There are certain things that you absolutely want to have in your fitness center, like dumbbells, a stationary bicycle, and a trainer who actually knows how to exercise. Then there are the other things, which you absolutely don’t need, but that might end up in the gym because someone had a ‘bright’ idea with exactly zero scientific knowledge to back it up.
This is where the vibrating “slimming” belts come in. Since the 1920s, these have continually popped up as exercise fads. Most gyms used to have an exercise belt machine, though heaven knows why because this machine does absolutely nothing for you or your waistline. We can’t help but feel sad that “passive exercise” isn’t a real thing, but if it were, we would really like it.
Crazy Acrobatics
Gym enthusiasts are a unique breed. They're the kind of people who get excited about lifting heavy objects and sweating profusely in public. They won't settle for anything less. Take this guy for example, he wasn't satisfied with just keeping it simple, he had to show off his insane acrobatics skills.
He seems like the type of guy who'll make sure everyone knows exactly how much weight he's lifting. "Yeah bro, I'm doing 225 on bench press. No big deal." To be fair, if we were this fit and could balance a top of weights, we'd also be showing off at the gym!
Buddies
The two lively gentlemen working out in a gym might look a little familiar, they are Milt Dunnell and Harold Ballard. For those who don't know, Harold was a Canadian businessman who also owned the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. He was eventually charged with fraud but his story was so interesting they even made a documentary about him!
Milton Dunnell was a Canadian sportswriter, known chiefly for his work at the Toronto Star. Here we see them working out together. Or at least, they're pretending to while wearing their business suits and a long jacket. We're not sure what the nature of their relationship was but they look happy.
Shirts Off
This photo of these men was taken in 1956, we can see them lifting weights in a special area walled off for weightlifting at Muscle Beach, Santa Monica, California. The equipment ranges from small dumbbells to the three and four hundred pounders. Fun fact: several Mr. Americas were developed here.
The gym was basically founded to work on your body so you can look good, so it's no surprise that everyone in this photo feels at liberty to take their shirt off and work out in their little boxer briefs. Thank goodness times have changed and these went out of style in the '90s.
Back in the Day
Back in the day, exercising meant pulling on strange levers all while wearing uncomfortable outfits that covered every inch of your body. Even their hair is done up like they're going out to a formal event. Fortunately, we've come a long way since the turn of the century, and exercising is a lot more comfortable and logical.
Just looking at this photo we can tell that these exercises were not very effective. Were they just stretching their necks or was pulling on a rope and lever while your arms are perfectly straight meant to do something? Maybe they were trying to improve their posture and thought practicing looking up would be the best.