Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII THE THEORY OF EXERCISE In the selection of any form of exercise one or two axioms must never be lost sight of: --1. Following the chase and tilling the soil were the original callings vouchsafed to man, and the forms of artificial exercises which come nearest to the muscular acts required by these callings, are to be commended. 2. Any exercise which tends to develop the upper limbs to the neglect of the lower is wrong in principle. Accepting these premises, the evolution of a satisfactory form of exercise would not appear to be difficult. The tendency of almost all indoor artificial exercises, however, is to devote attention to the development of the arms, and the man who can show the biggest biceps is considered the most perfectly trained and the most physically fit. Systems of physical culture in advertisements are frequently adorned by a picture of a young man placing his arm in such a position as to show a huge " lump " on the front of the arm, as if that were the be-all and the end-all of physical culture. It is implied, no doubt, that with the muscles of the shoulders and arms in this magnificent state of development, all the other muscles of the body are in a similar state of perfection. The assumption, however, is not well founded, for the other muscles of the body are not as a rule correspondingly developed. Is it, however, desirable that the upper limbs should be developed to such an extent? It is an altogether abnormal development; the muscles of the arm of even the labourer or blacksmith continuously engaged in manual work do not show such bulk or rigidity. The muscles of the arm in the process of artificial exercise would appear to be trained beyond the needs of man, and perhaps beyond what is hygienic. If the...
