So, I need to preface this by saying that I have entered a gym several times in my life, but not often and I am the opposite of a gym rat. My information here is limited to the history of the gym and the etymology of the word. This post is unlikely to convince anyone to go to a gym, unless they want to go there with popcorn and giggle. As much as I'd like to convince everyone to be healthy, this isn't going to be like that. It's a different kind of post about gyms. Why?
Because the root of the word and the original rules of the gymnasium is that it's the place you go to do exercise while naked.
This isn't about sex. That was an entirely different thing. The Gymnasium was the place where athletes came to train, naked, for their sports, which were often preformed naked.
Greeks had no problems with being naked, or any reservations about walking around naked, so this isn't exactly a surprise, but it's fun to imagine the response of the gym rats of today if they were asked to do things like the Greeks did in the original gyms. How popular do you think Gyms would be with those rules?
Gymnasiums were also schools. They taught classes, held lectures, and were the main school for children, as much as they had one. They were created near schools and considered a place of learning for the body as much as the minds. Because of this side of things, the word is the root for schools in some European countries, mainly Germany still. (Considering their feelings towards nudity, they might include some of both definitions, but don't quote me on that.)
Sources:
Useless Etymology-- the Naked Truth about Gyms
Encyclopedia Britannica-- Gymnasium
World History Encyclopedia-- Gymnasium
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