this ancient practice was, however, lost to the sands of time, up until about the 19th century when training gyms started springing up again. this was a natural reaction to less physically strenuous working conditions of the modern era - an explosion in popularity came during the second half of the 20th century.

rio de janeiro as a city, where temperatures are hot and the beaches are luring, has high physical exposure - this means the rise in gym participation did not take long to catch on in rio. cariocas use their trips to the gym as a means to socialize and meet friends, making it a particularly pleasant affair.