Fitness Fads: The Weirdest, Coolest and Craziest Workouts from 1940 to Today

From Jack LaLanne to Jane Fonda, see which wacky workouts for women were nothing more than a fitness fad—and which have serious staying power.

1940s=No workouts for women

Guess what women’s fitness trend swept the nation in the 1940s. Um, nothing. Not a workout in sight. It's not surprising when you consider that in the '40s, many experts were still telling women that exercise could damage the uterus, according to Fitness for Dummies. Prenatal yoga and mommy-and-me classes have come a long way since then, huh?

1950s=Jack LaLanne's Glamour Stretcher

Right around the time that the federal government was getting serious about exercise (the President's Council on Youth Fitness was formed in 1956), Jack LaLanne was hosting "The Jack LaLanne Show"—one of the longest-running health-and-fitness shows in history, which went on the air in 1951. Eight years later, LaLanne developed the Glamour Stretcher. It was the first elastic band used for resistance training, though LaLanne may not have called it that. Marketed toward women, it was sold with a record called "Glamour Stretcher Time" that promised women a "lovelier, more exciting figure."

1960s=Vibrating belts

A vibrating belt that claims to "melt your fat away" sounds ridiculous now, right? In the '60s, the belts were a mainstay in women's spas and health clubs. It was thought that the jiggling would disrupt and melt away the fat. Joke all you want, but infomercials today have touted similar products—and most are still reportedly ineffective.

1970s=Roller skating

With the advent of polyurethane wheels that made gliding easier, roller skating made a huge comeback in the '70s. Olivia Newton-John appeared in her red and white skates on the cover of a July 1979 issue of People. She told the magazine, "Skating keeps my legs in shape."

1980s=Aerobics

Oh, the '80s … the era of neon, leg warmers, big hair and, of course, aerobics. Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., actually coined the term in 1968, but it was workout diva Jane Fonda who really propelled the craze in 1981 with her first exercise video and book. Fonda's leggings-and-leotard look may have faded (thankfully) along with the era's big bangs, but you can still find classes and DVDs that focus on similar moves.

1990s=boot-camp classes

Taking a cue from basic training, the boot-camp fitness classes that sprang up in the '90s offered intense tough-love motivation, often run by ex-military instructors. According to The Gym Survival Guide by Gregg Cook and Fatima D'Almeida-Cook, "The military aspect of this class stems from the idea of going through a chain of exercises strung together with little to no rest in between, as well as the idea of working in a team and fostering the spirit of camaraderie." Wearing camouflage not required.

2000s=Strip aerobics

Strip aerobics. Pole dancing. Sexercise. Whatever you call it, you've heard about it, you've seen it—you've probably even tried it. You can thank celebrity trainer Jeff Costa for jump-starting the movement. In 2001, he created Cardio Striptease for Crunch Gym. Carmen Electra liked it so much that she started her own collection of workout DVDs called "Aerobic Striptease." Pole dancing was a natural offshoot of the movement, and Sheila Kelley founded the S Factor workout, a combination of yoga, ballet, striptease and, naturally, pole dancing.