A Website Dedicated to the Study of Strength, Health, Fitness and Sport Across Centuries, Countries and Contests.
When Atlas Wasn't Playing Tug-of-War he was giving out Diet Tips “I realize you are anxious to build up great strength and power as soon as possible. Here is a simple secret which should help give you the results you hope for.” Charles Atlas, Mail Order Workout Programme, Lesson Two, c.1930s In 1921 Charles Atlas... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular physical culturists of the entire twentieth-century, there is no denying the impact Charles Atlas had on the muscle making industry. Full of vigour, advice and the occasional insult, Atlas challenged his 'students' to improve their physique as much as possible. The yardstick for their success? None other than Atlas's own... Continue Reading →
From Eugen Sandow to Charles Atlas, physical culturists have long made a living through mail order ads. Check out this old Arnie one from the late 1960s flogging the latest Weider product. So next time you grow weary of the hyperbole from today's modern advertisements, just remember that such ads are a time honored tradition... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular physical culturists of the entire twentieth-century, there is no denying the impact Charles Atlas had on the muscle making industry. Full of vigour, advice and the occasional insult, Atlas challenged his 'students' to improve their physique as much as possible. The yardstick for their success? None other than Atlas's own... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7drz_faT8sM Part of the 1942 movie 'Behind the Eight Ball', the above song is not strictly about health and fitness. Sung by the Ritz Brothers, Al, Jimmy and Harry, 'Charles Atlas did it for Me' is a funny and interesting incidence of how physical culture was viewed in wartime America. Eulogising the system of Charles... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7drz_faT8sM Part of the 1942 movie 'Behind the Eight Ball', the above song is not strictly about health and fitness. Sung by the Ritz Brothers, Al, Jimmy and Harry, 'Charles Atlas did it for Me' is a funny and interesting incidence of how physical culture was viewed in wartime America. Eulogising the system of Charles... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular physical culturists of the entire twentieth-century, there is no denying the impact Charles Atlas had on the muscle making industry. Full of vigour, advice and the occasional insult, Atlas challenged his 'students' to improve their physique as much as possible. The yardstick for their success? None other than Atlas's own... Continue Reading →
Constipation: a condition in which there is difficulty in emptying the bowels, usually associated with hardened faeces. Constipation may seem an odd topic of study, but the history of the condition and efforts aimed at relieving it open up interesting social, political and economic histories . From 1900 to 1940, the United States suffered a... Continue Reading →
One of the most popular physical culturists of the entire twentieth-century, there is no denying the impact Charles Atlas had on the muscle making industry. Full of vigour, advice and the occasional insult, Atlas challenged his 'students' to improve their physique as much as possible. The yardstick for their success? None other than Atlas's own... Continue Reading →
Though born in Vienna in 1873, Alois P. Swoboda became one of America's most popular and famous physical culturists of the early twentieth-century. Preaching a system of bodyweight only exercises, Swoboda ran a successful mail-order business for several years, which allowed the Austrian to preach his message of muscle across the United States. Given the... Continue Reading →