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HomeExploreHealth & FitnessStrange Vintage Exercise Machines
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Long before the modern gym, inventors used pulleys, belts, and rocking seats to put bodies in motion. These museum and archival photographs show what the devices actually looked like, from the equipment in Gustav Zander’s therapy rooms to the motorized belts sold as exercise aids.

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Images16

1
Zander B-3 Arm and Chest Machine
Zander B-3 Arm and Chest Machine: Two tall wooden handles flank the B-3’s metal mechanism. Gustav Zander designed it for…
2
Kellogg’s Mechanical Horse
Kellogg’s Mechanical Horse: A padded saddle and a motorized base simulated the motion of riding indoors. Battle Creek’s…
3
House Gym Rowing Machine
House Gym Rowing Machine: Connecticut Representative James A. Shanley sits on a low sliding seat in a 1937 Harris & Ewing…
4
Rossel Therapeutic Exercise Chair
Rossel Therapeutic Exercise Chair: This Zander-designed chair, made in Wiesbaden between 1901 and 1905, has strapped foot…
5
Health Developing Apparatus Rowing Machine
Health Developing Apparatus Rowing Machine: This New York-made rower dates to about 1930. Its exposed frame, rope, and mix…
6
Walton Mark II Belt Vibrator
Walton Mark II Belt Vibrator: A cloth belt looped around the user and a motor shook it. This circa-1960 Walton Mark II is…
7
Hoover’s Medicine Ball
Hoover’s Medicine Ball: A weighted leather ball appears in this White House lawn photograph from the Herbert Hoover…
8
Zander K-3 Inclined Traction Apparatus
Zander K-3 Inclined Traction Apparatus: In this archival photograph, a man lies on a steeply inclined board with a head…
9
Wooden Indian Clubs
Wooden Indian Clubs: Striped wooden clubs stand out in this September 1937 photograph of Richard “Dick” Cox. By then club…
10
Gene Tunney’s Weighted Pulley Machine
Gene Tunney’s Weighted Pulley Machine: In a studio portrait from about 1926, heavyweight boxer Gene Tunney stands beside a…
11
Zander B-7 Stepping Machine
Zander B-7 Stepping Machine: In this 1892 catalog plate, a seated model rests his boots in straps on two long treads. The…
12
Zander F-2 Mechanical Horse
Zander F-2 Mechanical Horse: A woman in a striped dress sits on a saddle attached to an exposed wheel and linkage in the…
13
Zander G-1 Back-Percussion Machine
Zander G-1 Back-Percussion Machine: Three curved arms sit against the model’s upper back in this 1892 catalog photograph…
14
Sandow’s Boxed Chest Expander
Sandow’s Boxed Chest Expander: Eugen Sandow sold equipment for home exercise under his own name. This 1910s boxed set, held…
15
Zander J-6 Abdomen Massage Machine
Zander J-6 Abdomen Massage Machine: In the 1892 catalog plate, a suited model stands between two sets of ornate wheels. The…
16
Zander C-5 Standing Trunk Extender
Zander C-5 Standing Trunk Extender: In this 1892 catalog photograph, a fabric harness connects the standing model to a…

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