The Gobelin Athletic Club: Paris, France

Posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 by John Wood
A rare image of the Gobelin Athletic Club in Paris, France, circa 1910. This was a fairly typical training studio at the time, with plenty of globe barbells, globe dumbbells, block weight, Indian Clubs, gymnastic rings and climbing ropes — pretty much anything a strength athlete could want or need.
The extremely long globe barbells leaning up against the wall on left are a pretty interesting concept… The large, open sand pit was to prevent breakage to any globes which may have been dropped during use. This gym is where the great lifting champion Charles Rigoulot got his start.