, and how each of these innovations has cast a large shadow on the equipment offerings of the 21st Century. In Part II of this series on the history of fitness, we will focus on bringing forward the most influential fitness constructs and facility offerings of the past, and how each has crafted what the fitness facility industry is today. This article, like the others in this series, has been adapted from a three-part series we wrote for Les Mills in 2019 based on the content from the book Legends of Fitness, authored by Peterson, O’Rourke and Tharrett. The Emergence of Structured Fitness No one knows exactly when structured exercise made a formal entry into the lifestyle of humans. The earliest records of man indicate that around 2,000 B.C. (over 4,000 years ago) Egyptians formally introduced structured acrobatics and fitness training. Egyptian culture saw acrobatics as both entertainment and sport, and its practitioners realized that to excel in this early form of sport entertainment, they had to train appropriately. This led to the introduction of structured fitness regimens involving bodyweight calisthenics and improvised apparatus. The Egyptians were not the only civilization that had come to the realization that exercise was important, or as we might say today, exercise is medicine. During this same time period it is believed the Chinese practiced a form of exercise called Cong Fu involving a combination of breathing and formalized fluid movements. While the Chinese and Egyptians are credited with introducing structured exercise, it wasn’t till the Greeks introduced formalized training for competitive athletes that fitness finally received greater acceptance. At the peak of Greek civilization, fitness was critical to martial prowess (i.e., fighting), restorative capability (i.e., healing of the body, mind and soul) and education (introduced into the post-secondary education system). The degree to which Greek civilization valued exercise is best summed up in two quotes. The first is a quote attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates who lived between 460 and 377 B.C., “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little, and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” The second quote, and equally profound, is from the Greek philosopher Plato 10002 Woodlake Drive Dallas, TX 75243 www.Club-Intel.com Pg. 2 who is quoted as having said, “Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save and preserve it.” Talk about two shadows of the past that haven’t changed! For some reason, once Greek culture lost prominence, so did the pursuit of structured fitness as a part of the human condition. It took nearly 2,000 years for fitness to regain a foothold as a recognized and needed part of civilization. In 1569, an Italian, Hieronymus Mercuialis, published a book entitled “De Arte Gymnastica Aput Ancientes” in which he described the use of medicine balls, dumbbells, body weight movements and other gymnastic-like movements for physical training. This publication seemed to spur the reemergence of formalized fitness training. Approximately 200 years later, a German, John Basedow introduced a curriculum at his school called the Philanthropinium using the movements and training regimens from Greek gymnastics. Twenty years after Basedow, Johann Gutsmuth, known as the grandfather of German physical education, authored “Gymnastics for Youth a Practical Guide to Healthful and Amusing Exercise for the Use of Schools.” These two landmark publications and their focus on making fitness a part of the educational curriculum for youth were the spark for the re-emergence of fitness as a means of improving one’s physical health and the spark that fired up the fitness industry. The Pursuit of Fitness in a Structured Setting It was inevitable that fitness would emerge as a social activity. While the pursuit of exercise had long been a solitary activity pursued by a select few, it was the introduction of fitness into the curriculum of schools that spelled the beginning of a more socialized and formal approach to delivering fitness to a broad audience of citizens. The leaders of fitness at this time understood that for exercise to be more widely adopted as a means of enhancing one’s physical condition, it had to incorporate a social element whereby those who shared in the joys and agonies of physical exercise would be more likely to pursue it on an ongoing basis. In this section of our paper we will explore some of the milestones that frame the emergence of fitness into the social and cultural fabric of global citizens. 10002 Woodlake Drive Dallas, TX 75243 www.Club-Intel.com Pg. 3 The Pioneering Settings of Physical Culture (1700s to 2000) The Private Gym (1799) It had to happen sometime, and Franz Nachtegal, a native of Denmark, is believed to be the one who took the leap. In 1799, he established what is believed to be the first private gymnastics club and gym, what today we might call a gym or even CrossFit Box. It is said that Nachtegal’s private gym offered large-scale group classes using calisthenics, vaulting, wooden dumbbells and weighted balls. Some historians believe Nachtegal may have been the founder of what we presently frame as small and large group fitness training. Turn - The Physical Culture Club (1811) Many historians credit Frederick Ludwig Jahn of Germany as being the father of modern gymnastics and the developer of Turn, a physical culture club built around gymnastics and the shared social and patriotic interests of its member; what may have been the first attempt to offer a tribal fitness experience. Jahn was the creator of the pommel horse, parallel bars, horizontal bars, vaulting blocks, and ladder, all of which became essential accessories along with climbing ropes in his original Turn and those that followed. In 1811, Jahn established what is believed to be the first gymnastics club, Public Turn Platz. The Public Turn Platz was an open field that offered men and boys mass exercise classes designed to help them become physically fit to protect their country. Jahn’s initial Turn not only incorporated exercises that employed parallel bars, the pommel horse, and horizontal bars, it also integrated dumbbells and Indian Clubs. In 1818, Jahn’s first Turn was outlawed by the German government, but by 1860, however, over 150 Turns or Turnverein had spread across the globe, making it the first scaled fitness offering to exist on both sides of the Atlantic. Swedish Pedagogic Gymnastics – The First Medical Fitness Offering (Early 1800s) Swedish pioneer, Pehr Henrick Ling, frequently referred to as the father of Swedish gymnastics, created Swedish Pedagogic Gymnastics, a systemized and highly structured 10002 Woodlake Drive Dallas, TX 75243 www.Club-Intel.com Pg. 4 approach to gymnastics designed to provide specific medical and health benefits. Ling’s pedagogic gymnastics was founded on four core principles. The first precept was medical, which was grounded in the belief that exercise, through proper posture and movement, could help overcome or possibly diminish certain ailments of the body. The second underlying element was military (martial arts), which focused on the role exercise plays in developing soldiers. Ling’s third principle was pedagogical in nature which emphasized the ability of exercise to bring the body under the control of the individual’s will (mind-body). The fourth element in Ling’s approach was aesthetic, bodily expression to an individual’s internal thoughts and feelings. Over time, Ling’s gymnastics system became the physical training mainstay of the Swedish military. Ling’s program of physical training was conducted in open fields, stadiums and halls using a group format. Gymnase Triat – The First Membership-Driven Facility (1848) Gymnase Triat was the brainchild of Hipplyte Triat. The gym, opened in 1848, was initially located in Brussels, Belgium, but within one year was relocated to its permanent home in Paris., France where it occupied 9,500 meters (100,000 square feet). The gym was dedicated to serving every aspect of physical training and included every modern piece of equipment available at the time, including ropes, pommel horses, horizontal bars, Indian Clubs, dumbbells, and globe barbells. Triat’s barbells are believed to be among the first barbells (called Bares A spheres De 6 Kilos) ever offered for use in a public setting. Triat’s barbells were long bars with 6-kilo globe weights attached to their ends. Another first associated with the gym involved his approach to financing the club. He financed the facility by selling shares (he sold 250,000 10002 Woodlake Drive Dallas, TX 75243 www.Club-Intel.com Pg. 5 shares at five francs each, raising over one million francs in the process). The individuals who purchased shares in his gym could then redeem those shares for private sessions or for payment of the membership fees. Talk about a foreshadowing of the fitness business as it exists today. The Boston YMCA – The Granddaddy of U.S. Fitness Facilities (1850) Shortly after Gymnase Triat opened its doors in Paris, the Boston YMCA introduced the American public to what is believed to be the first multipurpose-style fitness gym in the U.S. (note that Jahn’s Turnverein opened in Cincinnati in 1848).