Observing Fifty Years of Gym Evolution (Part 2)

[stef]

by Tommy Suggs

The dynamics of rapid growth in the gym business consisted of three separate factors that evolved separately but were dependent, in the final analysis, upon each other. The giant leap forward in the development of machines was the spearhead of the gym renaissance…

Article

Part I

Resources Page

[AKAndyB]

Great article. Thanks for the eye opening information.

[johnreynolds]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the Iron business Mr Suggs & Rip.
It's amazing how machines got so popular and remained so for
over 30 years. Go to any gym and observe people using the machines
and then watch someone using free weights. Ive seen guys actually sleeping
while resting between sets in machines. I bet Arthur Jones didn't use them
in his sales brochure.

[Randy Winfrey]

Great Article from Tommy Suggs. I just wanted to say that Hanks gym in Houston is still open. Someone purchased the gym a few years ago from Hank's widow, cleaned it up, added some tvs, updated the bathrooms abd re-painted the equipment. Otherwise it is the same place with the same barbells and still has the reputation as a place to go for more serious training.

[pwn]

Jim Moser's scheme is genius. I'm loving these Suggs articles.

[SmokingSnake]

Thanks a lot for the Tommy Suggs article, this vast change in the gym over the years is something I would never have a chance to learn hadn't it been written here simply because all the gyms around my city don't have any managers/trainers aged more then 45, great article

[Patrick]

I don't know if Tommy ever haunts the forums, but these articles and the perspectives he shares in the roundtable videos are amazing. As a fairly young man I am always impressed when he starts an explanation with "when I was young" and describes to a T the thoughts that go through my head on a day to day basis -- particularly his comment on receiving constructive criticism from mentors. Of course, I know what I'm thinking but it's great to hear him explain what he learned through trial and error... it's insight and wisdom and it's something money can't buy. Fantastic stuff.

[IlPrincipeBrutto]

I would like to belatedly add my thank you to Mr. Suggs for his two wonderful articles, and to Rip, Stef and all the others for making this material public.
An excellent read, and some truly unique insight.
Incomparable.


IPB