Charles Atlas – The Methods To His Strength

Charles Atlas developed his training methods by observing the animals at the zoo. This was after he tried weights but had no progress.

For those of you who are in the combative arts, this might be of interest to you. We study the way the animals of the wild fight, incorporate what is applicable to the human body and use it to defend ourselves.

But, if we also take a lesson from Atlas and use these movements to develop incredible strength we can not only be much healthier, we can also be better at our arts. I personally believe this was part of the teachings of the old masters, but has been forgotten due to so called advancements weight training. Curiously, Atlas also taught fighting arts in his courses such as Karate, Boxing and Wrestling. Hmmmm

Many of the “old time” strong men acquired freakish strength with little or no use of any weights whatsoever. They knew what the Bulgarians have discovered through high-tech experiments. That it only through moving your body through space that the proper hormones are released that result in greater strength and fitness.

Here are some feats of strength that Charles Atlas was able to perform,

o He could do over 30 chin ups.

o Saved a rowboat full of people who had lost their oars and were stranded in a storm. He swam a mile out to them, tied a rope around his waist and towed the boat to shore.

o Could do 70 deep knee bends (Hindu-squats) with a 125lbs person on his back.

o Pulled a 144,000 pound train 120 feet!!!

o Could pull 5 cars for one mile.

o Won a “Most Perfectly Developed Man” contest at Madison Square Garden in 1922.

Stay Strong

Jim Brassard Ph.d./Ma.D.Sc.