anybody remember charles atlas?

[jf1]

and this?


did anybody ever try his program?

[alkell]

I remember those ads from Archie comics, and yes I did try it.

It makes a rather interesting read but the reality of the program IMO is lacking. The workouts get longer and longer, using isometric and body weight exercises and at the end he suggests you do 100's of pushups and sit ups every day.

Taken in the right context it could be a good way to get people involved in exercise who have little or no equipment (and hopefully lead them to other things)

[ProfBush]

I do remember Charles Atlas and his "Dynamic Tension" (isometrics before the term was commonly used). My brother who was 14 years older and had left home by the time I discovered it, bought the course and I found it. It was the first workout I ever used.

I remember lots of push-ups, dips between chairs, and calf raises on dictionaries, in addition to pulling imaginary ropes.

[alkell]

I do remember Charles Atlas and his "Dynamic Tension" (isometrics before the term was commonly used). My brother who was 14 years older and had left home by the time I discovered it, bought the course and I found it. It was the first workout I ever used.

I remember lots of push-ups, dips between chairs, and calf raises on dictionaries, in addition to pulling imaginary ropes.

Oh that's right, I remember a pulling imaginary rope one, like a tricep press down.

[ProfBush]

Oh that's right, I remember a pulling imaginary rope one, like a tricep press down.

That's the one!

[Old School]

Man that brings back memories...my older brother bought it and we did it for a while...then I got a barbell and dumbell set from canadian tire...the plastic ones filled with cement...that was the end of Charles Atlas in our house

[slackdaddy]

That's pretty funny . I joked to a co-worker just today about him getting sand kicked in his eyes at the beach. He had never heard of Charles Atlas.

[IR45N]

Sure, on the inside or back of most comic books. Notice 'skinny' does have the girl before and after.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.c...5042/index.htm

[jf1]

i always figured it was isometrics!
my folks wouldnt let me send my $ away...
instead, we went to sears and i got a 'ted williams' signature weight set!
concrete and plastic...

[John Prophet]

technically, im pretty sure dynamic tension is different than isometrics. we all know what isometrics are.

Dynamic tension is when you use the strength of one muscle group against another one. Like when you see the martial artists going thru a routine where it looks like they are underwater straining against the water. dynamic tension still has movement so it isnt isometric

[Whiskeyjack]

I remember those ads from Archie comics, and yes I did try it.

It makes a rather interesting read but the reality of the program IMO is lacking. The workouts get longer and longer, using isometric and body weight exercises and at the end he suggests you do 100's of pushups and sit ups every day.

Taken in the right context it could be a good way to get people involved in exercise who have little or no equipment (and hopefully lead them to other things)

^^^
My experience and understanding exactly.

[BergMuscle]

i always figured it was isometrics!
my folks wouldnt let me send my $ away...
instead, we went to sears and i got a 'ted williams' signature weight set!
concrete and plastic...

Wow! That's exactly what happened to me. And I still have some of those "Ted Williams" weights down in my basement.

It was ads like that one that first opened my eyes to bodybuilding. It took a lot more years before I truly believed that even "guys like me" could build big muscles, but looking at those ads made me want to have muscles.

Funny that looking at Charles Atlas's picture, I think many of us are bigger and better defined than he was - and he was considered to be one of the premiere "muscleman" in his day.

[Whiskeyjack]

Funny that looking at Charles Atlas's picture, I think many of us are bigger and better defined than he was - and he was considered to be one of the premiere "muscleman" in his day.

All true. But also all relative. When you compare how the physique standard now is so much higher than in "Atlas'" day, and that bodybuilding - near naked men (to say nothing of women) parading and flexing publicly, while still freaky to some - is so much more accepted, "Atlas" does emerge as a pioneer the way Freud was a pioneer of psychology.

[Tyrbolift]

All true. But also all relative. When you compare how the physique standard now is so much higher than in "Atlas'" day, and that bodybuilding - near naked men (to say nothing of women) parading and flexing publicly, while still freaky to some - is so much more accepted, "Atlas" does emerge as a pioneer the way Freud was a pioneer of psychology.

I'm sure if a lot of us could go back in time we'd freak a lot of people out if we took off our shirt.

[chodan9]

I'm sure if a lot of us could go back in time we'd freak a lot of people out if we took off our shirt.

can you imagine coleman or cutler walking up to charles atlas
he would probably **** himself

[StrengthNSmarts]

Sure, on the inside or back of most comic books. Notice 'skinny' does have the girl before and after.

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.c...5042/index.htm

Great story, I'd rep if I could.

[omnisjdi]

can you imagine coleman or cutler walking up to charles atlas
he would probably **** himself

Or even Arnold at his best.
I do remember those adds. Never tried them before. Interesting tibit that Reps or Flex actually recomends the program for some. It was in a recent issure just don't remember which one.

Jeff.

[JOHN GARGANI]

I still have the "original" Charles Atlas courses: here is a funny story: sent it in when I was very young.

so: at first, all the "free" stuff they send you is just an elaborate ad to get you to subscribe to his info..and the opening price was ridiculous...so I ignored it, but then, every couple of weeks, they would send you a new letter, lowering the price....


finally, the last price was so low, and they were going to send everything at once, so I agreed: keep in mind that this was back in the 60s, and they started out at something like 39 dollars and ended up at only 5 dollars!!! LOL...

so anyway: what do they send but mimeograph copies of the whole shebang ( yes, MIMEO, not even "XEROX")......


as mentioned already, it was this hilarious isometric nonsense and also a lot of old wive/folklore type of nutritional and other advice......

but it was fun......

[omnisjdi]

I still have the "original" Charles Atlas courses: here is a funny story: sent it in when I was very young.

so: at first, all the "free" stuff they send you is just an elaborate ad to get you to subscribe to his info..and the opening price was ridiculous...so I ignored it, but then, every couple of weeks, they would send you a new letter, lowering the price....


finally, the last price was so low, and they were going to send everything at once, so I agreed: keep in mind that this was back in the 60s, and they started out at something like 39 dollars and ended up at only 5 dollars!!! LOL...

so anyway: what do they send but mimeograph copies of the whole shebang ( yes, MIMEO, not even "XEROX")......


as mentioned already, it was this hilarious isometric nonsense and also a lot of old wive/folklore type of nutritional and other advice......

but it was fun......

They didn't have Photo copiers (Xerox) back then.
Probably too cheap to use a regular printer.

Jeff

[FFOGG]

wasn't this the forerunner to famous " Bullworker " wonder muscle machine ???

[alkell]

I still have the "original" Charles Atlas courses: here is a funny story: sent it in when I was very young.

so: at first, all the "free" stuff they send you is just an elaborate ad to get you to subscribe to his info..and the opening price was ridiculous...so I ignored it, but then, every couple of weeks, they would send you a new letter, lowering the price....


finally, the last price was so low, and they were going to send everything at once, so I agreed: keep in mind that this was back in the 60s, and they started out at something like 39 dollars and ended up at only 5 dollars!!! LOL...

so anyway: what do they send but mimeograph copies of the whole shebang ( yes, MIMEO, not even "XEROX")......


as mentioned already, it was this hilarious isometric nonsense and also a lot of old wive/folklore type of nutritional and other advice......

but it was fun......

Lol, good story John

[V-240]

I saved my money and got sea monkeys instead.

[doncarlin]

and this?


did anybody ever try his program?

Yeah, it was on the back of most comic books. Brings back memories...

[alkell]

I saved my money and got sea monkeys instead.

Lol I had those too. Never quite looked like the monkeys on the back of the comics funnily enough. Come to think of it I bought a few things of the back of comics

[JOHN GARGANI]

BTW, as an aside, I have all of the old original Marvel comics that came out in the early 60s and had those ads in every single issue!!

[jf1]

Lol I had those too. Never quite looked like the monkeys on the back of the comics funnily enough. Come to think of it I bought a few things of the back of comics

x-ray glasses?!

[Nikonguy]

You can still buy it!! No free set of steak knives though

http://charlesatlas.com/

[chodan9]

anyone ever get the submarine?

I heard it turned out to be like a model submarine, but the ad made it look like a real honest to God submarine (at least it looked that way to a kid heh heh)

[ProfBush]

anyone ever get the submarine?

I heard it turned out to be like a model submarine, but the ad made it look like a real honest to God submarine (at least it looked that way to a kid heh heh)

I had one that was small and plastic and used pellets. It was great in the bathtub-not sure how it worked, but it dived and rose while emitting bubbles. It and the frog men that used baking soda and I would stay in the tub long past the prune stage.

Just last weekend a show was on and it talked about the one you mentioned and how some kid thought it would work like a real one and drowned. It was made of cardboard.

[alkell]

anyone ever get the submarine?

I heard it turned out to be like a model submarine, but the ad made it look like a real honest to God submarine (at least it looked that way to a kid heh heh)

Wow, now that sounds cool!!! Lol

I do remember something about x-ray glasses, needless to say they didn't let me see through people.