Iron rules for Simmo’s Swoletopia Anyone who has used a public gym regularly has daydreamed about being in charge of one. At least for an hour. Not so much paying the bills and checking the toilets, as laying down the law. A strongman, a shredded Caesar, running the muscle factory… Read More »Gym Dic(k)tator
Set in an upmarket West London health club with ‘central heating and wall-to-wall fitted carpets’, this captivating Pathe newsreel time capsule from 1966 reveals an era when sportswear hasn’t been invented yet – so the guys are doing their exercises on the absorbent-looking shag in their undercrackers and vests. Or… Read More »The Keep Fit Craze
Dispatch from the gun-filled frontline of male vanity My gym recently had a makeover. Previously owned by a budget chain known for the lowest membership fees in the business – and for its large free weights’ areas – it went bankrupt during Rona restrictions and was bought for a song… Read More »Male Changing Area
A week before gyms were shuttered for lockdown back in March, I managed to buy a pull-up bar, a dip stand – great for lower pecs, triceps, inverted rows and drying socks – plus an ab roller. (I’m not sure whether ab rollers actually work, but they make me think… Read More »Lockdown Pressups