Beginning in the 1930s, as the cult of healthy living continued to spread across the United States, a handful of gymnasts and athletes began to gather on the beaches of Santa Monica to practise human pyramids, and throngs flocked to watch bronzed babes perform tricks. Inspired by the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the city installed a wooden platform, parallel bars and a set of rings. Muscle Beach was born.
Although Angelenos did not invent open-air exercise – the ancient Greeks had their gymnasia of adonises, after all – today’s en plein air gyms appear to be a response to Muscle Beach. Spectatorship became integral to such demonstrations of physical prowess. To train outside is to be watched.
In London, which lacks both sandy beaches and consistent heat, outdoor gyms dot the city’s many parks. Londoners like to ogle as much as anyone, and there is a pocket in London Fields that some refer to as Muscle Beach. Nestled between the play area and the bike racks stand pull-up bars of various heights and one set of parallel bars. It is an unassuming outfit, modest in stature, but day in and day out, sunshine or grey, the rudimentary equipment draws a crowd, mostly male, a siren song of metal and matting.
One Saturday in April, I joined Jonah, Dan, and Ryan as they stretched next to the parallel bars. All three are in their thirties and look like guys whose relationship to exercise is fringe, but not extracurricular. The vibe was London by way of Spike Jonze’s Video Days.
While happy to make space for me, they were wary, and no one would provide their last name or any real identifying details. ‘Dude, we don’t like journalists,’ said Dan, only half joking, his long hair tucked into the hood of his sweatshirt.
‘Yeah, what’s your angle?’ asked Ryan, pulling a baseball cap further down his brow.
Most people like to talk, and despite their bluster, these men were no exception. Although they were vocally anti-establishment, I learned they all live near the park and work in creative industries. Dan, who is in film, grew up in California but has been in London for over a decade. He also breakdances. Jonah, the youngest of the three, is an Australian music producer here on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa. In his spare time, he volunteers with young offenders. Even Ryan, who waved off every personal question and kept giving fake names, admitted he was a designer born in Essex.
They told me they had started exercising at what they call The Bars during the 2020 lockdowns because there wasn’t much else to do and that was the best way to spend time with other people. ‘Or we could have stayed home getting fat watching Netflix,’ said Dan, with a laugh.
