In short: For more than a century, exercise fads have swung between two promises: results without effort (vibrating belts, electric ab belts, toning shoes) and results from real work made fun or simple (strongman routines, aerobics, workout videos, interval training, step counting). The effortless gadgets failed: the Federal Trade Commission took action against electric ab belts in 2002 and toning-shoe makers paid $25 million and $40 million in 2011 and 2012. The “real work” fads mostly held up, and today’s federal guidelines boil them down to 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strength training twice a week. The newest version of the oldest advice is simply to walk more.
This page follows exercise fads from the 1890s to the 2020s and what the evidence said about each one later. Dates come from the Smithsonian’s collections, the National Library of Medicine catalog, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Kansas Historical Society and the FTC; results come from research. For the full story of weight loss, see our history of weight loss; for today’s options, our exercise hub.
Exercise fads at a glance
- 1890s-1900sStrongmen and machines: Sandow's dumbbells and Zander's exercise apparatus.
- 1900s-1960sVibrating belt machines promise to shake fat away.
- 1950s-1960sTV fitness, a President's Council and air-force exercise plans.
- 1968Aerobics gives cardio a name.
- 1980sWorkout records and videos bring exercise home.
- 2000sElectric ab belts and toning shoes meet the FTC.
- 2010s-2020sInterval training, step counts and walking pads.
1890s to 1900s: strongmen, dumbbells and machines
The first fitness celebrity was a strongman. Eugen Sandow, born Friedrich Wilhelm Müller in Prussia in 1867, became an international star after appearing at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and in early Thomas Edison films, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. By the late 1890s he was promoting physical fitness through Institutes of Physical Culture, health books and licensed exercise equipment, and in 1901 he organized the first international bodybuilding competition, at London’s Royal Albert Hall. His book Strength and How to Obtain It appeared in 1897, and the museum holds one of his spring-grip dumbbells from around 1900.
At about the same time, Swedish physician Gustav Zander designed a series of exercise machines, and the Smithsonian holds several Zander apparatus pieces, including one for circular movement of the arm. They look strange now, but they were early ancestors of today’s gym machines. What the evidence said later: supported. Strength training is now part of the federal Physical Activity Guidelines, which advise muscle-strengthening activities for all major muscle groups on two or more days a week. Our strength training guide shows how to start.
1900s to 1960s: the vibrating belt
The vibrating belt machine, a motorized strap that shook the hips or belly, is the classic effortless fad. The Kansas Historical Society, which holds a 1960s Walton Belt Vibrator once rented out for $10 a month, says such devices existed from the 1850s, peaked between 1900 and 1930 and came back in the 1950s and 1960s. A 1958 advertisement it quotes promised “3200 times a minute” of vibration for “fast, effective, spot reduction” in 15 minutes a day, even while watching television.
What the evidence said later: not supported. Shaking does not remove fat, and neither does working one area. In a 2011 randomized trial, six weeks of daily abdominal exercises improved muscular endurance but did not reduce belly fat, waist size or body fat compared with no exercise. Fat loss happens across the whole body when you use more energy than you take in. Our belly fat guide explains what actually helps.
1950s and 1960s: TV fitness and a President’s Council
After reports in the early 1950s that American children were less fit than European children, President Eisenhower created the President’s Council on Youth Fitness in 1956, following a national conference at the U.S. Naval Academy, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Today it is the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. Television made fitness personal: the Smithsonian notes that Jack LaLanne developed exercise routines and equipment from the 1930s and brought them to the public through his television shows; the museum holds one of his exercise videotapes and the swimsuit he wore at 60 when he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, handcuffed and shackled, towing a 1,000-pound boat.
Short, structured home routines followed. The Royal Canadian Air Force’s exercise plans, the 11-minute-a-day 5BX plan for men and the 12-minute XBX plan for women, were published in an American edition in 1962, according to the National Library of Medicine catalog. What the evidence said later: partly supported. Short daily routines are a good start, and the current guidelines say any amount of moderate-to-vigorous activity brings some health benefit. For weight, though, total activity over the week matters more than any single routine.
1968: aerobics gives cardio a name
In 1968, physician Kenneth H. Cooper published Aerobics, followed by The New Aerobics (1970) and Aerobics for Women (1972, with Mildred Cooper), according to the NLM catalog. The word moved from physiology into everyday language, and jogging, aerobic dance and cardio classes followed. What the evidence said later: supported. Aerobic activity is the backbone of today’s guidelines: 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, with more benefits beyond 300 minutes. Our best exercises for weight loss list shows how many calories common activities burn.
1980s: the workout comes home
Records and videotapes turned living rooms into studios. The Smithsonian’s collections include Jane Fonda’s Workout Record and several Richard Simmons videotapes, among them Dance Your Pants Off! and Tonin’ Uptown, along with workout videos in its Video Press Kits collection. These programs made exercise social, upbeat and possible without a gym. What the evidence said later: supported, if you keep doing it. The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines dropped the old rule that activity only counts in bouts of at least 10 minutes and say adults should “move more and sit less”, so a home routine, a dance video or a walk all count.
2000s: electric ab belts and toning shoes meet the FTC
The effortless promise returned with new technology. In May 2002, the FTC charged the marketers of three top-selling electronic ab belts, AB Energizer, AbTronic and Fast Abs, with falsely claiming the devices would give users “six pack” abs without exercise and cause fat and inch loss, including promises of losing 4 inches in 30 days. The FTC chairman said there are “no magic pills, potions, or pulsators” for losing weight. The Fast Abs marketers agreed to pay more than $5 million in 2003. Our muscle stimulation guide explains what today’s clinic devices can and cannot do.
Then came toning shoes, with curved or unstable soles that promised to firm the legs and buttocks while you walked. In September 2011, Reebok agreed to pay $25 million in customer refunds to settle FTC charges that it falsely claimed its EasyTone shoes were proven to give 28% more strength and tone in the buttock muscles. In May 2012, Skechers agreed to pay $40 million over claims that Shape-ups and other shoes would help people lose weight and tone their muscles.
What the evidence said later: not supported. No belt, shoe or gadget does the work for you. Shapewear and waist trainers make a similar promise for the waistline; our guides to shapewear and waist trainers explain what they can do (change how clothes fit) and what they can’t (remove fat).
1996 to today: interval training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) grew from sports science. In a 1996 study, Japanese researcher Izumi Tabata and colleagues had athletes cycle in seven to eight 20-second bursts at very high intensity with 10 seconds of rest, five days a week for six weeks; it improved both aerobic fitness and anaerobic capacity. The “Tabata” format became a fitness brand of its own. What the evidence said later: supported as a time saver, not a fat-burning shortcut. A 2017 meta-analysis of 13 trials in adults with overweight or obesity found that HIIT and steady moderate exercise reduced body fat and waist size equally, but HIIT took about 40% less training time. Interval training is hard on the body, so build up slowly and check with your clinician if you have heart or joint problems.
Interval training in three numbers
- 20 s on, 10 s offthe original Tabata protocol, 7 to 8 setsTabata I et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc 1996
- 13trials comparing HIIT with moderate continuous training in adults with overweight or obesityWewege M et al., Obesity Reviews 2017
- ~40%less training time with HIIT for similar body-fat changesWewege M et al., Obesity Reviews 2017
Checked on October 6, 2026
The 10,000-step goal, checked
Ten thousand steps a day became one of the most popular fitness goals, especially once pedometers and fitness trackers made counting easy. Researchers point out that the number had little scientific basis. When they tested it, the picture was encouraging for everyone who walks less. In a 2019 study of 16,741 older women, about 4,400 steps a day was linked with significantly lower death rates than about 2,700, and the benefit leveled off at about 7,500. A 2022 analysis of 15 studies with 47,471 adults found risk kept falling up to about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day in people 60 and older, and 8,000 to 10,000 in younger adults.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| About 3,550 steps (reference) | 1 |
| About 5,800 steps | 0.60 |
| About 7,840 steps | 0.55 |
| About 10,900 steps | 0.47 |
Adjusted hazard ratios by quartile of daily steps (lower = lower risk). Observational studies; they show a link, not proof that steps alone cause the difference.
Source: Paluch AE et al., Lancet Public Health 2022 (15 cohorts, 47,471 adults) (checked on October 6, 2026)
What the evidence said later: the goal is useful, the number is flexible. More steps are better up to a point that depends on age, and any increase from a low starting point helps. A fitness tracker can keep count, and our walking guide has a plan for adding steps gradually.
2008 and 2018: the government writes it down
The first Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans were released in 2008, and the second edition in 2018. Together they turned a century of fads into a few plain rules: move more and sit less; aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week (or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity); add muscle-strengthening on two or more days; and count activity of any length. For keeping weight off, the NIH suggests 150 to 300 minutes or more a week, and people in the National Weight Control Registry average about an hour a day, mostly walking. Our habits of people who keep weight off covers that research.
The 2020s: walking at your desk
The latest trend is the quietest: walking more through the day, including on compact under-desk treadmills called walking pads, often with a weighted vest for extra effort. It is a modern answer to the old wish to exercise while doing something else, and unlike the vibrating belt, it involves real movement. Our walking pad guide explains how to choose one safely, and the best walking pads lists researched picks. A walking pad won’t replace brisk walks outdoors, but it can add steps on busy days.
Exercise fads and what the evidence said later
| When | Fad | The promise | What the evidence said later |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s-1900s | Strongman training, dumbbells, Zander machines | Strength and health | Supported: strength training twice a week |
| 1900s-1960s | Vibrating belt machines | Shake fat away, spot reduction | Not supported |
| 1956 | President’s Council on Youth Fitness | A fitter nation | Still running as the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition |
| 1962 | Air-force exercise plans (5BX, XBX) | Fitness in minutes a day | Partly: a good start; weekly total matters |
| 1968 | Aerobics | Heart and lung fitness | Supported: core of the guidelines |
| 1980s | Workout records and videos | Exercise at home | Supported if kept up; any activity counts |
| 2002 | Electric ab belts | Six-pack abs without exercise | Not supported; FTC action |
| 2011-2012 | Toning shoes | Tone and lose weight by walking in special shoes | Not supported; $25 million and $40 million settlements |
| 1996 onward | HIIT and Tabata | Faster fat loss | Similar fat loss in less time |
| Checked 2019-2022 | 10,000 steps | A magic number | More steps help, leveling off at 6,000 to 10,000 depending on age |
| 2020s | Walking pads | Walk while you work | Real activity; adds steps |
The lesson of a century of fads is reassuring: there is no secret machine, and you don’t need one. The activities that held up, walking, strength work, aerobic exercise and intervals if you enjoy them, are cheap and flexible. Pick one you like, and use the calories burned calculator to see what it adds. For more fads checked against research, see weight-loss myths and our history of diet fads.