While not an answer about modern exercise culture, I feel confident that /u/iphikrates answer to "Did Socrates even lift?" will interest you.

What time period are you asking and where are you asking for? Because it went in and out of style at different times in different parts of the world, the Greeks were doing it from what we can tell almost the begging of there civilization while in the Americas it was widely done until the around turn of the 20th century in California or more specifically muscle beach in Venice California so if you care to specify when and where I would love to answer