Vic Tanny

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Victor "Vic" Tanny (died June 11, 1985) was a pioneer in the creation of the modern health club.

Tanny, himself a bodybuilder, opened a network of gymnasiums - the Vic Tanny Centers - which flourished in the 1950s and early to mid-1960s and expanded the field to a new type of customer.

Prior to the advent of Tanny, gyms had the reputation of being strictly for men, and often of the rougher type at that - sweaty, dirty, and dingy lairs reserved for serious bodybuilders. Tanny's gyms were modern and inviting in comparison, featuring amenities such as mirrors and carpets, and welcomed both men and women.

Tanny's business eventually fell into bankruptcy — a result, analysts said, of over-expansion, poor management, and insufficient capital —^[1] and the Vic Tanny Centers were closed or sold, though some retained the Vic Tanny name). Nonetheless, Tanny's gyms had played a part in the evolution of the all-male gym to the modern fitness club of today.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ "Vic Tanny, Health Club Owner And Body Builder, Dies at 73," The New York Times, June 12, 1985. Retrieved 2008-01-08.

[edit] External links

• "Vic Tanny, Health Club Owner And Body Builder, Dies at 73," The New York Times, June 12, 1985.
• Vic Tanny reference at Mr. Pop History
• The Evolution of Health Clubs, Fitness Business Pro magazine