In an era when physical activity was still tied to labor, one Swedish doctor began reimagining exercise not as toil, but as science. Dr. Gustaf Zander, born in 1835, didn’t just ask patients to move — he engineered machines to move them. His devices weren’t designed for sweat-drenched competitions or mirror selfies, but for health and function.
Zander’s “medico-mechanical gymnastics” pioneered a system of resistance training decades before the term became popular, using steam, gasoline, and electricity to power exercises that required minimal effort from the user. This is the story of how the world’s first mechanized workouts began.
The Stockholm Start
Zander opened his first institute in 1865 in Stockholm, Sweden, equipping it with 27 custom-built exercise machines. Each one was designed to isolate specific muscle groups. The institute, named the Mechanico-Therapeutic Institute, aimed to apply medical science to physical therapy.
By 1877, his machines had spread to five Swedish towns. Zander viewed his work as clinical and methodical. In his 1894 publication, Medico-Mechanical Gymnastics, he described exercise prescriptions tailored to a patient’s exact physical condition — much like a doctor prescribing medication.
Machines That Moved You
Unlike modern gyms that reward effort, Zander’s equipment often did the work for the user. Some of his devices were powered by external energy sources — steam, gasoline, or electricity — and operated with limited input from the patient.
One simply had to connect to the machine and let it stimulate motion and resistance. His patients, often dressed in full suits and pocket watches, appeared calm and composed, a sharp contrast to the intensity of present-day workouts.
From Clinics to Elite Spas
Zander’s ideas spread quickly. He showcased his inventions at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, winning recognition for his designs.
Initially backed by Swedish government funding and made available to the public, Zander’s machines soon found a different clientele. As his reputation grew, he began selling equipment to elite health spas and private clinics across Europe and the Americas. His clients ranged from Russian physicians to English clubs and Argentine institutes.
Fitness for the Sedentary Age
As industrialization reshaped labor, Zander promoted his machines as a solution to the rising tide of sedentary work. Office workers and professionals, no longer engaging in physical tasks, were encouraged to use his devices to maintain their health and productivity.
In this way, his machines were pitched as a remedy for the side effects of modern progress — tools to counteract the very mechanization that had reduced physical activity in daily life.
Dr. Gustaf Zander died in 1920. His designs, once seen as medical devices, became prototypes for the weight and resistance machines that fill fitness centers today.
In an era when work still meant movement, one Swedish doctor imagined a new kind of exercise.
Dr. Gustaf Zander, born in 1835, built machines to do the moving for you.
Using steam, gasoline, and electricity, his devices pioneered passive workouts in the 19th century…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/Jwos3KD1bO
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) May 30, 2025