The history and organization of fitness exercise in Norway and Denmark

Abstract

This file was dowloaded from the institutional repository Brage NIH -brage.bibsys.no/nih Steen-Johnsen, K., Kirkegaard, K. L. (2010) This article examines the development and organization of fitness exercise within Scandinavia in the latter half of the twentieth century. Based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data from Denmark and Norway, contemporary differences in the distribution and organization of fitness exercise in these two countries are identified. Compared to Norway, Denmark has a relatively weakly developed for-profit fitness sector, combined with a strong tradition for fitness exercise within the non-profit sector. The relative conceptual and organizational openness of the non-profit Danish gymnastics tradition and the adaptive work conducted by for-profit fitness entrepreneurs in Norway in the 1990s are presented as conditions that have led to this situation. The article thus concludes that even though the Scandinavian welfare states share many overall national characteristics and values, the conditions for the introduction and development of new exercise forms differ, and must be studied specifically in relation to its national context.

More active and less fit: changes in physical activity in the adult Norwegian population from 1985 to 2011

“…The X games show the success of the new extreme sport, while commercial fitness has spread very quickly and become one of the most popular forms of training in the adult population in many countries (Steen-Johnsen and Kirkegaard, 2010). In contrast to these trends, one can observe an obesity epidemic in European and other Western countries that seems to signal a decline in total physical activity level in large segments of the population (Steene-Johannesen, 2009;Kolle, 2009).…”

An Overview of the Origins and Effectiveness of Commercial Fitness Equipment and Sectoral Corporate Settings: A Critical Review of Literature

“…The extrapolated studies also focus on 'Nordic' milestones of the fitness industry, from a wider range of view, from the beginning [16] to the latter half of the 20th century [29]. The first study addresses the introduction of gymnastics as a subject in the Norwegian school system.…”

“…In contrast to Central Europe provided version [1], these equipments must never transform gymnastics into acrobatics and 'circum-like' conditions. The second publication [29] considerable attention to the development and organisation of fitness exercise inside the Scandinavian Peninsula (Denmark, Norway and Sweden). This contribution brings to the actualised vision of the activity forms included in for-profit fitness in three main types: (1) individual training studios, with a variety of physical-amenities, aimed at strengthening specific body segments; (2) group-based trainings (aerobic cardio-works, etc.)…”

“…In relation to the previous feature listed, the quality of usability is mentioned in some studies [29,33,38,42,43]. The main topics highlight the importance of the final user guidelines and response types, depending on the type of customer (lately including senior categories) and the operative capacities when a monitor or display is included in the physical amenity.…”

Self-Improvement In and Through Sports: Cultural-Historical Perspectives

“…And it brought the invention of the so-called 'second way' in sports, the popular sports or mass sports (or 'Breitensport' in German). A key element in this transformation process is the understanding of the sport-for-all initiatives which firstly started in the Scandinavian countries, 34 and were then adopted and adapted by Germany and Austria. All this was based on the experience of fitness initiatives and outcomes of scientific research, especially from the United States during the 1950s.…”