Pehr Henrik Ling, born in 1776, lived a difficult life. He prided himself on being able to minimize his needs at any time, a skill he learned after years of hardship and hardship, such as when he volunteered in the naval battle of Copenhagen on April 2, 1801.
The harsh conditions of his early years had devastating consequences for his health: at no more than 25 years old he suffered from rheumatism, lung disease and had developed gout in his arm.
But in 1804 Ling discovered his passion for fencing and, thanks to the regular practice of this sport, his health improved. After three years, he fully recovered the ability to move his arm, verifying for himself the beneficial effects of physical exercise. And it is that this idea so common today —the use of training as therapy— was completely revolutionary in the 19th century.
Ling decided to apply his experience to benefit others and in 1813 he founded the Royal Central Institute of Gymnastics (RCIG), for the training of gymnastics instructors in Stockholm. There he would develop many innovative inventions that we can find today in any gym, such as the wall bars, the rack and the balance beams but, contrary to what we can see on numerous internet pages, was not the creator of Swedish Massage.
