Article Link What Exercise Looked Like The Year You Were Born

Susan H · 03-16-19, 09:07 AM

A picture from Kari Anderson's Two the Max was shown on an article link on FB that caught my eye. The article had slides showing women exercising including Joan Crawford sparring in heels as well as many others showing women exercising in heels, a woman wrapped from head-to-toe before rebounding, and a ballet and roller skating class and more.

What Exercise Looked Like The Year You Were Born

JessicaW · 03-16-19, 09:29 AM

Thanks for that. I enjoyed going through all of the decades of fitness! It was interesting To see what people were doing. Love me some 80s and 90s workouts to this day!

wendug · 03-16-19, 09:51 AM

Thanks for sharing. There was one photo of a woman who was lying on her back with a band around her neck with elastics (?) attached to her feet in the air. The photo states she would lower her legs for resistance. Ouch!

Not good for the neck! I'm glad fitness has evolved since some of these earlier contraptions!

Pat58 · 03-16-19, 12:11 PM

Love Joan Crawford! Those are her dancing shoes. I saw a little bit of a movie on TCM, she and Clark Gable were working out and fighting in a gym. The movie was "Dancing Lady," she did all her own dancing. I would say more athletic than graceful.

I was excited to see yoga during my birth decade! And the leotards and leg lift classes.

Still doing both.

I belonged to a Jack LaLanne gym in Manhattan during the late 1970s. The instructors wore black leotards, black pantyhose and black heels. When not teaching floor classes they walked around coaching us on the cable machines. There were big rolling machines that you leaned into (they felt great) and even a couple of old jiggle belt machines.

Fun images, thanks!

Scorpio6 · 03-16-19, 09:08 PM

Thanks for sharing! Loved it!

hch · 03-16-19, 11:07 PM

Thanks for mentioning this!

In several placs, the gallery links to "The History Behind Women's Obsession with Working Out," on the Harper's Bazaar site, a piece which I find even more interesting. This one concerns "boutique fitness" and its predecessors.

marki64 · 03-17-19, 07:48 AM

Imagine what they could have accomplished in the 20's through the 60's with a good pair of crosstrainers.

Susan H · 03-18-19, 07:17 AM

Thanks, Pat, for the movie info. I like old movies and I'll have to look it up. I found this page of pictures of her with her trainer. http://twixnmix.tumblr.com/post/177484247153/1927-joan-crawford-lovely-metro-goldwyn-mayer

I'm thankful for the progress that has been made in the area of safety and usefulness. So many of them seemed unsafe and/or an injury waiting to happen.

Pat58 · 03-18-19, 07:44 AM

Thanks Susan, those pictures are great! Joan was always fierce.

videofit · 03-18-19, 04:37 PM

Working out in a leotard, high heels and fishnets!

The band that you strapped around your neck to do leg lifts looked lethal.

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03-16-19, 09:07 AM
Susan H VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Oklahoma	What Exercise Looked Like The Year You Were Born A picture from Kari Anderson's Two the Max was shown on an article link on FB that caught my eye. The article had slides showing women exercising including Joan Crawford sparring in heels as well as many others showing women exercising in heels, a woman wrapped from head-to-toe before rebounding, and a ballet and roller skating class and more. What Exercise Looked Like The Year You Were Born __________________ Susan “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" —Thomas Edison “Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.” — Author Unknown

03-16-19, 09:29 AM
JessicaW Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Nova Scotia	Thanks for that. I enjoyed going through all of the decades of fitness! It was interesting To see what people were doing. Love me some 80s and 90s workouts to this day!

03-16-19, 09:51 AM
wendug Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Chicago burb	Thanks for sharing. There was one photo of a woman who was lying on her back with a band around her neck with elastics (?) attached to her feet in the air. The photo states she would lower her legs for resistance. Ouch! Not good for the neck! I'm glad fitness has evolved since some of these earlier contraptions! __________________ Wendy

03-16-19, 12:11 PM
Pat58 VF Supporter Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut	Love Joan Crawford! Those are her dancing shoes. I saw a little bit of a movie on TCM, she and Clark Gable were working out and fighting in a gym. The movie was "Dancing Lady," she did all her own dancing. I would say more athletic than graceful. I was excited to see yoga during my birth decade! And the leotards and leg lift classes. Still doing both. I belonged to a Jack LaLanne gym in Manhattan during the late 1970s. The instructors wore black leotards, black pantyhose and black heels. When not teaching floor classes they walked around coaching us on the cable machines. There were big rolling machines that you leaned into (they felt great) and even a couple of old jiggle belt machines. Fun images, thanks!

03-16-19, 09:08 PM
Scorpio6 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: St. Louis MO	Thanks for sharing! Loved it!

03-16-19, 11:07 PM
hch VF Supporter Join Date: Mar 2002	Thanks for mentioning this! In several placs, the gallery links to "The History Behind Women's Obsession with Working Out," on the Harper's Bazaar site, a piece which I find even more interesting. This one concerns "boutique fitness" and its predecessors. __________________ "It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." The Velveteen Rabbit

03-17-19, 07:48 AM
marki64 Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Wisconsin	Imagine what they could have accomplished in the 20's through the 60's with a good pair of crosstrainers.

03-18-19, 07:17 AM
Susan H VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Oklahoma	Thanks, Pat, for the movie info. I like old movies and I'll have to look it up. I found this page of pictures of her with her trainer. http://twixnmix.tumblr.com/post/177484247153/1927-joan-crawford-lovely-metro-goldwyn-mayer I'm thankful for the progress that has been made in the area of safety and usefulness. So many of them seemed unsafe and/or an injury waiting to happen. __________________ Susan “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up" —Thomas Edison “Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.” — Author Unknown

03-18-19, 07:44 AM
Pat58 VF Supporter Join Date: May 2002 Location: Connecticut	Thanks Susan, those pictures are great! Joan was always fierce.

03-18-19, 04:37 PM
videofit Join Date: Dec 2002	Working out in a leotard, high heels and fishnets! The band that you strapped around your neck to do leg lifts looked lethal. __________________ “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” Krishnamurti