On August 24, 1918, an announcement was published in the Izvestia newspaper about the first recruitment of students to the one-year Institute of Physical Culture.

On August 29, 1919, the board of the People's Commissariat of Health adopted a regulation on the Institute of Physical Culture.

[4] Its first rector was a specialist in school hygiene and physical education, Doctor of Sciences (1903), Professor (1918) Varnava Efimovich Ignatyev.

[5] The first curriculum included the study of dynamic anatomy, physiology, physiological chemistry, hygiene, psychology, gymnastics, labor processes, sequential exercises, Swedish gymnastics, Lesgaft exercises, plasticity, rhythm, fencing, choral singing, musical culture, expressive speech, carpentry and bookbinding.

In the first decade of the institute's work, the proportion of medical and biological subjects in the curriculum was higher than that of specialized sports disciplines.

The institute's athletes participated in Moscow and USSR championships, made long-distance skiing and cycling trips, and were involved in mountaineering and parachuting.

During the Great Patriotic War, the work of the institute received a new content and was subordinated to the tasks of wartime - to provide all possible assistance to the Red Army in achieving victory over the enemy.

Faculties were liquidated, and the curriculum and programs for all disciplines were given a military-applied character, such subjects as military field gymnastics, military ski training, hand-to-hand combat, overcoming obstacles, swimming and swimming, grenade throwing were introduced, the volume of teaching the methods of therapeutic physical education and therapeutic massage was increased.

On August 30, 1943, the Lenin Military Faculty of the Stalin State Institute of Physical Culture was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for outstanding achievements in training commanders-specialists in physical training of the Red Army and direct participation in the battles for the Motherland.

In connection with the participation of Soviet athletes in the Olympic Games, world championships, European and other international competitions, the scale of scientific research on these problems significantly expanded.

Based on the results of the research conducted, the institute's scientists created and published works of great importance for the theory and practice of physical education and sports, as well as many textbooks and teaching aids for physical education institutes and technical schools.

In 1967, a faculty for the improvement of coaching and teaching staff was opened at the State Central Institute of Physical Culture and Sport.

Many graduates are European, World, Olympic and Paralympic champions: Grigory Goldberg [ru] (1908–1976), in 1966, was the founding head of the postbaccalaureate program in chess which initially was organized as an academic specialization of the institution.