Vita Parcours became a movement. Have you heard of CrossFit? Back in the 1970s, Vita Parcoursan outdoor fitness trail that had various courses and exercises set up along itwas basically the CrossFit of this era. ullstein bild Dtl. - Getty Images
People loved group classes. A teacher at the Women's League leads an auditorium full of people in a movement class. Evening Standard - Getty Images
Calisthenics were still popular. The body weight training exercise, popularized in the 1960s, consists of movements like push-ups, jumping jacks, and pull-ups that improve strength and endurance. Fairfax Media Archives - Getty Images
Fitness devices were flooding the market. If you thought the shake-weight was inventive, you would have been amazed by the gadgets created in the 1970s for toning, strengthening, stretching, you name it. The device pictured was used in Germany for toning arms. Keystone-France - Getty Images
At-home workouts became popular. Thanks to all of the new fitness inventions, working out at home was easier than ever before. Here, British wrestler Jackie Pallo works on his strength training before a match. Keystone Features - Getty Images
Programs for kids became more popular. The '70s had more of an emphasis on physical fitness than ever before, especially for children. Here, an after-school program teaches kids simple exercises they can do at home. Ron Bull - Getty Images
And physical fitness was evaluated in schools. A sports writer gets his physical fitness reading taken at a clinic set up by two volunteer college students. Jeff Goode - Getty Images
Even the President was working out. President Gerald Ford fits in time to exercise during his busy day in his home gym in the (you guessed it) White House. David Hume Kennerly - Getty Images
People jogged in full sweatsuits. This was the look in the 1970sa grey matching sweatsuit. And, yes, this man is running in a pair of Converse All Stars. Our feet hurt just looking at him. ClassicStock - Getty Images
Football was the most popular sport. By 1970, every little boy was signing up for a Pee-Wee team, in the hopes of becoming the next Joe Montana. ClassicStock - Getty Images
Training was old-school. Football players push their coaches on a scrum machine. This method of training is still used today, but the machines aren't made out of wood, like the one seen here in 1975. Fairfax Media Archives - Getty Images
But basketball was a close second. The 1970s saw a boost in popularity for basketball, with all-star players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, and Pete Maravich helping grow the sport's popularity throughout the decade. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock - Getty Images
Outdoor gyms were popping up everywhere. A group of teenagers wait for their turn on an outdoor apparatus. Gymnastic equipment, like the parallel rings and balance bar, became popular in exercise parks. ullstein bild - Getty Images
The medicine ball was still king. Heavyweight boxer, Henry Cooper, uses the medicine ball for a killer ab exercise. A. Jones - Getty Images
Stationary bikes offered a solid warm-up. Italian actor, Renzo Montagnani, warms up for his workout on a stationary bike in 1971, which was just another fitness invention during the decade. Mondadori Portfolio - Getty Images
Gymnasiums looked (and probably smelled) the exact same. Are you having a middle school flashback? From the wooden floor to the paneled room divider, it doesn't seem like school gymnasiums have changed much over the past few decades. Fairfax Media Archives - Getty Images
Tennis became huge in the United States. Tennis reached its peak in popularity in the 1980s, after a huge boom during the '70s. As a result, everyday people started investing in rackets and tennis shoes. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock - Getty Images
People loved working out in nature. You couldn't go to a park in the '70s without seeing a group partaking in aerobics or tai chi. Ian Tyas - Getty Images
...like really loved it. A group of men gather to flow through a yoga practice together in a local park. Keystone - Getty Images
Women often wore leotards. Italian actress Scilla Gabel works out in a black leotard, a typical workout outfit of the decade. Mondadori Portfolio - Getty Images
Men wore short shorts. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that in the '70s men wore some of the shortest shorts we've ever seen to get their sweat on. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock - Getty Images
Arnold Schwarzenegger was in his prime The bodybuilding craze swept across the United States in the '70s and Arnold Schwarzenegger rose to fame as the face of the sport. Michael Ochs Archives - Getty Images
So, naturally, weight lifting became huge. Thanks to Schwarzenegger, big muscles were in fashion and weight lifting quickly became the latest exercise trendespecially with young men. Bill Peters - Getty Images
Weight machines wound up in every gym. These machines were added to gyms so that people looking to bulk up could safely lift on their ownwithout a spot. Underwood Archives - Getty Images
Stretching was big. In the 1970s, flexibility was stressed to health conscious people as a way to lead a healthier life. Olivia Fall - Getty Images
Especially for the elderly. Care patients or people living in retirement communities fully embraced stretching, as it helped them stay limber and was a low intensity option. Ralph Crane - Getty Images
Soccer was widely popular, too. Members of the English soccer team participating in the World Cup compete in a wheel barrel race during practice. We assume they were goofing around here, but who knows! Keystone - Getty Images
So was skipping rope. Fitness lovers began imitating the training techniques of boxers, and their go-to was the jump rope. Peter Trulock - Getty Images
The speed bag was a staple in any gym. Recreational boxing became a thing in the '70s, and as such, no gym was complete without its own speed bag. Here, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler uses it to train. Focus On Sport - Getty Images
Lots of people enlisted the help of a personal trainer. But not many had Schwarzenegger as their trainer back in the day, that was only Sally Fields. Bettmann - Getty Images
The electric belt massager was a quick fix. The invention from the 1950s promised to banish stubborn belly fat and was still popular decades later in the 1970s. Keystone-France - Getty Images
Yoga made its way over from India.... It wasn't until the '70s that New Age followers began practicing the centuries old spiritual exercise of yoga. Ralph Morse - Getty Images
...and it caught on quickly. Throughout the decade, yoga grew from a counter-culture practice to a common exercise for a svelte frame. Here, woman try a shoulder stand pose, which is said to increase thyroid activity. Floyd H. McCall - Getty Images
Aerobics built up momentum too. The workout trend that swept the '80s started out as an extension of the yoga exercises that grew in popularity in the '70s. Fairfax Media Archives - Getty Images
Trampolines were a part of gym class. From dodgeball to relay races, gym class was full of inventive activities. In the '70s, trampolining was a way for kids to reach physical fitness goals. Hulton Archive - Getty Images
But as a kid, nothing beat riding your bike. There anything better than meeting up with your neighborhood crew for a ride around the block. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock - Getty Images
Jogging was popular, too. Here, a man goes for a jog around Central Park's reservoir in 1971. Francois LE DIASCORN - Getty Images
As was skiing. A man and woman ski down a slope with fresh powder. The only difference between now and then? The over-the-top fashion of the '70s. ClassicStock - Getty Images
The bar was a sign of strength. From pull-ups to chin-upsand whatever actor Terence Hill is demonstrating herethe bar was the easiest way to flex your strength at your gym. Mondadori Portfolio - Getty Images