Strength workouts for health and aesthetics didn't become mainstream in the West until the 1930s. This is what it meant to 'hit the gym' during those times.
For context, here are some other events that occurred during this period:
Toilet paper finally became "splinter-free," which was a significant selling point.
Around 65% of Americans went to the cinema on average once a week. Today, that number has declined to 3.4%.
There was a notable social movement called the "Technocracy Movement," which proposed replacing politicians and businessmen with scientists and engineers who had expertise in managing an economy.
The U.S. government began making plans to construct the "Cross-Florida Barge Canal" to allow ships to cut through the Florida peninsula. However, the idea was eventually shut down by President Nixon.
Dance marathons were popular in the 1930s, where partners would take turns sleeping while the other continued dancing.
One of the most popular radio acts of the time was a ventriloquist named Edgar John Bergen.
During the Great Depression, flour manufacturers started adding attractive patterns to their flour sacks because women were using them to make diapers, dishcloths, and clothing.
On April 18, 1930, the BBC went on the air and announced that "there is no news," playing piano music for the rest of the day.
Twin popsicles were created during the Great Depression so that two children could enjoy a popsicle for just a nickel.
Water pie was created during the Great Depression, with its main ingredient being water.
John Neal is noted as being someone who tried to bring the idea of gyms from Europe and into the United States.
He was the first American to establish a public gymnasium in the US and championed athletics to regulate violent tendencies with which he had struggled throughout his life.
As more and more people started owning television sets at home, stay-at-home wives and mothers were targeted for exercise programming through The Jack Lalanne Show in the 1950s.
This normalized much of the exercise culture we see today. Women were given specific routines to help them stay fit and healthy. This show ran for decades, ending in 1985. Jack Lalanne was known as a fitness guru and many people watched and participated in his shows.
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