Americans gyms: A brief history

From the Archives of TheMindBodyModerate, August 9, 2011, Edited

Funny how the meaning of words changes over time. For example, the term salon commonly referred to a gathering of intellectuals to discuss issues of the day, and yet most of us now can’t help but think of the place we go for haircuts.

Another word that’s evolved in meaning is gym. From ancient times up until even the past 50 years, gymnasiums were considered higher institutions of training the body, mind, and spirit. Like a Western equivalent of the Shaolin temple, gymnasiums encompassed not only fitness but; philosophy, community, the arts, and social and political change – a far cry from the health club down the street.

The original Latin gymnos literally means “naked” because what better way to show off athletic prowess in ancient Greece than in the buff? More likely, however, it refers to laying bare the human spirit in pursuit of excellence in both body and mind. It then stands to reason the word gymnasium would later refer to public run high schools in Germany.

Gyms, as we know them in the United States, evolved from Turnvereins. The Turners were a political movement in Germany during the early 1800s. It was their view that a healthy mind and body would instill patriotism, a belief in liberty, and unify Germany into one country. Thanks to the Turners (meaning: one who does gymnastics), we have parallel bars, horizontal bar, the side-horse, and most gymnastic events still popular in the Olympics.

Large numbers of Germans emigrated to the US in the mid-1800s, the Turners included. They fought with the Union army in the Civil War. But with the end of the war, the Turner’s political edge – their main driving force in Europe- faded in the United States. Their focus shifted to creating and establishing Turnverein, community centers that mixed social consciousness and fitness. In areas of the country with historically sizeable German immigrant populations, you can still find Turnverein in existence today. Turnverein inspired organizations such as the YMCA.

World War I and II took a toll on the image of German culture in the US, and most Turnvereins disappeared. Yet, since the Industrial Revolution, Americans have embraced the idea of fitness clubs to occupy expanding free time. Gyms have continued to thrive and evolve through the 20th and 21st century until we finally have the posh spots of today – places lighter on social or political importance, but major on the fitness and fashion spectrum.

We have much to thank the Turners’ for, not only for Olympic sports, but for inspiring the popular fitness regime of Pilates, bringing aspects of yoga to the Western World, and yes, to those scarring junior high physical education classes. Of course, they were big advocates for physical education in schools.

Maybe it’s time for an evolution in fitness centers, bringing back a holistic humanistic approach of creativity, education, and physical health, helping foster a stronger sense of immediate community. Gym? Turnverein?…maybe it’s also time for a new name.

Sidenote: If you happen to be in St. Louis, MO, there’s a memorial to Frederic Jahn, The Father of the Turner movement, within Forest Park. It features a large bust of Jahn in the center of an arc of stone, with statues of a male and female gymnast, one on each end of the arc. The monument is on the edge of Art Hill next to the path running north and south along the western edge of Post-Dispatch lake. It is directly north of the St. Louis Zoo.

Milwaukee Turner Hall in the 1900s (source:Wikipedia)



Falling Forward

“A gesture, be it a leap, turn, run, fall, or walk, is only as beautiful, as powerful, as eloquent as its inner source. .Purify, magnify, and make noble that source. You stand naked and revealed. Who are you? What are you? Who, what do you want to be? What is your spiritual caliber?”
José Limón

January 12th was the 112 anniversary of Jose Limon’s birth. Since the introduction of the Limon technique in college, not only was I taken with the exuberance and playfulness of dancing his movements, but even more with his conceptual philosophy, because it seemed to be an ideal representation of moving forward in most aspects of life. It’s of the stuff of what makes us human, distilled down to a repetitive cycle, carried out in infinite ways, yet remaining as monumental or mundane as need be to the movement and efforts we experience over and over in a single step: We rise (one foot up) We fall (one foot down). We stabilize (standing even). Repeat.

This is what we do. In one way or another, we carry on

Mark Willis and Elise Drew León of the Limón Dance Company performing at the Joyce Theater in Manhattan.Credit...Andrea Mohin/The New York Times

Conceptually the image of life and movement as a fall and recovery - a rhythm, a wave, that single step forward - that has stayed with me throughout my life. Here’s a bit more about Jose Limon’s technique directly from Jose Limon Dance Foundation website.

The Limón technique is based upon the movement style and philosophy of theater developed by modern dance pioneers, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. In the early 1930s, both Weidman and Humphrey developed a dance vocabulary that worked in opposition to the strict rules of classical ballet. Their intention was twofold: to demonstrate human emotions in a less stylized manner than ballet; and to incorporate in their work the natural movement patterns of the body and its relation to gravity. Limón further developed their ideas for his own work and technique.

The Limón technique is divided among various physical extremes: fall and recovery, rebound, weight, suspension, succession and isolation. These ideas can be illustrated in the way a dancer uses the floor as a place from which to rise, return to and then rise from again. The way a dancer explores the range of movement between the one extreme of freedom from gravity and the other of falling into it; for example, the moment of suspension just as the body is at the top of a leap, and the moment the body had fallen completely back to the earth. There are many words and ideas that are immediately associated with the Limón technique, i.e. its humanism, its use of breath, musicality, lyricism and its dramatic qualities; however, the overwhelming consensus is that through the movement is always demonstrated some physical expression of the human spirit.

Start Your Own Squad

Inspired by an archival post of The Mind Body Moderate, July 2009 ( you can see it below).

I knew a group of coworkers who would come to my pilates class once in awhile. They developed a plan where every week they took turns choosing an exercise activity. They’d mixed it up between spinning, pilates, yoga, walking, cycling, hiking, dancing, and on and on. Their creative movement opportunities were endless, and most importantly, they had their crew - that group that supports you and holds you accountable when you’d rather hide on the sofa.

It reminds me of the beloved LA Municipal Squad. They are creating inspired workshops and performances that celebrate social dance, new movement rituals and personal empowerment. They warrant their own post, but suffice it to say here, it started as a group of women who enjoyed dancing and each other, and for years they get together every week and work it out.

LA Municipal Dance Squad

Building your own squad is a creative way to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, in more ways than one. Finding your team might be the hardest part, but it’s also a chance to make new friends. If you can’t imagine who would want to join you on your adventures, try asking a co-worker, neighbor, or post a “wanted ad” on social media and see which friends might bite. It’s a little scary to put yourself out there, but you’ll be surprised how many people would be just as excited. A group of anywhere from two to four people would be easiest to manage, unless you have some very organized friends. Having a group means the onus is not always on you. Being a “team player” makes it easier to commit to keeping it up.

The laughter alone in trying new things is certain to put you in a better mood, enhance your creativity, solidify friendships through experiences, and yeah, burn a few extra calories along the way.

Original Post From The Mind Body Moderate is here.