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System Whitely

 

Type  :   Workout Equipment

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Manufacture :   Unknown German Manufacture

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Production Date :  Manufactured in 1894

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Acquired at :   Long Island New York, Garage sale

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Acquired Date :   2000

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In the mid-1800's, strength training and fitness began to emerge both in business and popular culture in America.

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In 1894, Alexander Whitely unveiled a pulley-driven exercise machine for the masses. With just a single pulley that could be attached to a wall or doorframe, it was suitable for in-home use. By changing the position of the pulley, the Whitely Exerciser allowed users to perform a full-body workout—one that purportedly could be completed in less than an hour.

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Since the device was portable, the Whitely was marketed to business folks and travelers, and to those subjected to stress or "nervous energy." It was also aimed at women, proclaiming itself capable of "making weak women strong" and suitable "for every member of the family," young and old.

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With its two handles attached to a wall, the Whitely in some ways resembled today's TRX suspension trainers, though the TRX is simpler (it requires no pulleys) and lighter. Some of the exercises performed on the Whitely by fitness-minded men and women of the Industrial Age look very much like moves modern athletes perform on the TRX today. Each device uses gravity, instability and the user's body weight to create resistance for a challenging workout.

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In 1897, Alexander Whitely teamed up with Eugene Sandow, considered by many to be the "father of bodybuilding." Sandow acted as an agent and performed demonstrations as he travelled around promoting the product. Sandow then collaborated with Whitely to make a new machine, the Sandow-Whitely Improved Exerciser. But after a year, Sandow quit to start his own rival business in France. His new product, the Sandow Combined Developer, took out the pulley system and attached removable weights to the handles.