A High Intensity History of Fitness Equipment
It doesn’t matter what technological advances or inventions humans come up with, there is still nothing more important than our own fitness. For the whole of history humans have relied on their own physical health to survive, whether to hunt and to farm for food, to build everything from a mud hut to a pyramid, or to defend themselves from harm. These days we might have engines and mechanical equipment to take some of the heavy lifting, but fitness is still at the heart of our mental and physical wellbeing.
Fitness Equipment Through Time
For as long as humans have relied on their own fitness to provide for themselves, they have found ingenious ways to prepare their body and muscles to be ready. Ancient China probably has the oldest records of fitness equipment with records showing that as early as 6000 B.C. people were using heavy stones, archery equipment and weight throwing to train their muscles. Interestingly, it wasn’t just viewed as preparation for warfare, but that fitness equipment was used by people for personal fitness as well. In India heavy sticks for swinging were the fitness equipment of choice. Stretches and weight lifts are evidenced in various areas and the stances and techniques seen in surviving etches and carvings suggest they are not dissimilar to those used with fitness equipment worldwide today.
All across the ancient world there is evidence of exercise and fitness equipment, but, famously, it was the Greeks who took fitness equipment and elevated it from its simple roots to a robust science. The Spartans were influential in developing their military force from largely untrained militias to the first professional army. They did this by improving obedience and personal training with fitness equipment. This martial mindset progressed until fitness training was firmly cemented in the Greek culture and led to the development of religious events like the Olympics. Physicians were involved in the development of training regimes and basic DNA of fitness equipment that we would recognize today like resistance bands, dumbbells and kettle bells began to take shape.
Modern Fitness Equipment
Fitness equipment like that offered by First Edition Fitness in Stratton-on-the-Fosse really took a leap forward in the modern era with the development of mechanical fitness equipment. Rowing machines were some of the first, with the initial patent being granted to William B. Curtis in 1871. In the 1960s William Staub produced the first treadmills and soon they were commercially available in America and Europe. So began the modern age of fitness equipment!
Stratton-on-the-Fosse Fitness Equipment
Stratton-on-the-Fosse based First Edition Fitness are expert providers of the best quality new and refurbished exercise and fitness equipment. Stratton-on-the-Fosse in Somerset may not be the first place you look for fitness equipment, but their great range is perfect for commercial or home exercise equipment and their expert staff can advise on the best fitness equipment for you. Contact them today for the best fitness equipment for you!