ABSTRACT
Within this chapter we map the evolvement of modern gyms and how their shifts in focus are intimately tied to current notions of fitness, health and bodily perfectionism. ‘Fitness’ is located as a product of historical, political, social, cultural and temporal arrangements and the gym as a customised solution to housing the physical training that individuals undertake. First, we highlight how modern state operated gyms were informed by militaristic and sovereign ideologies in establishing a strong, healthy, disciplined citizenry and central in crafting bodies that symbolised a sense of virtuosity, morality and masculinity. Second, we trace the rise of private gyms, from initial ‘spit and sawdust’ facilities to the materialisation of more luxurious modern health clubs that appeared as part of the ‘first fitness boom’ in the 1970s, marking the consumption of fitness as a lifestyle choice. Third, under current neo-liberal arrangements, we highlight how individuals engage in a diverse range of embodied practices within gyms as part of a desire for corporeal transformation through committing to unique self-reflexive ‘body projects’ (Shilling, 1993). In doing so, we debate whether contemporary gym goers have more opportunity for agency in using and shaping their bodies, or remain disciplined by dominant fitness discourse.
