Chapter 2: History of Exercise Science (aka Kinesiology)

By Laura Ellingson-Sayen, PhD

Learning Objectives

• Explain the historical development of kinesiology, tracing its roots from ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle to the modern scientific study of human movement.

• Examine key concepts such as Newton’s laws of motion and their application to kinesiology, gaining insight into how forces, inertia, and reactions govern human movement.

• Explore the cultural, societal, and medical importance of physical movement throughout history, including its role in education, fitness, military readiness, and health care.

Chapter Contents

Kinesiology (aka Exercise Science) is the study of human movement and the term comes from the Greek word kinesis meaning motion or movement. To move is a core part of the human experience: we play games like tag as children, we dance during culturally important events, and our bodies require movement for both mental and physical health. Fundamentally, the human body moves internally with a beating heart and expanding lungs to stay alive. When a person dies, stillness or a lack of movement is often cited as one of the first signs that something is wrong. A basic understanding of human movement has likely existed for as long as humans have walked this earth. However, the scientific study of kinesiology is more recent.

While the physical movement to participate in games and sports as well as war-like activities are certainly tied to all human cultures across time, the study of human movement and the idea of improvement and efficiency in those movements is newer with unclear roots. For example, Socrates (470-399 B.C), a classical Greek philosopher, has been quoted as saying, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), usually considered the “father of kinesiology”, was the first known author to describe animal (humans included) movement involved with walking by converting rotational movement into forward movement. Aristotle was also the first to describe the actions of muscles.

For the next almost 1500 years, kinesiology only made minor advancements until Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) began dissecting human bodies, which he dug up from graveyards. Leonardo Da Vinci described the mechanisms of the body when walking and standing from a seated position. He also began labeling muscles and nerves while identifying the action and insertion points of the tendons which connect muscles and bones.

Jumping forward in time, in 1858 Henry Gray published a detailed and illustrated anatomy textbook “Gray’s Anatomy”. Henry Gray dissected unclaimed bodies from hospitals and drew very detailed notes regarding human anatomy. “Gray’s Anatomy” was a practical and cheap way for medical doctors to learn human anatomy without the need for a human cadaver. Today the new versions of the book are often called ‘The doctors’ bible’.

As the knowledge of human anatomy developed and improved, the next step toward modern kinesiology was understanding movement (recall that kinesiology is the study of human movement). Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1726) paved the way for this through development of his three laws of motion. Simply stated they are as follows:

1. The Law of Inertia. If a body is at rest or moving, it will remain at rest or moving until acted upon by an outside force.
2. Force is equal to mass x acceleration. This law describes the relationship between something’s mass, acceleration, and force.
3. The Law of Action and Reaction. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

These three laws are critical for understanding how humans move and interact with other objects.

Exactly when “modern” kinesiology started is an unclear and minorly debated topic but is usually cited as starting in the 1800’s as interest in gymnastics in Sweden and Germany developed and grew into an athletic rivalry. These gymnastics were not exactly what we would see in gymnastics today. Rather, gymnastics at this time involved some rhythmic dance, bodyweight movements, use of wooden rings, and bar routines, depending on the location. A strong rivalry developed between Sweden and Germany, expanding the gymnastics program to more people.

This “return” to fitness was a way people could become able-bodied civilians and become a war-ready population, if the need arose. Preparing the civilian population for war with physical education and sport is a common theme throughout history.

The interest in gymnastics spread and German gymnastics was introduced to America in the 1820’s.

The book Gymnastic Kinesiology: A Manual of the Mechanism of Gymnastic Movements by William Skarstrom, is one very early kinesiology/gymnastics textbook, first published in 1909.

A pioneer in the study of kinesiology, Harvard University had organized exercise classes starting in 1826. Subsequently, more colleges and universities with gymnasiums and pools were built, increasing opportunities to participate in sports and allowing for the development of intercollegiate athletics.

The second wave of interest in physical activity included more weight lifting that blended gymnastics with strongman activities from the Viking and Scottish cultures like the Highland Games. The barbell is thought to have been invented with the rise in curiosity into strength and muscle building. These athletes and events would be made famous as circus acts of men bending bars of steel or snapping chains apart. Commercial gyms, weightlifting, and bodybuilding can trace their origin to this premise.

During WWI one in three military recruits were deemed unfit for service and the US government passed legislation to improve and increase physical education classes for American children as a result. Thus, America follows historical trends of developing a fit population through kinesiology to be able to better fight in wars. By WWII the young American population was much more fit and able-bodied for war time activities. More recently, however, it has been estimated that less than 25% of young Americans would be fit for war duty.

Kinesiology was and still is very linked to the study of human medicine. Modern medicine and kinesiology have a very similar base set of knowledge and only start to diverge as a person’s education and/or experience advances. In modern education, aspiring kinesiologists and pre-med students will often have very similar class requirements for their undergraduate degrees and many pre-med students now choose kinesiology or exercise science as their major.

In conclusion, the evolution of the field of kinesiology from its roots in the ancient observations of human movement to its modern-day scientific study has been marked by significant milestones. From Aristotle’s foundational insights into animal locomotion to Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical dissections, along with the application of Newton’s laws of motion, each era contributed to our understanding of how the human body moves and has led us to where we are today.

Copyright Information

This chapter, History of Exercise Science, by Laura Ellingson-Sayen is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. It was adapted from “The History of Kinesiology” chapter in Introduction to Kinesiology by Weston Titus, which is licensed under CC BY SA 4.0. The adaptations made include removing sections, updating grammar/spelling conventions, and making content more relevant for our course.