Historical nude exercise at YMCA — Discussion on True Nudists

Stone AndyOriginal Poster

Feb 25, 2025

I've read that prior to going co-ed after WW2, many activities at the YMCA were conducted nude. At facilities with overnight accomodations, I can imagine that men could go from their rooms straight to the nude only swimming pool without clothes, but imagined men were dressed playing basketball or wrestling in the gymnasiums. Afterall the excuse of fibers clogging filters didn't apply. Therefore I was suprised to see a picture from the first half of the 20th century (undated) titled YMCA Gym Class. It's a balcony shot of a gymnasium in Marietta, Ohio of naked boys doing calesthenics. Here is the link: https://marietta.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16824coll5/id/9190/

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BoundlessNudist
Feb 25, 2025
Very interesting pic! Europe is since around 1900 more open about Nudism than the USA. We have in Germany the german Section of YMCA, the CVJM. But I've never heard anything, that also the CVJM offers skinny dipping. So, I've very interested about the nude swimming at YMCA and also the nude swimming at schools. Especially, 'cause only Boys have to swim nude and the Teachers too. Also for a German, who was growing up in the open and liberal atmosphere of Nudism in Germany, this part of US-Nudism is very interesting.
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TD
Tom D
Feb 25, 2025
Yes swimming for boys and men was nude mandatory at the YMCA, other male only athletic facilities and male only schools. Many other schools and athletic facilities had gender segregated swimming and boys and men swam nude. At male only camps nude swimming was standard. The what to bring list for Boy Scout camp even said something like no need to bring a swimsuit since most boys don't wear one.
While doing other athletic activities nude was not universal, it was not uncommon. Weightlifting gymnastics, basketball, indoor track, volleyball, even wrestling were sometimes done nude. There was a Yahoo Group called YMCA Naked for reminiscing about it.
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BO
BoundlessNudist
Feb 25, 2025
[quote]Yes swimming for boys and men was nude mandatory at the YMCA, other male only athletic facilities and male only schools. Many other schools and athletic facilities had gender segregated swimming and boys and men swam nude. At male only camps nude swimming was standard. The what to bring list for Boy Scout camp even said something like no need to bring a swimsuit since most boys don't wear one. While doing other athletic activities nude was not universal, it was not uncommon. Weightlifting gymnastics, basketball, indoor track, volleyball, even wrestling were sometimes done nude. There was a Yahoo Group called YMCA Naked for reminiscing about it.[/quote] Great, if someone can practise all this sports nude, with other Males only. Best kind of growing up for a Boy.
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SA
Stone AndyOriginal Poster
Feb 25, 2025
The US never had a mainstream nudist culture like Germany or a lack of social stigma regarding mixed nudity such as in Scandinavian countries. That's why such "historical evidence" of non-aquatic nude sports is important to promote acceptance of social nudity in the US, which is now so overshadowed by homophobia. Whereas it's easy to excuse away naked swimming as being dictated by old-fashioned primitive pool filters, there's no practical arguement that gymnastics, wrestling or other sports required nudity. Rather it just begs the question: why not be casual about clothes when they get in the way more than serving a practical purpose?
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BO
BoundlessNudist
Feb 25, 2025
[quote] [...] there's no practical arguement that gymnastics, wrestling or other sports required nudity. Rather it just begs the question: why not be casual about clothes when they get in the way more than serving a practical purpose?[/quote] I dont know. My opinion is: Every kind of gymnastics, wrestlings, workouts should be practise nude. No exception. Also all Gym. There must be a general duty to do physical things nude.
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MI
Mike
Feb 25, 2025
I guess I have never heard of anything like that though I certainly would have enjoyed it. The gym I currently attend has showers, steam room, sauna and hot tub in the men's locker room. So all are clothing optional. About 60% of the men wear swimsuits and maybe 40% go nude. I am of course nude every time the opportunity presents itself and enjoy it immensely. The co-ed areas of the gym are required to be clothed
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Mike
Feb 25, 2025
In this day and age adult male nudity with young boys is a risky endeavor. No matter how innocent the intentions, there are those who will find a way to change the perspective and criminalize it.
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TD
Tom D
Feb 25, 2025
[quote]In this day and age adult male nudity with young boys is a risky endeavor. No matter how innocent the intentions, there are those who will find a way to change the perspective and criminalize it.[/quote] Agreed. It would probably be better to limit nude exercise to those over 18 in the current environment. In a similar vein, a scout leader told me that the weekly after curfew leaders only swim remained suits optional until female leaders were allowed in camp.
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TD
Tom D
Feb 25, 2025
[quote]I've read that prior to going co-ed after WW2, many activities at the YMCA were conducted nude. At facilities with overnight accomodations, I can imagine that men could go from their rooms straight to the nude only swimming pool without clothes, but imagined men were dressed playing basketball or wrestling in the gymnasiums. Afterall the excuse of fibers clogging filters didn't apply. Therefore I was suprised to see a picture from the first half of the 20th century (undated) titled YMCA Gym Class. It's a balcony shot of a gymnasium in Marietta, Ohio of naked boys doing calesthenics. Here is the link: https://marietta.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16824coll5/id/9190/[/quote] Some men in the old YMCA naked group mentioned that when they lived at a YMCA, they would go to their room after dinner, undress, go to the pool and or gym, do whatever athletic activities that wished, shower, shave, return to their room and not dress again until breakfast time.
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TravelcruiserNC
Feb 26, 2025
I did not get to experience nude exercise at the Y. But I did get to enjoy nude swimming. I went to church camp after the 6th grade where we swam naked in the lake everyday (there was no pool).
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Stone AndyOriginal Poster
Feb 26, 2025
I found old film from a summer camp in Sweden from 1912: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iub2dChGHk
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NI
Nicky1223
Feb 27, 2025
I attended an all boys school from 1977-1983. When we had swimming as part of our physical education programme it was compulsory that we were naked. Even when we had an open evening for parents to bring prospective new pupils around we still had to be naked so they could see how we complete our lessons.
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TD
Tom D
Mar 8, 2025
[quote]I attended an all boys school from 1977-1983. When we had swimming as part of our physical education programme it was compulsory that we were naked. Even when we had an open evening for parents to bring prospective new pupils around we still had to be naked so they could see how we complete our lessons.[/quote] Similarly but only for other male students, someone on another board attended an all male college. The college had an intramural program run by upper classes. He was the advisor for the swimming program. When they held an informational program for the freshmen to learn about the options, he and the gymnastics advisor were nude so the students would know what to expect.
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