Search

While sports and physical education originated in the nineteenth century, fitness on the other hand is generally seen as a typically late-twentieth-century phenomenon. In order to understand how the modern fitness culture has become what it is today, it is important to recognize how some of its roots had already evolved more than a century before. This article uses early developments of the 'fitness industry' in the Netherlands between 1850 and 1900 as an illustrative example. Against the background of the European struggle between Continental and Anglo-Saxon systems of physical education and sport, this article focuses on the connections that were made between industries, ideas, buildings, fitness equipment, manuals, magazines and the early body artists and entrepreneurs. The convergence between the early fitness industry and the 'self-help industry' contributed to a crucial shift from the 'acrobatic, distant body', to the commercialized, fit and good-looking bodies which were displayed and 'sold' as inspiring examples. This article questions some of the crucial preconditions of these processes of globalization of the early fitness industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An estimated 4-6% of fitness center visitors uses anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). Reliable data about adverse reactions of AAS are scarce. The HAARLEM study aimed to provide insight into the positive and negative effects of AAS use. One hundred men (≥18 years) who intended to start an AAS cycle on short notice were included for follow-up. Clinic visits took place before (T 0 ), at the end (T 1 ), and three months after the end of the AAS cycle (T 2 ), and one year after the start of the cycle (T 3 ), and comprised a medical history, physical examination, laboratory analysis, and psychological questionnaires. During the follow-up period, four subjects reported a serious adverse event, that is, congestive heart failure, acute pancreatitis, suicidal ideation, and exacerbation of ulcerative colitis. All subjects reported positive side effects during AAS use, mainly increased strength (100%), and every subject reported at least one negative health effect. Most common were fluid retention (56%) and agitation (36%) during the cycle, and decreased libido (58%) after the cycle. Acne and gynecomastia were observed in 28% and 19%. Mean alanine transaminase (ALT) and creatinine increased 18.7 U/l and 4.7 µmol/L, respectively. AAS dose and cycle duration were not associated with the type and severity of side effects. After one-year follow-up (T 3 ), the prevalence of observed effects had returned to baseline. There was no significant change in total scores of questionnaires investigating wellbeing, quality of life, and depression. In conclusion, all subjects experienced positive effects during AAS use. Four subjects experienced a serious adverse event. Other side effects were mostly anticipated, mild, and transient., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)