If you walk through any modern fitness center, you'll see hundreds of square feet dedicated to strength-training machines. Most large gyms in fact, have multiple machines for the same body parts. Although it may not occur to the average gym patron, The machines used today are the result of decades of innovation.
Before Machines
Before machines, resistance training was limited to dumbbells and barbells, some solid, others filled with sand or shot. Kettlebells were also used by old-time strongmen. A significant advancement in strength training came in the early 1900s with the advent of the adjustable barbell. The York Barbell Company, an early manufacturer of the adjustable barbell, is still in business today.
Jack LaLanne
In the 1950s, Jack LaLanne invented some of the first modern weight-training machines and paved the way for the designs of today. Several of LaLanne's designs, including the cable pulley machine, leg extension, and Smith machine -- a barbell on a fixed track -- remain relatively unchanged today. LaLanne further advanced the fitness industry by opening his own chain of fitness centers bearing his name.
Nautilus
In the 1970s, fitness entrepreneur Arthur Jones revolutionized the exercise-machine industry by creating Nautilus, a line of machines with a chain and cam system modeled after a nautilus shell. The unique design of the cams was intended to create a resistance curve modeled after humans' natural strength curves. Jones also popularized the machine circuit employed by many of today's gyms. Nautilus equipment was so influential that even today, weight machines of all makes are sometimes referred to as "nautilus machines."
Present Day
Today, machines of all types can be found in most fitness centers, each with their roots in the past. The cable and pulley machines popularized by Jack LaLanne remain in use today, with numerous advancements, including adjustable pulleys. Cam-based machines similar to Jones' designs remain in use with either cables or Kevlar straps in place of the original chains. The '90s saw the development of plate-loaded machines like Hammer Strength, which use free weights in place of the traditional weight stack.
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