Long before Jane Fonda’s workout videos, Goop or FitTok, there was Eugen Sandow. In an era of dumbbells and medicine balls, the 19th-century strongman built not only muscle but a fitness empire rivaling that of any modern-day “wellness influencer.” The world-famous Sandow endorsed nutritional supplements, sold exercise equipment and dispensed “lifestyle content” in books and magazines while amassing a global following that any algorithm-chasing social media personality would envy.