These days it’s widespread to go to the gym and be at a loss as to the equipment to use because of the range of options available. Over 150 years ago, Dr Gustav Zander created the world’s first Exercise Machines, and these fitness machines have developed from Gustav’s prototype.
In the 1860s, when Dr Gustav Zander was in medical school in Sweden, he became interested and began constructing machines which used pulley systems to boost the strength of the human body. He had designed close to a hundred exercise machines to help people in a short time.
He began to reach out to those who needed physical therapy, had deformities or were recovering from injuries. He also sought out those who wanted to improve their health and lose weight. He established his first wellness centre in Stockholm in 1865, and when he relocated to Newyork, he found the second one.
In 1892, Dr Gustav Zander wrote a book, “Zander’s medico-mechanische Gymnastic.” He ascribed his interest in muscle building and body motion physics to have begun in medical school. This interest led him to create therapeutic machines to solve body impairments, spinal deformities, physical deficiencies and even constipation.
Dr Zander is one of the renowned pioneers of mechanotherapy, a process of stimulating tissue and muscle repair. He did so while trying to prove that muscle mass could be reached when joints and muscles work against the force of another object after creating the first workout tools.
To garner popularity, he began creating what could be referred to in the present day as health clubs. These machines grew more popular, and people began to buy them for home use. They became so popular that by 1911, there were more than 300 gyms worldwide.
Following his fame, he established the Zander Institute in Stockholm, which relied on state support to help people correct their physical impairments. In 1876, Dr Zander won a gold medal at the Centennial Exhibition. He had started institutes in more than 146 countries by 1906.
He died in 1920.
