LONG before there was Crossfit, there was the Warrnambool Physical Culture Club.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In 1902, Warrnambool became the first Australian home for a fitness club based on the "the Sandow System of physical exercise" espoused by Eugen Sandow (real name Friedrich Muller), who is regarded as "the father of bodybuilding".
Renowned for the feats of strength he performed as part of a travelling circus, Sandow visited Australia in 1902 to promote his philosophies on health and strength, which he also espoused in books and a monthly magazine. Soon after that visit, the Warrnambool Physical Culture Club began.
It’s believed to have continued at least until the '20s and was likely based in the old Methodist Hall (now part of the Uniting Church).
The Warrnambool Physical Culture Club held competitions and presented gold medals in categories such as most physically improved member, weightlifting, “middle rack stick”, “club swinging”, and “dumb bells.
A version of the club for women was also formed in 1902, with “many of the leading ladies of the town joining the club very quickly and exhibiting great zeal in going through the drills”, according to information supplied by the Warrnambool & District Historical Society.