In a rare turn for this website, today’s post focuses on a 2023 reseach article which recently crossed my path. Published by Tor Söderström, the article focuses on twenty years of interviews with gym-goers at a Swedish gym and, in doing so, highlights the changes in both exercisee’s motivations, as well as their training patterns.
Given that I, myself, am coming up to my own twenty-year training anniversary, this article hit a chord with me. In the past twenty years I’ve…
- Stopped playing sports, done two natural bodybuilding shows, and now focus on strength/longevity
- Went from taking all of the supplements to being sparing with them
- Gone on incredibly restricted diets to eating (relatively) intuitively
- Utilised movements that work for me, as opposed to doing what ‘I should do’ – Think trap deadlifts over barbell deadlifts etc.
- Shifted my time in the gym from hours of training (largely spent doing nothing) to utilizing shorter, but more intense sessions
- Gone from reading every muscle magazine to being suspicious and cynical about every new development in the industry
- Met Ronnie Coleman. Admittedly this has nothing to do with anything but it happened during the summer and I forgot to brag about it.
- Most importantly, discovered Dan John, whose sensible approaches and advice have largely made me a more pragmatic lifter.
Anecdotally, I’ve changed. But so too, has the industry. When I came to fitness in the early 2000s we had a rudimentary internet culture, magazines were king and, though it pains me to say it, the Mr. Olympia was still a relevant thing for the average gym goer. This was relatively advanced given the preceding decades wherein fitness communities relied on magazines, occasional books, pamphlets, and workout videos. We had bodybuilding.com forums and training DVDs.
That now looks like the Stone Age compared to the present day. While some things never change, or they reappear (such as Mike Mentzer’s resurgence) some things have changed irrevocably. Though focused on Sweden, Söderström’s article seems a nice place to look for an insight into this change.
One Important Distinction
Söderström‘s article stemmed from surveys given at the same gym over a twenty-year period (1995, 2005, and 2015) so it isn’t entirely up to date. Likewise, the same participants were not used for each survey, and indeed Söderström notes that the original 1995 was studying something different about gym cultures, and was retro-fitted into the present study. Finally, different years had differing numbers of participants. So like all academic work, Söderström highlighted these issues within the paper to avoid any confusion.
How Gyms Changed
Despite being in the same physical location throughout this period, the gym itself underwent multiple changes during this period. Accordingly, the paper found that
The number of gym-goers at the gym has increased over the years. Between 1995 and 2015, the gym was rebuilt and expanded several times, including the regular addition of new equipment. At each expansion, more room was devoted to machines, treadmills, cycles, climbers, rowers, as well as weights (e.g. dumbbells). In addition, areas for functional movement training and CrossFit-style training have expanded over the years (this type of training did not exist in 1995…)
For readers, I’d love to know how this matches your own gym experience. I’ve found assault bikes and TRX/CrossFit rigs to be the most notable addition to most gyms in Ireland but, admittedly, I now train in a home gym. So for me, my home gym has evolved from barbells and dumbbells to barbells, dumbbells, Indian clubs, heavy clubs, sandbags, prowlers and rucking backpacks. I may have fallen too far down the training as conditioning abbit hole at some point.
How Demographics Changed
While the demographics of the study were weighted towards men (2/3 of all participants were men), the survey still noted a rising number of women engaging in weight training by 2015. Both men and women who attended the gym were likely to have played childhood sports and, interestingly, more men then women relied solely on the gym as their only outlet. While the author did note elsewhere in the paper how training patterns have changed over time, it is worth expanding somewhat on this pathway.
Over the period covered by the study, CrossFit and powerlifting became common entry points for women into strength training. While CrossFit was the trojan/equitable horse who brought women to the gym, many more branched out into Olympic Weightlifting and powerlifting in particular. This was also the same period that bodybuilding split into far more open divisions for women, thereby offering more options to lifters. Importantly there is both anecdotal, and peer-reviewed, evidence that CrossFit, in particular, helped break down barriers for more women, and also men, in coming to the gym.
How Training Patterns Changed
Something that really caught my eye was the article’s focus on how body parts have changed over time for both men and women. Noticeably for both groups, arm training has decreased and leg training has increased. I would love to have seen more information about the how and why of this pattern. I suspect this stems from the above importance things like CrossFit and powerlifting.
Given the timeline ends in 2015, I wonder also if ‘functional training‘ also played a part in this change. If readers remember, this was the idea that training could be done for ‘functional’ purposes – i.e. not just building muscle for vanity but actually for purpose. This was a time when squatting and deadlifting, even in the form of ‘don’t skip leg day’ became a thing.
Women’s Training Patterns
Men’s Training Patterns
How Motives Changed
Söderström‘s research listed ten of the most common motives among gym goers and how they have shifted over time. In no particular order that list included
- Improved Strength
- Improved Health
- Fit (well-trained)
- Build Muscles
- It’s Fun
- Firmer Shapes
- Improved Endurance
- Look Attractive
- It’s Indoors
- Meet Others
Some interesting observations included that
In 2015, women valued strength, health, fun, firmer shapes, and endurance as more important than men valued these motives, but men and women valued the other motives equally.
And that
Overall, there has been a change in how motives are valued over the years. ‘It’s fun’ and ‘improving endurance’ have become highly important motives, especially for women, whereas ‘to build muscles’ and ‘to get firmer shapes’ has decreased in importance for both men and women.
Summing Up
As is perhaps clear, I really enjoyed this article – which can be found here. Fitness has undergone such a rapid evolution in the past ten to twenty years that is is fantastic to see this change being chronicled in real time. Some key takeaways for me are
- The fluid nature of the industry
- The relatively fixed motivations for involvement
- The need for more opportunities as opportunities open engagement
- The fluid nature of muscles. Or, put another way, how we privilege different body parts in different eras.
This was obviously a departure from the typical histories we house here but I very much see this as a snapshot in time or a history being captured in the moment piece. Let me know below how Söderström’s work matches with your own gym experiences over the past twenty (or less) years.
As always… Happy Lifting
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Happy New Year, Conor! In August it will have been 60 years since I commenced serious resistance training. In the early days for me it was simply dumbbells and later a barbell for the entirety of my training, along with some ancillary gear like iron boots, a weight bench and a slant board. In my middle years, I somewhat neglected the weights in favor of running, swimming and summiting nearby mountains, but I resumed serious weight training about 2008. Some things I have noticed in the passing of years would include vastly increased female participation in strength sports, a revival of interest in “old-school” exercise devices, most notably kettlebells, but also medicine balls and similar devices (e.g., slam balls) and Indian clubs. Other exercise gear largely or entirely unknown in the days of my young manhood would include sandbags, weighted vests and battle ropes. Steel macebells, inspired by the Indian gada, came along in the first decade of the 21st century.
In all it has been a fascinating time for anyone interested in strength and fitness, and I was in a great place to enjoy it. For example, I can recall shopping in a small supermarket near where I lived. I noticed a brawny Black man close by. The following dialogue ensued:
“You look familiar to me. Were you a competitive bodybuilder?”
“I was.”
“Were you a Mr. America?”
“I was.”
“Jim Morris, Mr. America 1973!” I exclaimed and rushed to shake his hand.
One question, Conor: You have been referring to an exercise device called a “Prowler.” Is that a trade name or a generic term for what we call a weight sled? I believe such devices are a staple in conditioning American football players.
Anyway, all best wishes to you and your family for 2024!
Hey Jan,
Happy New Year! I hope you had a good holiday period.
I’ll begin from the end and go back or else I’ll forget! Yes, a weight sled. Its a prowler in my head for some reason unbeknownst to me. That is an incredible fitness journey and one I hope to emulate. The diversity of weight training equipment, especially in the past twenty years, has been incredible. Long gone are the days of basic freeweights and machines! Out of interest what have you chalked your longevity up to?
Conor
Hello Conor,
I do enjoy our exchanges so much! As for my “longevity,” unless Atropos cuts my thread before March, I shall have lived for 82 years. In the days of my youth, living into your 80s was considered rather remarkable. These days it seems to be almost the norm: For example, most of the friends from my school days are still around. As to my attaining my early 80s, I suppose a lot of it was just plain luck. I had rather poor heredity. My father was killed at the outbreak of the War in the Pacific at age 26. His brother died at age 55 of natural causes. Their father died at age 40 of a heart attack after rescuing a woman from drowning at the beach. When this happened, his sister was riding in a carriage at a resort on the other side of Holland. Suddenly she began weeping uncontrollably and exclaimed, “Something terrible has happened to Franz! I just know it!” When they got back to the lodge, she received word of his sudden death. My American grandfather died at age 73 (heavy drinker). His wife died at 76 (heavy smoker). My mother lived to be 77 but suffered from poor health for her last 30 years as a result of a botched cancer surgery. She never complained much. She was a strong spirit!
For most of my life, I have enjoyed robust good health, except for a period of a few years in my mid 40s when I had a breakdown and suffered for about three years of almost non-stop colds, flu, fevers, sore throats and the like. A bout with the mumps in 1987 may have kicked my immune system into overdrive, because since then I have enjoyed very good health. I have never been sure of the cause: Overtraining (weights and running), catching a “bug” at the beach (increasingly insalubrious places) or exposure to fumes when casting lead bullets seem the most likely culprits.
I regard regular exercise as a major factor in my staying healthy. I have always shunned drugs, even in the heyday of the hippie era. I have always been 100-percent “natty.” I am a moderate drinker, and I’ll smoke an occasional pipe in homage to my Native American heritage. I figured they smoked the pipe yet could run like wolves through the forests! I believe most “old stock” White Americans have some Native ancestry, as do a great many Black Americans. For a number of years I was a health food zealot and spent a lot on supplements. At one point I lost my job and had to cut out the supplements–no more dessicated liver, “selenium yeast,” protein powder, etc….and I felt better than ever! I do try to eat sensibly, but I’m not a crank about this.
As for my current regimen, I walk our golden retrievers separately a couple of times each day. For serious training, I spend about 15 minutes with the clubs, starting with two pounders and working up to six kilograms apiece. I’ll then spend about a half hour with either macebells or kettlebells. I’ll vary this by slamming a tire with a sledgehammer, performing kettlebell carries or doing a good bit of slamming with one or the other of my slam balls (35 and 45 pounds). I’d like to say that good health, strength and longevity were my goals, but in reality it’s mostly just vanity. As a country song goes, “My mamma came from a selfish generation: ‘It doesn’t matter how you feel, it only matters how you look!'”
Again, my best wishes for the New Year, and I hope will have received my Christmas card.
Hey Jan,
Happy New Year!
It’s always a pleasure to catch up with you! Hearing about your journey to 82 is nothing short of inspiring. Your resilience and commitment to health, especially given your family history, is truly remarkable. It’s so important and cool to see how you’ve navigated through life’s challenges with such grace and strength. I’m with you on the ‘natty’ side. I’m a poor rebel… stopped drinking alcohol early on and have not dabbled with drugs (despite cocaine now being endemic in Ireland).
Your fitness regime is impressive! Walking the golden retrievers (I have two schnauzers to keep me occupied!), swinging those kettlebells, and all that dedication – it’s no wonder you’re in such great shape. It’s funny how life works, isn’t it? You started off for health, and now it’s a mix of health and a bit of vanity, as you put it. But hey, who doesn’t want to look good, right?
I’m really proud of you for maintaining such a healthy lifestyle, avoiding the pitfalls that snagged many in your family. Your story is a reminder of how unpredictable and strange life’s trajectory can be. But you, my friend, are proof that with a strong spirit and a healthy routine, we can defy odds and enjoy a full, vibrant life.
Looking forward to our next chat. No Christmas card yet but now I’m eagerly awaiting it!!
Thanks for the kind words, Conor! I should mention another factor in keeping me fit–my wife, who is, I think, even more committed to fitness and working out. I am always proud to be seen with her. In recent times several people have assumed she was my daughter! In point of fact, she is merely an age-appropriate five years my junior…and I was emphatically incapable of siring children at four years of age!
Sorry to hear that “coke” has become endemic in your native island. I always think of Ireland as a land of good whisky and even better stouts and ales, as well as beautiful women. Although my ancestry is mostly a melange of Teuton and Latin, with some Celt thrown in, I think in my soul I am more Celtic. Few types of music stir my soul more than the fiddle and the pipes!
Are your schnauzers standards, minis or giants? At one time I was president of a short-lived dog breed club for the Japanese Tosa (a breed I believe was banned in Ireland). There was a psycho German Shepherd in the neighborhood that was terrorizing another neighbor’s dogs from behind a fence. Their owner expressed a wish that my Tosa Dempsey would kill that dog. The dogs being terrorized were Irish wolfhounds! What would Cuhullain have thought?
Again, best wishes for the New Year!