Arthur McGovern (died 1942, at age 54) was a

personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...

to the titans of Broadway and Wall Street at his

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...

gym. A former

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

boxer, he shot to fame by reconditioning

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

, who came out of a slump to hit 47 home runs next season, and a record 60 homers the next.

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926 ...

Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen (; born Eugenio Saraceni, February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s, and the winner of seven major championships. He is one of five players (alon ...

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era known primarily for American military marches. He is known as "The March King" or the "American March King", to dis ...

and

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

were among his other celebrity clients. In December, 1925 Babe Ruth started working out at McGovern's gymnasium. He put Ruth on a rigorous program of diet, exercise and arid rest.Ritter, Lawrence S; Rucker, Mark. (1988). ''The Babe: A Life in Pictures''. Ticknor & Fields. p. 136. There are photographs of McGovern working with Ruth in the August 1926 issue of the ''Physical Culture'' magazine, titled, "Brought Back By Physical Culture".Barthel, Thomas. (2018). ''Babe Ruth and the Creation of the Celebrity Athlete''. McFarland. pp. 128-129. McGovern has been described as a "prominent practitioner" of

physical culture Physical culture, also known as Body culture, is a health and strength training movement that originated during the 19th century in Germany, the UK and the US. Origins The physical culture movement in the United States during the 19th century ...

. McGovern was also the author of a 1935 fitness book title ''The Secret of Keeping Fit''. He died in Manhattan, New York.

References

External links

"How the Babe Got Fit," ''Parade'', April 30, 2006
Year of birth missing 1942 deaths American exercise and fitness writers American exercise instructors People associated with physical culture {{US-sport-bio-stub