T RAIXIXG WIT HOUT APPLIANCES A NATURAL METHOD OF PHYSICAL TRAINING By EDWIN CHECKLEY Cloth. i2mo.. ^f.jo. Sent post-paid on receipt of price. Your methods are so simple and apparently safe so easv to followers.-/f .//,«;,, BUikie, autltor of - H^. Rodes Buchanan, phy^^t^L?S^^:,S:-h wm produce wonderft.. r^ kI" !!i^-^y j^? ^^^ '"'^^^s* development possible to each man i^ o be attamed by learning, first, to breathe correctK- i th^? th^ To w Tlf '\'° ^•"^"P"" ^he pelv-ic bones : th^?J^ by^i^infhow the™;.'.r^H^'^^° through all the ordinary mov^ents wuh rna,l?f ' n ' f ^^"^^^^^ every set of muscles employed tK Till H ^^^^^- the system of development follo'ws naturalfv rcUvrty.-.^^- '^t^ ^^^ --^>- ■" ^ '^ course of usualX"? . A very simple scheme for developing muscles An ongmal scheme ofphysiculturethat is no bother to practice ' Jr.hJhr"*^'' '^""^ °"» '°t? o*" things that surprised him and will .routh^-^^"!'^';";^^^;.*^^^^^^- ^^^-^ ^»- Checkley g^".^ William C. Brvaxt & Co. 24 AND 26 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York. A NATURAL METHOD S-f /3, Ti HYSICAL IRAINING REiNC A PRACTICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE "CHECKLEY SYSTEM" OF PHYSICULTURE BY EDWIN CHECKLEY FULLY ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTO(;RAPHS TAKEN ESPECIALLY FOR J HIS TR^iAlTSE > •-■ : ^ -v ^^-^ ^ ""/^SmimG vO^- BROOKLYN, N. V, WILLIAM C. BRYANT & CO. 1 890. \ COPYRIGHT 1890. BY WILLIAM C. BRYANT .>t CO. PREFACE. PHYSICAL trainin wishes simply to feel light and strong and, if need be, find himself ready to safely enter on any reasonable physical undertaking. The author of this book believes that there is more ** straining" than "training" in a good many popular systems practiced in and out of the college gymnasium, and the method he him- self advocates perhaps radically departs from familiar s}'stems. Yet this method seems ta the author so fully indorsed by nature and by results that he might, if not ior the appearance of egotism, have called this book '* The Natural 4 PREFACE. Method of Physical Training." instead of usino- the indefinite ''A." In the pages that follow an effort has been made to outline a plan of conduct for bodily development that is not dependent on any appliances whatever, that will build up the frame of the slender and reduce the unwelcome proportions of the cor- pulent without the employment of machinery or harsh and weakening methods of dieting. The author fears that he may not always have been able to connect in each chapter all that he had to say upon each point covered, and thus feels that those who wish to follow the system from these pages should carefully read the whole book, observing the emphasis upon seemingly minor matters. £. C. CONTEXTS. Page. 7 I. The Bugbear of Training. II. How TO Carry the Body 17 IIL How TO Breathe 3' I\'. Muscles and What they Do. . - 45 V. The Joints and their Development. 57 VI. Exercises for Muscles and Joints. . - 71 Vn. The Treatment of Obesity. ..85 \TII. Training for Women loi DC. A Word about Children 113 X. Some General Hints i-3 The Checkley System IIIIIIIIIMIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII I. THE BUGBEAR OF TRAINING. THERE are two points which writers and talkers about physical training are almost always ready to bring forward when discussion arises as to the present status of our race — they tell us to look at the ancient Greeks and at the animal kingdom. They tell us the ancient Greeks attained certain proficiencies in the field of athletics, and developed a remarkably perfect physique, which the artists delighted to reproduce. They show us the muscular perfec- tion of brute creatures, their general health and comfortable relations with life. These points are in the main well raised. The example of the Greeks was in all respects one toward which the attention of modern peo- 8 THE CHECKLEV ^VSTEM. pics may always profitably be turned. The Panhellenic games were an inspiration to the rising generation. They made physical vigor fashionable. And they were not merely an isolated incident in the life of the Greeks. These Panhellenic games were simply the flowering of a superb system of training — superb so far as it related to the work to be done in those tremendous conflicts of the arena. Physicians and law makers alike realized the importance of athletic exer- cise. Lycurgus scattered free training schools, and his successors followed up, in one way or another, the example set by this remarkable governor. The people paid extraordinary honor to the athletic heroes. A man who won more than one prize at the same Olympiad was modeled in marble by the best sculptor of his state. We are reminded of our own times in the accounts w^hich tell of the large fortunes made by those who achieved some especial glory at the games. But the conditions of life among the ancient Greeks were wholly different from the condi- tions of life with which modern men and women THE BUGBEAR OF TRAINING. 9 are struggling. The athleticism of the old Grecian race was cultivated under very favor- able circumstances. The Grecians not only- led a more outdoor life than our northern races, but their mode of living, in respect to public and private festivals, entertaiments and social movements, made the development of the physical man much easier than it can ever be with us. These differences do not make it less proper for us to look to the Greeks, but we should remember the necessities arising out of these differences. It is for us to study out the compromise which must be made. Properly made, this compromise will represent a new and sufficient ideal. It will pay to remember that there has been a good deal of exaggeration in stories of Greek- prowess. Undoubtedly we are in possession of some fairly accurate figures concerning the feats of tl^ old athletes, but there are man)- absurd!}' false estimates of the earh' running, jumping and throwing. The Panhellenic games brought forward men who had been in training for great periods for special feats. The honors awarded were so great that no amount of train- lO THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. ing and exertion were considered too consider- able. Given the same training our modern athletes would greatly surpass the Greek rec- ords. If the modern horse is quicker than the ancient, the modern man is quicker also. Our all-round athletes would, I am sure, have as- tonished an audience at an Olmypiad. And as for the mattefof physique, there has been equal- ly great exaggeration on that side. Plato tells us that the sculptors took considerable liberty in departing from the actual form of the modeL Everything points to a relative inferiority in the ancient races ; yes, even in the worshiped Greeks. No one should doubt that the world is producing men of finer form than it has hitherto produced, and that it will continue to do so. If we consider the other allusion to the brute creation we shall find many things to rebuke and instruct us, but many things also that indicate the possibility of exaggerating the relative physical superiority of the beasts. Maa is physically the most magnificent of all ani- mals. His muscular system excels in versa- tility that of any other creature. He can stand THK BL'GBEAR UV TRAIMNX;. II variations in temperature, in forms of covering, in kinds of occupation that are impossible to the lower animals. Considering the things he is in the habit of eating, and the other trials he places upon his system, we can only marvel at the splendid manner in which he is proving his physical superiority to all his other neighbors on this planet. The significant thing in connection with brute creatures is. that they do not have ath- letics. The lion keeps his marvelous strength without extraordinary effort. And so with other beasts. Their natural habits keep them in con- dition, and sometimes their natural habits do not seem to fully explain why they are so strong and so healthy. As a matter of fact, beasts are not, of course, always so strong as they would be under training, but by not train- ing they escape other difficulties, of which I will speak a little later on. If we are to take any special lesson from the lower animals, it must be that the best strength is that produced under natural habits. This brings me to that bugbear of •'train- ing. " To a certain number of people athletic 12 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. or Special physical training is agreeable. In fact, few who enter it find any kind of training without some exhilaration. But the proportion of people who do any training at all is very small, while the number who might, if the pro- posed training did not come in the guise of hardship, is unquestionably considerable. The course of exercises prescribed to many an ambi- tious victim of physical weakness is altogether too heroic, and even those who are fairly strongs and who would like to develop and maintain their strength, are frightened off by the systems put forward as necessary. Elaborate apparatus is one of the symptoms of an elaborate system. The little fellow who went a-fishing was cer- tain he could catch bigger fish the further he went away from home, and the designers of health lifts and chest expanders, boxing ma- chines and rowing appliances seem to feel that the glitter and elaboration of their machinery will tempt and benefit the purchaser in pro- portion to their size — and complexity. It is undoubtedly a fact that certain artistic formulas for training have a fascination at the outset. Their ingenuity seems to promise an THE BUC^BEAK OE TRAINING. r3 opening of the mysterious roao to health. The novelty itself is something to count upon. And machinery has a certain charm while it is new. You pull this and push that so many times a day and you get to be a little amateur Sam- son. You already feel the muscles expanding. Those biceps especially draw attention, fis if they were the synonym of health and strength. But the mystery vanishes after a while and something or other is always interfering with that half hour at the machine. It is put off for a day, for two days, for a week. Interest grad- ually evaporates and the biceps are allowed to go to the bad again. The illusion disappears and is gone. And then the corpulent subject is attr.cked with that terrible legend — " Diet." Leave off eating so and so, is the order, and your paunch will gradually and beautifully disappear. The so and so, of course, is always exactly what the corpulent subject most enjoys. But the worst of it all is that, in spite of obedience, after a terrible struggle, to the awful ordeal, after the discomfort and weakness of implicit reliance On a certain system of eating, there is only a loss 14 TllK CULL RLE V SVSTKM. of a few pounds out of many and no material change in the (general form or condition. At the first halt in the rigid dietary discipline there is complete relapse in flesh. These ordeals bring "training" into very bad repute. Sometimes they do actual injury. The )'outh who enters the gymnasium at col- lege, starts out on a career of violent training — general as well as special — finds himself exhila- rated for a time. His special strength increases, but his false start on the great material lines tells against him in after years, when a little weakness around the heart and a sudden light- ness in the head tell a story of bad beginnings and false discipline. There is something radically wrong in these harsh and extravagant methods of training. The average man does not care to be an athlete in the accepted sense. If he has means to squander in appliances he does not have the opportunity to use them as directed, and the most slavish adherence to the rules somehow does not have the expected effect. The lifting and striking power may be gradually increased and the chest expansion slightl)' improved, so THE bu(;rear of training. 15 far as measurement goes, but there is something- wanting. Anything that interferes with the galley-slave labor at the apparatus sets back work. The strength of the man so " trained '* has no reliance on itself It is superficial — onl}- skin deep, as it were. The training will. not " stay put." The truth is that there can be no proper training that does not educate the whole sys- tem of the man. The muscular system of a man is not made up of chest and biceps. It is a wonderful and complex organization in which one part is intimately related with the other, and if the system as a whole is not kept in mind the building up of the arms will not in- crease the permanent strength or permanent health. Men become proficient at punching a sand bag who do not know how to simply carry their own body. They have spent their time in training, as it were, from the outside. One of our modern philosophers has said that we invent fine railroads, but we are for^ettinp- how to walk. This is very true. We are for- getting how to stand, and, above all — fatal error ! — we are forgetting how to breathe. 10 THE CHECK LEV SYSTEM. There are what are known as "conversa- tional methods " of learning lani^uages. I sup- pose these are very g^ood methods. They are supposed to lead the student into a language without first learning the grammatical rules. In athletic training of the simplest kind there can be no profitable way of skulking around the fir3t principles. We must breathe properly or forfeit all chance of ever becoming really strong, of having the kind of strength that wears well. We must stand properly if we wish to give the body and its muscles a chance to become what we wish them to become and what they must be'come to be at their best. The kind of train- ing that starts in to load certain parts of the body with hard muscles, overlooking the simple elements of general strength, is an error that sometimes proves more than a harmless mis- take. ■ 'In the chapters which follow I shall try, without elaboration, to outline the general principles of the muscular machinery and my sj'-stem of developing that machinery into com- fortable and healthful perfection. now TO CAKKV THE iJODV IT. HOW TO CARRY THE BODY. ^\OES it, then, need to be told how the body ^^ must be carried ? Most certainly. It might Tdc asked, Does a person not naturally carry his "bod}' as comfortably as he can '^. And the answer is that a person very seldom does. It may ap- pear that this is being done, but the fact is not so. Some people naturally develop a habit of proper carriage, but they form a decided mi- nority. Without guidance the chances are that a child will grow up into bad habits of holding himself together. His spine will be left to do things it was never intended to do. He will sit, stand and walk without proper reliance on muscles that were intended to make all his movements easier. He will collapse wiiile sit- ting, rest on his heels, perhaps, while standing, and breathe so perversely that any unusual i8 THK (HECK LEV SYSTEM. exertion reveals the fact that only'a limited series of muscles are brought into play, while the lungs are but half developed. It is of the utmost importance, then, at the very outset that a person should do those things properly which occupy so large a per- centage of the habits of his life. If there is a reflex action from correct habits of sittine standing and breathing, to say nothing of other actions, it is quite clear that the formation of a correct habit will bring a certain percentage of added strength and health with no conscious exertion. It is like having money out at in- terest. The income does not seem to be worked for. In fact, it is stating a simple truth to say that a man or woman should get good health and sufficient strength and perfection of form in the ordinary activities of life, if those activ- ities, however meagre, are carried on in obedi- ence to right laws. This truth is one of far- reaching yet unsuspected importance. There is a prevailing impression that this, that and the other mode of life prevent the development of a strong body, a superstition that one can- HOW TO CARRY THE BOD\ . I9 not be strong without athletics, and violent athletics at that. Men carelessly retard and in- jure their physical system during, say. fourteen and a half of their waking hours, and then hope to counteract all this by fifteen minutes' work on a few muscles of their body, and generally not on the muscles that are most injured by the carelessness of the day. It is a fact not very often taken into account that clothes, in their modem Torm. have a seri- ous tendency to interfere with the right devel- opment of the body, to hinder muscular action and to generally hamper the physical system. I do not speak now of such special features as the corset, but of clothing in general. Unless the tendency is specifically checked, most wearers of fashionable attire will find them- selves yielding to the tailors or dressmaker's measurements. The stiff high collar worn by so many men rather helps the general poise of the h^cid but is a dangerous obstacle to the healthy development of the neck muscles. The shoulders are. perhaps, particularly influenced b\- modern clothes. A man with low, sloping shoul- ders holds himself in a position to keep his sus- 20 THE CHECKLEY SYSTEM. penders from slipping, and accommodates him- self to the habit of his coat. Then the conven- tional "cut" of trousers interferes with easy sit- ting, walking and stooping. Men sit so as not to- "bag" or wrinkle their trousers, just as women, during the reign of the bustle, sat in a lop-sided fiishion to accommodate the mysterious and ugly appendage. In many other ways people- of both sexes, and scarcely oftener in one sex than in the other, are allowing their physical stature and habits to be strongly influenced by clothes. Instead of so doing it is a duty to carry the body correctly, to move and act in every par- ticular with reference to the health and beauty of the body without thinking of its covering. If the covering interferes, either ignore the in- terference or select the covering differently. Let the clothes fit and protect the body, and not allow the body to seek the favor of the clothes. I have said nothing of shoes, whose wretched form so often weakens the body by discouraging exercise and by impairing the circulation. Small and ill-fitting shoes have* done as much damage in the world as corsets. HOW TO CARRY THE BODY. 21 They have made cheerful people peevish and strong people indolent, if not weak. Have shoes large enough to give your feet abundant freedom. To get out of the ordinary activities of life all possible strength and health let us first learn to stand. A literal drawing of the actual standing' position of twelve persons chosen at random would present a curious spectacle. The distended abdomen and more or less flat- tened chest would prevail in a majority of the dozen. It would be safe to say that in eleven out of the twelve the bone structure of the body and not the muscles would be found doing most of the work of keeping the body upright. The incorrect position, more or less characteristic of a great many people, and not by any means representing an extreme case, is shown in the accompanying illustration. The abdomen is here pushed forward into disagreea- ble prominence, or rather the body is allowed to settle on the legs as it may, thus rounding the shoulders and protruding the abdominal region. This attitude is just as common among women as among men, and perhaps more com- THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. Incorrect standing position, very 3nly observed amone both m^, mon women com- among both men and HOW TO CARRY THE BODY. 2$ mon. For one thing, corsets, while theoret- ically holding the body up, encourage lassitude of the waist region. And then women are liable to affect a " willowy " style of standing and moving. Many girls seem to think that there is a kind of feminine charm in a lacka- daisical manner. Now the fact is that the bone structure of the body should not be forced to perform the work thus thrust upon it. The muscles should hold the body in position. Upon them de- volves the task of holding the trunk erect, of keeping the proper relation between the spine and the pelvis (the bone structure from which the backbone springs) and the upper leg bones^ where they join the pelvis, forming what is called the hip joint. It is worth remembering \ that the height of a man may be materially af- fected by the manner in which he carries his body. If he uses the muscles of the hip and abdominal region and of the back instead of allowing his trunk to settle down, he may be certain of establishing a better height than if he did otherwise, and this height will be per- manent. / 24 THE CIIECKLEV SYSTEM. The spine may be relied upon to give a cer- tain support to the trunk. This may go with- out stating, but the multitude of muscles associated with the spine are intended to per- form the greater part of the work in keeping the body in position. As the rudder guides a boat or reins lead a horse, so the muscles direct the posture of the body. They not only direct but largely support the body, and this should be remembered in standing and in every other position and action. The correct position in standing is some- times curiously exaggerated by the protrusion of the chest to a grotesque and unnatural de- gree. Figure 2 may be taken as an example of the position sometimes seriously recommended. There is no naturalness, force or beauty in such a position. The author's views of the -correct position are indicated by Fig. 3. As will be seen by this illustration, the lips, chin, chest and toes should come upon one line, with the feet turned at an angle of sixty degrees. In such a position the body acquires its greatest ease, its greatest endurance and its greatest readiness. The chest, the wall covering the great boilers now TO CARRY THE BODY. 2$ FIG. 2. Exaggerated standing position, dis- torting spine and chest. 26 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. FIG. 3. Correct standing position, showing natural and forcible carriage of the body. HOW TO CARRY THE BODY. 2/ of the body — the lungs — is given the greatest prominence, while the abdomen is carried more modestly than most people are inclined to carry it. The shoulder, hip and ankle joints are also kept upon one line. The neck is carried erect so as to bring the collar-bone into a horizontal position. Notice the difference in the carriage of the head between Figures i and 3. The point of wiiat I have urged is this : The muscles must be used in the support of the body — and all of the muscles that rightfully should. This does not imply greater labor, but less. What begins by a conscious effort will soon end in a habit — will become an exhilaration. What often passes for fatigue of the muscles is simply irritation arising from impeded circula- tion of the blood brought about not by the use but the cramping or non-use of muscles. This numbness or irritation from impeded circulation is particularly liable to result from bad habits in sitting. In sitting, as in stand- ing, the muscles must be brought into play, and precisely in proportion to the extent in which they are used will be the absence of fatigue in sitting. It is not to be maintained. 28 Till-: CHECK LEV SYSTEM. of course, that a person should continually sit bolt upright. This would, for a person com- pelled to sit during a great many hours each day, entail great fatigue. Some of the muscles may be relaxed and the position modified for short periods, but the muscles should never be so relaxed as to drop the trunk upon the spine, leaving its own bone structure to hold it up. Those who have dropped into this round- backed position will testify to a peculiar weariness in the lumbar region of the spine, what is called the *' small of the back." To rise or sit upright and stretch the arms and body affords a great relief. This is not because the muscles have been tired, but because they hav'e been benumbed by failure in the circula- tion. A proper maintenance of muscular action will keep up the healthy circulation and make it easier to sit for a considerable time without fatigue. The cultivation of the muscles in the region of the abdomen and the lower part of the back will naturally have the effect of making it easier to sit, as every gain in the strength and extent of a system of muscles builds up a power HOW TO CARRY THE BODY. 29 ■of involuntary action. In relaxing- the trunk the well-drilled army of muscles will be found to have acquired a power to hold the body up with little perceptible effort. In walking, keep face and chest well over the advanced foot, and preserve the habit of lifting the body with the muscles and by the inflation of the lungs. Of this I shall speak further in connection with the subject of breathing. Avoid a mincing step. Take a free, firm and easy stride, avoiding any hard jarring motions, keeping in mind during every movement or exertion the function of the mus- cles to support and move the body. I say "keeping in mind" because I believe that the mind should not be above co-operation Avith the body. In fact, unless it does co-oper- ate with the body the body cannot be strong and healthy, and if the body is not strong and healthy what can the mind expect to be ? In recent years it has become something of a habit with a good many well-meaning people to say high sounding things about the superi- ority of the mind over the body, the essential insignificance of the body, etc. Is it not time 30 THE CIIECKr.EY SYSTEM. to emphasize the influence of the body upon the mind ? Are we not constantly confronted by instances of the mind's dependence upon the body ? What I would like to emphasize is that the mind and body are dependent upon each other. The mind cannot get out of the partnership^ liowever much it may wish to- do so. It must stay, and it must do its share or suffer, and generally suffer keenly. The further our civi- lization advances the more complete this inter- dependence becomes. Under our fashion of living the body seems to require greater and greater attention from the mind, and the in- creasing mental strain assumed under our rest- less, hurrying life makes a greater and greater demand upon the vitality of the body. It is quite clear, then, that we are not in a position to talk about breaking the partnership. Of course this conscious use of the muscles will not continue to be as great as at the out- set. In time the proper management of the body becomes largely unconscious and invol- untary, but need never become wholly so. HOW TO BREATHE. 3 1 III. HOW TO BREATHE. f\ T the time of this writing the newspapers I contain comments on the illness and death of certain prominent athletes. The winner of man\- prizes passes away at the age of twenty-four. Lung weakness seizes upon other seemingly stalwart types of " trained " men. These are startling facts. They form a significant comment on some modern methods of drilling the machiner\' of the human body. If men are to gain muscle at the expense of their life, it is plain that people will soon begin to look askance at training methods of every kind. What is the difficulty.^ Why has train- ing become dangerous } Why do lung and heart troubles assail in after years the enthusi- astic followers of highly active sport ? The answer seems to me to be this : That 32 THE CHI£CKLI£V SYSTEM. modern "training" has become a •* strain i no-'- system that is frequently not only indiscreet but dangerous. It is dangerous not only be- cause of its useless violence and hardship, but because of the pernicious theories upon which it is founded. It begins on the outside instead of the inside. Greater than all its other evib is its neglect of the lungs. When we stop for a moment to consider the tremendous importance of the lungs it must become apparent that any neglect of tliese great central boilers of the body is the worst kind of neglect. The office of the lungs is of the very highest importance. This importance is incidentally acknowledged by many writers and teachers, but the development of the lungs is left to take care of itself, it being assumed as a general thing that all exercises tend suffici- ently to expand the lungs. To be sure, great stress is occasionally laid upoii the expansion of the chest, but the assumption too frequently appears to be that this expansion is a matter of external muscular development. The theory is on a par with the general superficiality of the average system of training. The strength of HOW TO BREATHE. 33 Special parts in a steam engine, and even of bands on the boiler, will not prevent weakness and possibly an explosion if the material of the boiler itself is without strength. Hard layers of muscles on the chest do not improve the permanent strength of the lungs. It should be clear that the enlarging and strengthening of the lungs can be satisfactorily accomplished only by the exercise and special training of those organs themselves — in other words, beginning on the inside. This truth lies at the ver>- bottom of natural physical training. To learn to breathe is to learn the ABC of physical health, and it is of special impor- tance that this education of the lungs should precede the education of the outer muscular system, for the natural increase of lung strength and chest room is retarded by methods that begin work on the outside first. What I have to say on this point will become clearer by consultation of Fig. 4, which shows the manner in which the rib system incloses the chest. It will be seen that there is a joint In the ribs as they approach the centre of the 34 IHF, CIIKCKLKV SVSir.M. chest. l^>om this joint forward to the central strip of bone substance, called the stcnium, the ribs are made of a flexible cartilage that is readily developed under exercise. Breathing distends the ribs and cartilage in the most effective way ; indeed, in the only effectual way. To distend the chest by hollowing the back and throwing back the shoulders is merely a make s h i ft, w h i 1 e breathing creates a genuine tendency to expansion. The dot- ted line will indicate the manner in which the rib-structure dis- tends under the in- terior pressure from the full lungs. The general posi- tion occupied by the lungs is shown very well in Fig. 5, where Showing area of flexible cartilages. tllCy arC represented Dotted line shows proper direction , , 111 of expansion. by the shadcd parts. now TO BREATHE. 35-- r- n ) S.Sternum or Breastbone. £.E. Respiratory chest expansion. FIG. =. 36 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. The dotted lines on each side again illustrate the chest expansion under full breathing. It will be noted in Fig. 5 that the lungs do not extend downward beyond the space between the fifth and sixth ribs. This may suggest the reason why the abdomen should not play so prominent a part in breathing as it so generally does. The diaphragm muscle, which separates the region of the lungs from the region of the stomach and liver, has the power to assist the lungs in receiving and expelling the air. But its power has been so greatly abused that the lungs and chest muscles have been left to do very little of the work that properly belongs to them. The unfortunate habit of abdominal breathing, as it is called, is particularly com- mon among men. The use of the corset, and other reasons, have produced among women a habit of breathing with the upper part of the lungs, a habit that has been to that extent for- tunate. Lung diseases are less frequent among women than among men. Women breathe less air than men, but they breathe it in a better way. Men generally exercise the lower parts of the lungs nearest the assisting HOW TO BREATHE. 37 diaphragm, leaving the upper parts, that first receive the air, in a state of relative weakness and susceptibility. In m\' opinion the diaphragm has properly no greater necessary use in expanding and contracting the lungs than the ribs themselves. In other words, the action of the diaphragm should be sympathetic without being initiatory. The lungs have their own muscular power, and this power should be fully exercised. The simplest preparatory exercise is full, ^ long breathing. While standing or sitting in any proper attitude, with the chest free, take in a long breath until the lungs seem full, taking care at the same time not to harshly strain the lungs or muscles. Hold the breath thus taken for a few seconds, and then allow it to slowly leave the lungs. By consciously breathing in this manner the lungs will be enlarged and strengthened and the breathing will become slower. Normal breathing, when the body is at rest, should not include more than ten breaths in a minute. I, myself, get along very comfortably with not more than six, sleeping or waking. During exercise of an ordinary char- 38 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. actcr the breathing will naturally increase to fourteen or fifteen breaths in the minute. At the outset long breaths will be a con- scious exercise. But the reader must not as- sume that he cannot develop an unconscious liabit because the exercise seems at the start to require attention. Take long breaths as often as you think of it. You may not think of it more than once or twice a day at the beginning. Then you will find it easy to remember every hour or so, and then twice or three times an hour, until finally the habit is formed, and the old short, scant breath — a mere gasp in many people — is entirely abandoned. How soon, - and to what extent this habit may be formed will depend to a great extent on the constitu- tion of the person, but the principle is of uni- versal application. A long breath will be found to represent strength, and strength that en- dures. From the elephant, w^ho breathes eight times in a minute, to the mouse who breathes one hundred and twenty times in the same period, brute creatures are almost uniformly found to possess strength in proportion to the length of the respiratory movement. Curiously HOW TO I3RKATHK. 39 enough it is the animal that most closely re« sembles man — the monkey — who, in confine- ment, first succumbs to disease of the lungs. In all lung exercises endeavor to inflate the lungs upward and outward instead of down- ward. Carry chest and lungs as if the inflation were about to lift the body off the ground up- ward and forward. The feeling of buoyancy- given by this habit is not an il|\is.ion by any means. It is genuine. There are certain movements which combine the respiratory with muscular exercises. Such a preliminary exercise is indicated in Fig. 6. Take the correct standing position and place the hands together (locking the thumbs), as shown in the drawing at A. Raise the hands, keeping the arms straight, and at the same time take in a long breath. When the arms are raised as high as your muscular condition will allow without bending the body in any way, slowly lower the arms again, emiting the breath as they descend. Repeat this a num- ber of times. When the shoulder and chest muscles are in good condition, you will be able to raise the arms straight over the head with- out bending the body. 40 THE CHECKLEY SYSTEM. FIG. 6. HOW TO BREATHE. 41 FIG. -42 THK CHECK LEV SVi-TEM. For another exercise combining respiration and muscular action assume the same position, raise the hands slowly while taking in a breath» and when they have reached a position over the head hold the breath while they are brought slowly down to the sides. Then slowly release the breath. Again, place the hands over the head as in Fig. 7. and as they are brought to the sides on a perfect line, draw in a breath corresponding in duration to the time occupied ^n dropping the arms slowly. Release the breath gradually. For a final exercise in this department the preliminary position is shown in Fig. 8. Hav- ing brought the elbows on a level with the shoulders, and the hands on the same line. extend the arms, with hands together as if in the act of swimming, taking in at the same time all the air the lungs will hold. Holding the lungs full, bring the hands around on an outer circle to points on a level with the shoul- ders, and then slowly empty the lungs while bringing the hands to the original position. These exercises will be found ea.sy yet ex- hilarating, and will fill the double oflFice of HOW TO IIRKATHK. 43 tiu. s. 44 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. strengthening the lungs and developing the shoulder and chest muscles. Practice them after rising and before fully dressing in the morning, and again before retiring at night. It should not be difficult to find some opportu- nity for this practice some time again during the day. These movements should not be performed more quickly than ten times a minute. It is well not to overdo these or other ex- ercises at the outset, since, by unduly tiring the muscles, the pleasure of exercising on the ensuing day will be largely destroyed by a sense of pain. Nothing is gained by straining. MUSCLES AND WHAT THEY DO. 45 IV. MUSCLES AND WHAT THEY DO. rjEFORE passing to the general training of the muscular system it cannot be in- advisable to pause for a moment and con- sider what a muscle is and what it is capable of doing. I have more than once seen men, speaking of their power to strike a blow, proudly touch the bunch of muscle on the- top of the upper-arm, as if that supplied the power in striking, when, in fact, it is the muscles on the back of the arm that supply the force by which the arm is straightened. Incidents of this kind furnish a reminder that very few people realize the character — the structure — of muscles, or understand clearly the functions they perform. Indeed, judging from the sys- tems of training now so common, and the con- duct of athletes in general, it seems question- able whether a knowledge of the muscles, their -4^ thl: ciiecklev system. needs and application, is even as well diffused -as man}' have supposed. Generally speakin^r a muscle is formed of a mass of small fibres running parallel with one another, and possessing a power of contraction -more or less great, according to their health and training. This power of contraction •draws closer to each other the two ends of the muscles, and by so doing brings the bones to which the two ends are attached that much nearer together. The muscle is attached to the bone b}' white, unelastic cords called ten- dons. These tendons are so strong and so securely fastened to the bone that the sudden contraction of the muscle in pulling is more liable to snap the bone than the concussion of 13 fall itself. ^Muscles, indeed, break a o^reat many bones in one way or another. The muscles of the body are arranged for the most part in complimentary groups, by - which they act together, pulling and relaxing as the case ma}^ be. Thus in the limbs the muscles which straighten the bones are called the extensor muscles, while those that bend them are called flexor muscles. The biceps MUSCLES AND WHAT TIIKY DO. 47 on the front of the upper arm are flexor mus- cles, because they pull up the fore-arm. To straighten out the arm again the triceps on the back of the arm exercise their office as exten- sors. In the same manner the flexors of the leg are on the back and the flexors of the hand are on the palm. The a c - companying illustration (Fig. 9.) will give an idea m Bones. m Muscular fibres^ m Tendons, uniting muscle to bones. A,A. Points Ql which tendons attach to bones^ of the manner in which the biceps act in bending the arm. The ten- fig 9. don joins the forearm not far below the elbow joint, thus giving the muscles a very quick leverage on the arm. With so short a hold, however, this muscle requires great power. Of course in flexing the arm, the forearm muscles — which, in their turn, are united with the upper arm — are also brought into play. When the muscles on the front and back of 48 THE CHECKLEV SVSTEM. the arm are both drawn at once the hmb be- comes rinrid. The same remarks apply to Fi the function it has is evenly and naturally ex- ercised. The cartilage is covered with a thin layer called the synovial membrane, and 60 THE CHECKLEY SYSTEM. the joints are continually oiled and kept in working condition by a fluid called synovia. Then a series of tough bands, called ligaments, hold the heads of the bones in proper position. Joints like those at the knee and ankle are called hinge joints, while others, like those at the shoulder and hip, are ball and socket joints. One is constructed very differently from the other but both are operated on the same principle and have the same general conditions of health and strenorth. o The joint itself, if we were to mean the bones merely, has all the flexibility that the surrounding ligaments and the connecting muscles will give it. That the difficulty of bending is not in the bones but in the liga- ments and muscles about the bones will be illustrated by the fact that one has little diffi- culty in placing the knee against the chest. But stand upright and endeavor to carry the chest toward the knees and the operation is found to be very difficult. Or endeavor to lift the stiffened leg toward the chest, and it will be found impossible to acquire the whole dis- tance. This is because the muscles and ten- THI-: JOINTS AXD THEIR DEVELOPMENT. 6l dons have not been trained to sufficiently accommodate themselves to the severe relaxa- tion. When the joints are not fully trained by use the same difficulty will constantly arise, and even in the minor movements. The ligaments are necessarily made to hold the bones very firmly. If they did not cases of dislocation would be much more frequent than they now are. When a bone becomes dislocated the ligaments and muscles draw the points of union past each other. In the case of the shoulder this is not a very serious affair, for that joint, being relatively in a state of high flexibility, may usually be reset without great difficulty. Many contortionists can voluntarily dislocate one or both of their shoulders b\' muscular action, and restore their position without difficulty. But in the case of the thigh, for instance, the situation is very different. A visitor to a hospital will often observe a patient lying with one leg extended on a support end- ing in a pulley and weights. The weights, sometimes of many pounds, are "tiring out" the contracting elements about the joint. When they are sufficiently " tired by the pro- 62 JIIH ( IIECKLEV SYSTEM. longed pulling, and acknowledge themselves; beaten, the head of the dislocated bone is placed in position and the muscles again ac- quire the necessary contractilit}'. » It is thus important that in developing the muscles of the body the office of the joints should be kept in mind. The bones are not insensible material but contain a blood s\-stem, a life and sensitiveness equal to that of the other parts of the body. They are, in fact, as much dependent upon exercise for health as the muscles. Moreo\"er. a bone ma\' be in- creased in dimensions by exercise, so that the chances of increasing the height and building out the frame by carr}'ing the body in the best manner, will be aided by the actual growth of properly exercised bones. The proper use of the hip joint is, perhaps, most frequently ignored. As I have suggested the bones of the spine are continual 1\' strained, the chest contracted and the abdomen distended in an effort to save the hip joint and the muscles, affecting its use from performing the service that belongs to them. By frequent and easy practice the hips may THE JOINTS AM) rilKlR l)i:\'ELUI'MKN"l-. 63 be made what they should be — the natural hinge in the middle of the bod\-. Begin b\- ascertaining with the finger the location of the hip joints. Place the middle finger of each hand on the corr^ponding hip joint — at the exact localit)- of the hinge — and the thumbs of each hand on the edge of the hip or pelvis itself. Now bend forward and the relation of the pelvis bone to the leg joint will be readily perceived by the touch of the thumbs and fin- gers. The action of bending is, indeed, a back- ward movement of the hinge of the body and not a forward movement of the head as the beginner generally assumes. Let the consci- ous movement be in the hips, and preserve the natural relations of head, neck and back. Re- peat several times the motion of bending from an upright position to a point as low as possible luithoiit bending the baek. At the outset a stick of any sort — a broom handle if \-ou choose — ma\- be held with one hand upright against the spine, head, hollow of the back and foot of spine, all touching, while the stooping over is tried several tim.es, until the straightness of the back is secured, and it becomes plain that the hips ^4 THE C HECKLE Y SYSTEM. FIG. 12. corrlrf"SnH?n^.. '^^ v°"^ '^'i^T °^ '^^ ''"'^^ ^^ ^^^" '" ^^^ incorrect and correct standing positions and the manner in which the proper use of the oKhrho^Hv "tkI fi "'' '""u'"'^- u'"^y 'ncrease the height and symmetry THE JOINTS AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT. 65 are doing all the bending. When the motion is first tried the pupil invariably arches the head and neck, and perhap^s hollows the back. For the purposes of this practice guard against any movement of the back or neck, and the value of these fine hip hinges will be- gin to appear. Repeat these movements with the hands raised above the head. Then bend forward as far as the hip joints will allow, throw the shoulders up and forward, and touch the floor with the tips of the fingers, without bending the knees. The latter movement is a familiar feature of the military- "setting up"* drill and is of great value. WTien first attempted it is generally found difficult, though some persons, with no special effort, easily bend in this way. After repeated practice it will be found possible not only to touch the floor but to hold the fingers there, then to touch and hold the second joint of the fingers and finally, perhaps, even the palms. The action of the shoulders in this move- ment brings up the importance of developing the shoulders- The power of the shoulder movement in itself is surprising. Stand up- 66 THK CHECKLEY SYSTEM. right in the correct position and lift the shoul- ders as high as possible, lowering them after- ward as far as they will go. Now bring them forward and draw them back as far as they can reach in each direction. Repeat these move- ments and endeavor to keep the shoulders flex- ible and vigorous. By training the shoulders the clavicle, or collar bone, with the other bones and muscles involved, increase the width and general bulk of the shoulders. A special exercise for the development of the shoulders with the muscles of the back and ides is this : Stand sideways near some vertical urface. like the wall of a room, at a point suf- ficiently distant to allow the hand when extend- ed to easily touch the surface. Now move an inch further away and touch the surface again without altering the position of the feet, legs or pelvis (Fig. 13.) A second time move an inch and this time there will be some difficulty in reaching. Repeat the movement until the sur- face cannot be reached, then do the same with the other arm and shoulder. The effort to reach will draw out and straighten the shoul- ders, and it will be discovered that the shoul- Till-: JOINTS AND JJIKIR J )KVKLOPMENT. 67 68 THK CHECKLKY SYSTEM. dcrs can be made to have a distinct lateral extension. Stand with the back to the wall and the arms extended and make a pencil mark at the ends of the second fingers when the shoulders are most contracted. Now reach out as far as possible each way, and the difference in reach will be found, at the end of a few of the exercises just given, to steadily increase. After a few months of reasonable practice with the shoulders the tailor may, if it has been his practice, be requested to leave out the cotton padding in the coat. There is a complimentary action between the shoulder and hip that is well illustrated in the act of stooping. An effective method of stooping is shown in Fig. 14. The first bend- ing is of the knee. Then the hip hinges work and the body bends forward — partly move the shoulders, by which the hand is easily brought to the ground without the wrenching of the spine and the discomfort of both lungs and abdomen. In such movements the tendency is to distend the abdomen, but in this and in all similar movements the abdomen should be contracted ■d.wfi kept under muscular control. THE JOINTS AND THEIR DEVELOl'MEXT. 69 FIG. 70 THE CHECK LEV SYSTEM. In the same manner when seated do not reach over a table, for instance, by curving the back, but by throwing forward the shoulder. If this does not bring the hand near enough the object, bend at the hips. The great value of a flexible shoulder in reaching is shown by the fact that, with the spine firmly held against the back of a chair, the hand may, with practice, be osillated in a direct forward reach from two to six inches. I have thus far but sketched the value of a proper training for the joints. In another chap- ter I shall take up a series of exercises bringing both joints and muscles into play. EXKRClSi:> K(»K .MISLLK> AXh JOINTS. J'l \'I. KXKRCISES FOR MUSCLES AND JOINTS. All exercises of the joints involve certain J exercises of the muscles, but there are some that involve simply a relaxation of cer- tain muscles with only sufficient tension in others to keep the body erect meanwhile. Such, for instance, is this useful exercise for the attainment of flexibility in the pelvic region or the region of the hips : Take the correct standing position, then relax the muscles so as to permit the whole weight of the body to fall on the left leg. allow- ing the right leg to bend and the right hip to sag down as far as it may. Xow transfer this weight to the right leg and allow the left hip to drop as loosely as possible. This would be a^ very bad position to stand in. but the exercise 72 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. of transfering the weight from one side of the pelvis to the other, gives increased flexibiUty and vigor to the muscles and ligaments of this region, and will give increased elasticit\- and endurance in walking. On the first occasion the exercise should be repeated slowly, and might last one or two minutes. After renewed practice it will be found easy to drop rapidly from one hip to the other without inconvenience and to prolong the exercise for four or five minutes. The training of the spine should be carried on with the training of the pelvis, from which bony framework it rises. In pointing out that the spine should not be bent in every stooping: and reaching movement, the theory was not that it was to its disadvantage to bend, but that the habit of bending forward needlessly ham- pered the lungs and digestive region. The spine itself should be thoroughly exercised, for the same reason that other regions should be kept in reasonable activity. To give the spine a flexibility necessary to the comfort of the body it should be frequently moved in all directions consistent with its KXERCISKS FOR Ml'SCLKS AND JOINTS. / .-) structure. Under proper cultivation the spine has great \crsatilit\- of movement. Between each of the bones of the spinal column are disks of " fibro-cartilage." as the anatomists call it, a substance which operates as a cushion between each section of vertebrae and constitut- ing a continuous safeguard against accident to the great bone centre of the bod\'. These cush- ions form actually about one-fourth of the spinal column, and they not only render the column susceptible of modification, so far as its lengthening or shortening is concerned, but they make it possible for the column to twist \'ertically to a considerable extent. Numerous ligaments, forming a beautifully complex struct- ure, hold the whole system of bones and cushions in position, and the stout muscles of the back hold an intimate relation with them. It is these ligaments and muscles that require to be treated in the exercise of the spine. An exercise of a simple but effective charac- ter is acquired in this way : After assuming the correct standing position, extend the arnis until the hands are brought on a level with the shoulders. Holding the arms and shoulders 74 TTTK (HIXKLKV SVSTK>r. upon a straicrht line and keeping the arms directly opposite each other, as if actually held in position by a long pole passed across the baek of the neck and held in position by the thumbs (this plan may be followed if desired), swing the arms and shoulders in unison, first in one direction and then in the other until the line of the arms, at the extreme tension of the swing, is as nearly as possible at right-angles ^^•ith the first position. Swing in this way at the rate of about tuent}- movements to the minute until the muscles of the shoulders and back feel tired. The greatest flexibility will be found in the upper region of the spine— a slight flexing of each section of the vertebra,% giving an aggregate twist that will, with practice, be- come considerable. If the arms do not swing the shoulders with them, the exercise will have little value. And it is to be remembered that the hips should, during the exercise, keep their natural position and not swing with the shoulders. A variation upon this exercise is illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16. In Fig. 15 the arms are brought to a position at right-angles with their KXKRCISF.S roK MlSCl.KS AND JOIN IS. 75 FIG. ;6 'iHK cHiaKLKV svsrK>r. FIG. 1 6. p:xercises for mtsclks and joints. 77 original line, the hips in this case bcin^'^ turned slightly. Now, keeping the arms rigidly oppo- site each other, bend the left arm downward, at the same time bending the left knee onl\-. and touch the floor between the two feet, as, shown in Fig. i6. Raise the left hand until the arms resume the position of Fig. 15, and swing the arms about until the right hand occupies a forward position. Bending the right knee (the left being kept rigid), the floor may now be touched in the same manner with the right hand. These positions may be alternated at the rate of about fifteen changes to the minute. The exercise is an excellent one. In the two movements just described keep the face directed toward one point in front of the figure. By so doing the neck will be given some work to do and will be strengthened in all repetitions of the exercise. To further strengthen the neck — and a development of the neck muscles will prevent many a headache that arises from no other cause but muscular fatigue — stand with the back against a wall. Without moving an\- part of the back or shoul- ders away from the wall, move the head for- THK cniXKLKV S\'S'I'I-;M ward and back a number of times, kecpino- the face on the same vertical line as when the back of the head touches the wall. Then practice a side to side movement of the head, without altering the vertical line of the head, as in Fig-. 17- In this second movement it will bejound very difficult at the beginning not to roll the head, but be content with a slight move- ment at the outset, and in time it will be found possible to oscillate the head several inches with- lout altering the ver- \\ , •/) The great ad- vantage of move- ments of the neck, in which the head is managed independently, is an increased control of all the muscles in this region of the body. It is thus not merely the exercise of the muscles that all these movements are designed to accomplish, but the <:w//;Wof the muscles, so that every muscle may, in so far as that is possible in ordinary EXERCISES EOK MUSCLES AND JOINTS. 79 trainin<^, be under reasonable control. The value of such perfection of control I cannot reiterate too frequent!}-. The exhilaration, the increased local strength, and the increased general health, are certain to render control worth the effort. An exercise of much \'alue in perfectin*^ the poise and supleness of the body, and in strengthening the legs, is illustrated in Fig. 18. Assume the standing position, with the handr, at the sides. Draw the arms backward until the hands are about eighteen inches from the ver- tical line of the body, relax the leg muscles and drop quickly into the position shown in the drawing. As the body descends, bring forward the hands, and b\' continuing their swing the balance of the body will be better preserved while it sinks and rises again to the first posi- tion. The natural elasticitx' of the muscles will tend to send the body upward again after it has dropped upon the heels, and the movement may be repeated, according to the condition of the muscles, from three or four t(^ a dozen times. Remember to keep the bod\' above the hips perfectly upright during the exercise. So 'riiK C :Uia'Ki,K\- SVS'JKM. FIG. 18. EXERCISES FOR MUSCLES AND JOINTS. 8[ Another exercise benefiting- the le<^s. hips iind chest: Place one foot before the other as in steppin*^, rise on the toes (or, properly speak- ini^-. the ball of the foot), and sprin^^in*^- slightly transpose the relative positions of the feet so that by a regular repetition the effect will be as of a still walk. The arms may be swung in •sympathy with the movement. During the •exercise practice a long and steady breathing — with the lips closed, of course. It will he observed that while some of these exercises place considerable tax on the agility ■of the muscles, there are none of them violent. Dozens of other movements pursuing the same line of development will readil\' occur to one Avho enters upon practice. My purpose is al- ways to lead the pupil by gradual steps to the point where he or she shall feel a ])erfect famil- iarity with and mastery of all the muscles of the body. When this has been accomplished, in connection with the de\'elopment of the lungs, the pupil is ready fc:)r the heavier athletic training, with which this book is not concerned, and with which all but a small number of peo- ple have neither the time nor the necessity to be interested- 82 1 HK CJIECKLEV bV.STEM Kven sedentar}- people will find many ways of amplifyincT in practical exercise the forecro- in<,^ special exercises for the lungs, muscles and joints. Yet it is necessary to avoid violent ex- periments. In lifting anything whatever, en- deavor to bring all the necessary muscles into play. The action will require a certain amount of thought, for in a spasmodic effort it is easy to seriously strain a few muscles left to do an involuntary service. In fact, a failure to con- centrate effort in the right manner often does an iniur\\ when the movement intelligently made exhilarates without straining or "wind- ing " the person. In his recent scientific work on the '• Physi- ology of BodiI>- Exercise. ■" Dr. Lagrange em- phasizes this point : " Exercise. " says the writer, "performed without moderation or rule induces all forms and degrees of fatigue, and exposes the human machine to various injuries which we have described as the accidents of work. On the other hand, muscnlar work per- formed in gradually increasing quantity and ac- cording to the rules of graduated training. bring about a progressive adaptation of the KXKRCISES 1\)R MUSCLICS AND JOINTS. S'3 offjans in the performance of more and more violent exercise. It improves the human motor by giving to all its machinery a greater strength and ease of working. Such are the results of exercise considered as an abstract factor and reduced to the quantity of work represented b\- it. But it is onl\- b\- a mental effort that we can isolate the work done by the .system from the organs concerned in the performance. Now these organs are not the same in all cases, and do not work in the same • manner in all forms of exercise. Thus, the practice of different exercises produces different effects on the system. Hence the use of a rational classification of the different exercises, and the necessity of making a choice from among them in accordance with the effects desired." Light exercises and exercises that \igor- ousl\- tax the strength each have their place and value. The point is that the\- should not be misplaced. The exercises given are de- sisted to a-ii'akoi the muscular svstem, to give it flexibilitx- and readiness, and it will be found when the training: on these lines has been «S4 TIIK CllECKLEV SYSTEM. carefully advanced, that a heavy demand on the muscles has no terrors, that the general strength has been splendidly increased in a degree entirely out of proportion to the in- creased size of the individual muscles. THE TREATMENT UE OBESITY. VIT. THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY. . , I KT me have men about me that are fat," ^^ says the Coesar of Shakespeare's play. But then there may be too much of a good thing. There is a happy mein between the ** lean and hungry " proportions of Cassius and the too ample outlines of the Leicester gentle- man who, early in this century, carried to his grave a body weighing 789 pounds. In our own day, with all the hurrying and scurrying brougrht bv the Nineteenth Centurv method of living, a large number of people suffer from an accumulation of fat, and the treatment of per- sons so afflicted receives much attention and calls up many ingenious schemes and sug- gestions. The most popular method of combating^ corpulency is by dieting. A thousand and ^'86 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. one pamphlets and patent medicines bear promises of salvation for the afflicted fat. Many a worthy person has suffered the agonies of semi-starvation in an effort to reduce his weight, and has sometimes succeeded in getting^ rid of a few pounds. Many others have chosen to "eat and drink " if they cannot *' live and be merry," preferring- the inconven- iences and dangers of corpulency to the tor- tures of a greatly restricted diet. So long as certain articles of food are rec- ognized as having greater properties for pro- ducing fat than others, it is plain that dieting may have some influence on the quantity of fat accumulated. But it only succeeds in reducing the formation of fat, and does nothing toward getting rid of fat after it is formed. In a per- son otherwise healthy this can only be done by -exercise — not mereh' abstract " airings," which fleshy people sometimes consider exercise, but localh' applied exercise, intelligently and conscientioush' pursued. Regarded rightly obesit}' is simply a disease and must be specifically treated like an\' other -disease. When the natural functions of the nil-: TKi^ATMExr oi" outsnv. .S/ body proceed without interruption there can be no accumulation of fat. It is onl\- b\- the fail- ure of some natural process that fat increases beyond the desirable point. In the growth of the body-materials fat is accumulated and consumed again just as stead- ily as coal is burned in the engine, or as the chemical ingredients of an electric batter}- are gradually exhausted. This fat feeds the mus- cles — cv^ery muscular effort producing a certain amount of combustion. If the muscles are not exercised, the fatty substance, which would be- burned up and carried off by the action of the muscles, steadih- accumulates. The accumulation of fat under the absence of exercise operates against its owner in more ways than one. Not onl\- does it increase his weight, retard his movements by increasing bulk, and interfere with his breathing, but it unduly heats the bod\-. The blood of a fat person is likely to become overheated, and is difficult to cool. Thus these excessive layers of fat, operating like so many excessive layers of clothing, are a constant menace to the com- fort and the health of the body. '88 TIIK CHKCRLKV SVSTKM. Exercise directly attacks superfluous fat. How much fat may be superfluous depends upon the constitution and temperament of the person. Under the most vigorous training -some people retain a good deal of fat. They are by nature plump. But their fat is no detri- ment to them. They move with as much ease and as little breathlessness as other people. The quantity of fat to be lost under exercise thus depends upon the individual, but will al- Avays, of course, be considerable in proportion to the amount accumulated without exercise and under the unrestricted influence of the disease at its height. Exercise not onl\' reduces fat but it reduces it in the most direct and effective wa}'. In half an hour of vigorous exercise a man may reduce his weight by a pound or more. The rapidity Avith which fat may be burned off in the activit)- of the muscles is often, indeed, surprising- This dissipation of fat is local ; that is to sa}', it disappears in localities in which muscles are active, and in proportion to their activit}'. Thus people will accumulate fat in accordance v^ery largely with their personal habits. Peo- THK TRKATMEXT OF OBKSITV. 89- plc wlio sit a great deal, \'et have occasion to use their arms considerably, will be found with arms having proportionateh' more muscle and less fat than their legs. Others who are on their feet a great deal, but take little exercise, are often found with relatively slender and muscular legs, while bod\' and arms are very fleshy. A large number of people, while of seeml)- proportions in other respects, grow an abdomen that is exceedingly ugly and becomes in time a great inconvenience. This is because, while the general activity of the person is consider- able, their abdomen is kept free from muscular action. The worship of the stomach renders people who like to live well extremely jealous of anything that disturbs the region of the stomach and digestive organs. Perhaps eating excessively" renders them continually cautious about bending, and at the first signs of a pro- truding abdomen in a person otherwise slender the protrusion is patted and petted as a kind of symbol of health, when, in fact, it is sometimes, if not very often, a threatening sign. It is at least a prophecy of too much fat, and as such should be looked at askance. 90 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. Instead of coddling the abdominal region it is a dut\- to keep this region as much alive with good muscles as any other part of the body. Where muscles are healthy excessive fat can- not live. Thus the most direct way of remov- ing fat from the abdomen is to establish a healthy system of muscle there. As the mus- cles grow the fat diminishes. A man may box and fence, and even walk, without losing- his terrible abdominal accumulation ; but if he centres his efforts at muscular exertion on the abdomen itself the fat cannot stand the attack and will gradually disappear. To regain muscular control of the abdomen after the control has once been lost is no easy matter. The ability to contract the abdomen observed in persons properly conditioned seems wholly impossible to a person with much fat. It is only by slow degrees that this control can be regained. The reflex action of health in the abdominal muscles, and the proper exercise of these mus- cles in connection with those of the spinal and pelvic regions, will be immediate and consider- able. All the digestive tonics that were ever THE TREATMENT OF OBESITY. 9^ FIG. 19. Showing fatty abdomen and extent of reduction necessary under training. 92 Illb; CHECKLEV SYSTEM. invented cannot compete with muscular ac- tivity in the digestive region as a means of driving away ills in this region. As a direct means of accomplishing this end the treatment of the abdomen itself is obviously better than exercising in a general way, and infinitely better, of course, than the most heroic system of dieting. One who follows conscientiously the exer- cises outlined in the preceding chapters, and who preserves a general activity of the muscles of the body, can never become corpulent, and for those who have just begun to acquire more than a proper or comfortable proportion of fatty material in the body, these general exer- cises will be sufficient to check and repair the damage. But in this chapter I have in mind those who are too corpulent for comfort and whose immediate concern is in reducing their weight. For these the following series of ex- ercises has been arranged : First — Contract the abdominal muscles and endeavor to draw the abdomen in and out, without breathing, until entire control of the TlIK TREATMENT OF OBESITY. 93 muscles is secured. If at the bei^iniiin<^ it is found impossible to use the muscles in this way press in the abdomen with the hands as far as possible, and while holding it thus, take several long breaths, resisting an\- temptation to allow the abdomen to move with the breathing. Pursue this plan until the abdomen can be drawn in and released b}' the action of the muscles and \\ithout the assistance of the hands. Second — Take the correct standing position (as nearly as may be possible), and straighten- ing the arms bring them for\\ard and upward as far as they ma\' be carried without hol- lowing the back. In reaching loosen all the muscles of the shoulders that will allow the fullest extension of the arms. The reach should be made forward and upward without removing the heels from the floor, and should be accompanied by a long breath. The motion should be repeated about ten times in a minute and will be found to have a \er\' beneficial effect on the neck, shoulders and chest. \\ hile strengthening the lungs. 94 Tin-: CHKCKLKV SYSTEM. \\\ ^ FIG. 20. Showing fatty .ihdomen as distended in bending without control of muscles. THE TKLATMEM OF UCFSll'V. 95 FIG. 21. Illustrating third exercise- 96 TIIK CIIECKLEV SYSTEM. Third — Clasp the hands over the abdomen. drawin:omen to breathe somewhat better than men, but' women are not less under the neces- sity of cultivating deep breathing — long breath- ing. They are early rendered breathless. The disappearance of the corset and cultivation of more pliant and vigorous bodies would tend to encourage more vigorous breathing. Fortu- nately there is every reason to believe that the corset is going out of fashion. A great many physicians, by way of rebuke, perhaps, to ex- aggerati\-e remarks by those who have sought to fight the corset, are inclined to pooh-pooh the idea of its dangers. Of exaggeration there has been plent}', but the truth remains that the corset has exerted and does exert not only a direct deforming influence, but an indirect de- forming influence on the whole body. It threatens the very basis of health, a ready cir- culation of the blood. The distended abdo- io6 THE CliECKLEV SYSTEM. FIG 23. This illustration excellently exemplifies the influence of corsets on the carriage and vigor of the body. The fact that corsets are loose enough not to interfere with the breathing will not prevent the deformities naturally resulting from any con- trivance for '-holding up" the body. When the body holds itself up the spine becomes strong and graceful in curve, bustles are unnecessary, the abdomen is not protruded, the chest strengthens, the bust is enlarged by the development of muscles, as well as by the better arch of the breastbone, and the general grace and health of the body is immensely increased. Fleshy women will reduce their weight by increasing the activity of the muscles that should support the body. TRAINING FUR WOMEN. IO7 men so shocking- to women, and the ijreat in- crease of flesh on the legs and feet, are often directly due to the seizures of the corset. The corset is naturally a constant obstacle to free play of the body, to facility in stooping and turning, and tends generally to curb the ex- ercise of the sex. Among women who have borne children, and particularly among women who have reached or passed middle age, the distended abdomen often brings much distress. Nothing certainh' could be uglier, more utterly destruc- tive of grace or distinction in manner. Tight- ened corsets, that ludicrous last resort of the corpulent, only increases the difficulty. The only direct and effective way of fighting this corpulence is, as I have said in the preceding chapters, by getting muscular control of the abdomen. Cast aside the corset and practice the contraction and expansion of the muscles while holding the breath, and follow all of those exercises that keep active the muscles of the pelvic and abdominal region. Do not be afraid to bend the body. There is no beneficial exercise that women I08 THE CHECKLEY SYSTEM. SO seldom indulge themselves in as high reach- ing. The average woman is not dressed so as to be able to reach over her head. The result is that very few women know the luxury of mus- cular freedom in this direction. Reaching may be Avrenching, and women should not, in act- ing upon this suggestion, rashly strain them- selves in any way. High reaching with both hands, upward and forward, is very beneficial for both slender and fleshy people. This ex- ercise is actually combined with the breathing exercises given in the chapter on breathing. It should be frequently tried and will be found very strengthening. Women are often ridiculed in their efforts to throw a ball. They have defended them- selves by arguing that their collar bone is shorter than man's. The statement is true, but women are more hampered in all such efforts by their want of familiarity with their shoulder muscles than by any brevity of the clavicle- Practice thoroughly the exercises tending ta develop the shoulders and to increase the ex- tension of the arms — not for the sake of beings able to throw a ball, but for the sake of the TRAINING FOR WOMEN. ICXj comfort and strength derivx-d from increased versatility in the shoulder. An allusion has already been made to the vicious tendency of badly fitting shoes. Wo- men are unquestionably nearer an abandon- ment of the corset than of the tight shoe. They admit that the Venus de Milo has a large waist. But artists who are generous in the waist-line are slow to wean from the curious, tradition that the smallness of a foot is a mark of beauty. Probably ninety-five per cent, of women of all classes are suffering from small or badly designed shoes. Sm.all shoes discour- age walking and standing, and those who stand and walk little can never have a graceful car- riage. If shoes are big enough the height of the heel will be a less serious affair. It is a blessing to a large number of women- that flowing skirts conceal the fact that the}" walk very badl}-. "Small shoes" is written as plainly as it could be written in the gait of the average woman. The direct influence of tight shoes on the circulation is very great. When we consider the indirect influence, in- duced bv the retarded exercise, it is hard ta I 10 THl>: CHKCKLEV SVSTKM.. •credit the perverse vitalit}- of this wretched superstition. Women should walk more. They should not take a cab or a street car to travel half a dozen or a dozen streets. Their endurance in shopping^ is often a surprise to men. But the endurance is an illusion. Men intensely in- terested for the same length of time would appear as little fatigued. The fact is that women wreck their nervous system at " bargain coun- ters." They should be able to bear the physical strain of standing, but their general strength is so poorly developed that they are actually un- fit to do the feats they call on their nervous vitality to perform. It seems particularly necessary to ask wo- men in walking to turn the toes out. The in- toed proclivity among women is very curious, and has increased the tendency to an inward turn of the knees. The value of an outward turn of the toes lies not merely in any theory of force, nor in the increased strengthening of the legs, but in the influence on the pelvis. An in-toed habit encourages a contraction of the forward pelvic region — an effect whose undesir- abilty need not be pointed out. TRAINING FOR WOMEN. Ill Women should, in fact, cultivate all the exercises that might give suppleness to their bodies. There can be no grace without sup- pleness. That complete flexibility in all the muscles of the body which the exercises enu- merated have been calculated to secure is absolutely necessary to the charm of carriage which distinguishes one woman above another. Unused muscles, resulting from an absurd idea of the essential restrictions of a woman's posi- tion, are worse than no muscles, because they are irritated under tension and retard the movement begun by the muscles that are fit to use. I believe I am the holder of somewhat radi- cal views about the physical — not to say of the mental— possibilities of women. I have seen in China, I have seen in Germany, I have seen in England types of women, reared under cer- tain conditions, that led me to doubt very much whether the long accepted phy.sical inferiority of woman is indeed a fact. If it is admitted that there is no essential boundary to woman's, intellectual po.ssibilities, if she is no longer held to have an uneven chance with the other sex 112 Till-: CmXKLKV SVS'IKM. in m.ittcrs of the mind, I think it is probably true that she has an absolutely even chance with man in the development of the body. I would ask those women who have, perhaps, rested too greatly on the tradition of necessary " weakness," to take this sug'^^estion into con- ^sideration, A WORD AliOir ( IIILDKKX. II3 IX. A WORD ABOUT CHILDRKX. 1 I Ah K X an adult 11 n d c r t a k c s to train ^^^ himself, beg;-ins to ^ain control of his muscular system and to "get strong," a large part of his labor is expended in undoing the evil of his previously acquired habits. He has to unbuild before he can build. The muscular system has here man\- re- semblances to the brain. Indeed, the muscles have actuall)' a memor}' distinct from functions of the brain. Muscular memory is a physio- logical fact, and a vciry interesting and signifi- cant fact. Thus in the same manner that first impressions affect the brain most ])ermanentl\', first habits in the muscular system cling most tenaciously to them. Habits of A\'alking and carriage formed in childhood are \'ery difficult 114 '^'"'"^ ^Hl^CKLKV SVSTKM. to shake off. In fact, they arc all but impossi- ble to g-et rid of entirely save by serious men- tal effort. Nothing is more important, therefore, than that children should be taught the general principles of right development. It is a mere makeshift to bring forward calisthenics. Noth- ing could be at the same time more amus- ing and more pathetic than to stand in a crowded class-room and watch the so-called exercises perfunctorily- performed by the pupils during a few minutes of each day. But a small minority of the children give any vigor or meaning to the few^ insignificant movements of the arms. Most of the boys, and almost M of the girls, are found making merely superficial movements, with no sense of the meaning and no feeling of exhilaration. If anything has ever been said to the children about breathing, the chances are that no tangible impression of the matter has been portrayed. If any- thing has been said about the carriage of the body, the instructions have been confined tc^ an injunction to *' keep back the shoulders.'* In a nervous effort to keep back the shoulders A WORD AlJUir ( IIILDRKN. II5 children arc often found with liol lowed backs and shoulder blades driven in a<(ainst the spine. What is wanted, of course, is not backward carriage of the shoulders, although this has some utility, but a forward carriage of the chest. The shoulder should not be drawn back of the hip joint line. There is no force in shoulders cxcessiveh- drawn backward. If the\' are far enough back to give the fullest freedom to the development of the chest, they are in a position to acquire all necessary strength. Most children are wont to j^rotrude the abdomen in standing, and when school begins the shoulders soon come forward. Teach a child to assume the correct position, giving tip whatever time ma\- be necessary to teach the proper line of chest and shoulders. It will soon forget about the correct position, but, when reminded by a touch or word, will soon learn to assume it, if only for a few moments, and the habit will gradually be formed. That the child should know how to stand correctl}-, and should assume the position at intervals, liill of itself have a good influence. Xaturall)-, breathing is the most important Il6 THK CHECKLKV SYSTEM. of all features of traininjj;^. Most children need very little studied exercise, but they all need specific and continued instruction in breathing. Nature has not provided for a natural develop- ment of the mind, and we have no right to assume that the body of its own accord, par- ticularly under an artificial condition of life, acquires right habits of performing all its func- tions. Induce the children to take long breaths. Make them take a pride in swelling the upper chest and in drawing the abdomen in and out while holding the breath. Induce them to take deep breaths while dressing in the morning and again before going to bed, if not oftener. These habits develop b}* their ow n movement if once fair!}' begun. Lungs fulh' inflated at regular inter\als will seem to call for inflation during these intervals, and involuntary deep breath.s will, as I have said, gradually increase in frequency to the immense improvement of the child's lung power and general health. The sternum, or breast bone, is. in a child, not only divided into eight pieces, but its whole material is soft, and very little training will give a fine, swelling chest to a youngster that might other- A WORD ABOUT CHILDREN. 11/ wise i^row up flat and weak in that region. Watch the cliild in sitting. It need not be kept stiffly seated upright. Children should know their position and should be able to assume it for a few moments on occasion. Rut they should be allowed the greatest possible free- dom of posture and mo\ement. If the}' bend over a table in sitting, teach them to bend from the hips and not from the middle of the back. In the end this proper position will give them much less fatigue. Do not restrict their \ariety of movement under false theories of proprietw The superstition about women's relatixe weakness begins to show itself in the training of children. Girls are ludicrously guarded against exercise that they need as great!}' as boys, and at ever}- critical period of their life thereafter the}- pa}- in suffering for the mis- guided consideration of those who had their training in hand. The so-called " lady-like " demeanor of girls is a thing to excite impa- tience. Girls brought up in strait-jackets of physical propriety — physical freedom will hurt nobody's *' manners "' — can never have the grace of deportment, the \ariet}- of poise, the readiness Il8 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. in emergency that will belong to girls of liberal physical training. As I have said, children need very little studied exercise aside from the breathing, and nothing artificial is a substitute for outdoor sport. Nothing makes better lungs than run- ning and climbing. Excessive running is as injurious as any other excess. But frequent and easy running is one of the finest of exer- cises. City children do relatively little run- ning. Girls who run are liable to be accused of rudeness (!). But country children are less under the ban of either false ideas of decorum or of restricting surroundings. City children, who do not find fences to get over, do little climbing. If it were possible to give children climbing — and arm climbing as well as leg climbing — they would be tremendously benefited in the lung region and in their entire physique. Children are particularly in need of diverse exercise. They should not be allowed to acquire hobbies, that keep them in one line of exercise to the exclusion of other useful movements. The natural tendency of the body is to distribute strength, but habits A WORD ABOUT CHILDREN. II9 and surroundings are continually interfering" with this symmetrical growth. If children arc made to do moderate exercise at spading or shoveling or sweeping, the effect upon their back will be a reward for the efforts made by both trainer and trained. Uscfiil exercise thus, ranks above all others, because it means some- thing and has a double influence. It seems scarcely necessary to speak of the importance of proper clothing. Children that are so well dressed during play hours that they are constantly occupied in an effort not to brings home any marks of dirt are in a pitiable plight, indeed. Children should have play suits as well as school suits and should be forced to change from one to the other at the proper hour. Neither girls nor boys should be com- pelled to think of clothes at all during pla>^ hours. Imagine boys often or twelve avoiding" kneeling positions to prevent new trousers from bagging at the knees ! As for the iniquity of putting corsets on growing girls, that crime has been too often condemned to require comment here. In his new work on " Hygiene for Child- I20 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. hood," Dr. Francis H. Rankin says: '• Housing children during the winter months, as a pre- caution against them taking cold, is a very .^reat mistake. Very few colds are contracted in the open air if the feet, limbs and body are sufficiently protected, and if the children are permitted to follow out their own inclinations of running, skipping and having free motion of the arms, and are not exposed for too long a time to the eold. When, however, they are compelled to walk like ' little gentlemen and ladies," even when bundled in furs, the body soon becomes chilled if the weather is very cold, and some disturbance of the system fol- lows. Children should be accustomed to daily exercise in the open air in all weathers, unless, of course, it is very stormy or the cold is severe, ^nd even when delicate they should not be deprived of the tonic effects of outdoor air, and of strengthening the muscles by exercise in it. The first effect of cold air on the system is a tonic, as may be seen by the bright color in the cheeks and a feeling of exhilaration after a walk on a crisp day in autumn. Prolonged exposure to cold, on the other hand, is very A WORD AHOLT CHILDKEX. 12 1 depressing ; delicate children, therefore, should not remain too long out of doors if the weather is severe, or if it is very w indy : for high winds, if cool, rapidly abstract the animal heat, and are also depressing. If a child is chilled or cold, it should instantly be brought into the house to be wdrmed and sent out again — taking the fresh air and outdoor exercise in install ments. as it were, instead of all at once. Never permit a child to remain out of doors when cry- 'mi lunjjs is not surprising. The weight carried in mounting an ordinary flight of steps is equal to a very considerable exertion of lifting. People who are not strong should thus not climb stairs too rashly, while they might make it an admir- able means of building up their strength. In all such movements take the exercise without sudden or taxing motions. Step firmly and carry the chest free so that long, full breathing may- buoy the body in its journey. Attention to the suggestions of this book will take a good many of the terrors out of stair climbing. The shoulders should not be held back so far as to be brought out of line with the hip joints. To carry them as far back as possible, and at high tension, does not improve the force or beauty of the figure, though certain actors and military men seek to make themselves imposing in this way. The chest must be given prominence on its own account, and the shoul- ders, when held far enough back to give the chest free development, find a natural and com- fortable centre. SOME HINTS AM) SIGGESTIONS. 1 33 Any tailor will confess that few if an\' of his customers have shoulders that are held precise- ly alike. The dressmaker tells the same story^ Almost everybody has a low shoulder. This is the result of habits more or less complicated. Many people acquire a habit of contracting certain muscles when walking. One shoulder is held slightly higher than the other, the head is carried a little to one side, and one foot has slightly the advantage of the other in the labor of walking. Sometimes this trait is carried to grotesque extremes until a positive and palpable deformity is the outgrowth. In nervous people these habits are particularly frequent, and are observed in standing and sit- ting, and walking. In the growth of the body, in the waste and renewal of tissue, such habits are exaggerated by a steady development. Often they are the result of seemingly trifling habits like leaning to one side while sitting, or carrying a valise, or a book, or anything of the kind always in one hand. To counteract these tendencies cultivate the habit of alternating the use of the hands and arms. Watch for tendencies toward right or left-sided move- 134 THE CHECK LEV SYSTEM. mcnts in sitting. Endeavor to adopt a changed position, which will give a relief to the wearied muscles of the desk-worker. To correct a want of uniformity in the shoulders adopt this plan : Several times a day lift the low shoulder as high as possible, holding it there, for a few moments. A regular practice of this movement will slowly increase the height of the shoulder, and in a few weeks the shoulders will be found to come into harmony. A shoulder may be too high as well as too low, though this is less often the case, and the exercise in such a con- dition should be to draw down the high shoul- der while the other is elevated, giving particu- lar attention to the shoulder that most needs correction. The trouble with the high shoul- der is probably a continued contraction of the muscles under a nervous habit. Relaxation is then all that need be sought. Endeavor (as I have previously urged,) to develop firm and self-reliant shoulders. There are many mus- cles in the upper back, shoulders and chest of which you have never discovered your ownership. SOME HINTS AM) SUGGES'l'IOXS. 135 The simple strctchiiig of the body is a great boon. How deH^^htful to extend all the limbs and arch the back after long confinement ! Stretching movements are very serviceable in preserving suppleness. A variation upon ex- ercises already suggested might be a purely up- ward reach at a wall, first with one hand and then the other, and then with both, avoiding, of course, harsh straininj/ in the first efforts. Of course the best kind of exercise is the exercise the body receives in performing some useful service. If a person feels that he is get- ting some good out a certain kind of work he has more enjoyment in that work than if he considered it either harmful labor or labor that was merely obligator}-. It is notorious that men will enter with enjoyment on active sport that makes a considerable demand upon their strength, when a hod of coal hurts their back, and a little spading in the garden fills them with aches for a week. As a matter of fact, too, work done without interest actually strains the body more than work enthusiastically per- formed. It might, therefore, be commended 136 THE CHECKLEV SYSTEM. that people cultivate the habit of themselves j>erforming little physical tasks such as might ordinarily be relegated to servants or hired assistants of other kinds. A woman who sweeps and dusts, lifts and moves a little with reason- able caution, and makes a couple of beds of a morning, has taken exercise in a practical and valuable way. A man who does not hesitate to move a few office chairs with his own hands, who carries a few heavy ledgers, or lends a hand (without rashh' overtaxing his strength) in moving a piece of merchandise, has done better than coddle himself all day, and after- ward seek artistic measures of repair. In other words, exercise by rule need onl\- supple- ment the natural exercise, which would be better if everybody could manage to get it. AVhen once the body is alive, when all the muscles are healthy and control of the entire system is complete, a ver\- little exercise, if it be continuous, is sufficient to keep a person healthy and strong. I am no believer in the theory of extensive destruction in tissues to secure health. This method seems to me to threaten the wearing out of the body before it SOME HINTS AXt) SUGGESTIONS. 1 37 should wear out. It is abnormal. As has been suggested, the lower animals keep their strength for the most part with light exercise, and some of the very strongest with extremely little ani- mation of moment. The tendency of hard exercise is hard muscles, and hard muscles are bad. The body should remain firm, but pliant and in most parts soft. It is in the conserva- tion of energy, and not in prodigal dissipation of energy, that the greatest strength and en« durance of the bodv will alwavs lie. Whenever I am asked what sort of gymnas- tics should be taken up by those who wish to carry exercise beyond the lighter or rudiment- ary forms outlined in my system of training I have always recommended tumbling, which is, after all, nearest to the natural gamboling of children and of animals, in what is vaguely called the '* state of nature." The suggestion may seem rather startling to many. A back somersault apf)ears like a very formidable feat to many quiet people. But it is not so hard as it looks, and there are scores of beneficial feats of the body that may be followed with no ap- ^3^ rnK ('iii:(Ki.i:v svsti.:m. plianccs and with -rcat benefit to tJic -cncral health. The more \'in-c),-ous o^ymnastics should be carried on under an instructor who may render the training symmetrical. The series of exer- cises outlined in this book will produce a very general development of the system, but there are exercises upon which the uninstructed mayrash- lyenter without stoppin- to considerthe chances of uneven development. It is a well-known principle that gymnastics produce as well as cure deformities. The deforming influence of fencing carried to excess must be offset by special training calculated to give the left side a harmonious relation to the right. Left hand fencing, well proportioned to the amount of fencing done with the right hand, is the best of all cures for the mis-balanced condition produced by ordinary practice. Boxing, if it is not turned into " slugging," is a fine exercise. It gives balance and suppleness to the whole body. Yet even boxing, if the same hand is • always used for guarding, and the left shoulder is always lifted in the protection of the head, will soMK iiixrs AM) sl'(;(;estioxs. 139 produce onc-sidcdncss to a certain degree unless off-set by other exerci-^e. To a certain extent boxing- is an ofT-set to fencing, the left arm being here kept high, where the right arm is high in fencing. To a certain extent the left shoulder development in boxing is an off-set to the prominence of the right shoulder in man}- other exercises necessary and artificial. In rowing the shoulders receive even develop- ment. Few exercises are carried to greater excess than rowing. The work is very heavy, and is frequently carried to dangerous length. Rowing properly done, and accompanied b>' proper training in other respects, has a great capacity for shoulder and chest development, but it is an exercise that demands great discre- tion, and is at best liable, in itself, to give an uneven development. Wrestling, probably the most violent of all exercises, is injudicious for most people, unless the\' are in good condition, and in a competition that is fairly even. A writer makes an interesting reference to trials of endurance. He says : " Exercise of endurance is characterized b}- the necessity for I40 TIIK CIIKCKLKV SVSTEAr. perfect equilibrium between the intensity of muscular effort and the power of resistance of the system. Now there is nothing so variable as the power of resistance of each individual. So that which is for one man an exercise of strength, or of speed, becomes for another, stronger or better trained, a simple exercise of endurance. A canter is an exercise of speed for a cart horse, used only to walk ; it is an exercise of endurance for a thoroughbred, which can sustain this pace all day without stopping. Rowing seems an exercise of strength to a man Avho is learning ; after a quarter of an hour he is out of breath. For a waterman it is an ex- ercise which he can, perhaps, keep up a whole day without any fatigue." " Staying power " is directly related, yes, directly regulated by the strength of the lungs. There can be no endurance in a weak-lungred person, and strong lungs are thus the first and pre-eminent requisite in one who wishes to> keep strong and be ready to enter to under- takings of any kind that tax the physical system. I may seem to reiterate a good deal SOMK JIIXTS AXD SL(i(iKSTIO\S. 141 this ncccssit}' for lun^" development as a prime factor, but tlie necessit}* seems to exist, for few modern systems of training are giving anything ^ike the necessary attention to direct lunj/ training. They talk about big chests but little about big lungs. Men with fine looking chests often have treacherous lungs, a condition re- sulting from a cultivation of superficial strength. TJic cJicst must be enlarged by tJie expansion of the lungs, and not b\' muscular distension. A chest made full b\' muscular action is a chest traveling on false pretenses. It seems to mean fine lungs underneath but two often does not. There is a point to be noted in connection with the kind of exercise suitable for persons of different constitution and different age. Young people of ordinary health, and no trou- ble with the heart, will enjoy and will profit by quick exercise — exercises of speed. But old people, or people suffering from debilit\- or breathlessness, should cultivate that which slowly arouses their system and does not tax their systems. Running is good for all who can possibly accomplish it. but a long walk is mucli 142 THE CIIECKLEV SYSTEM. better for a person debilitated b)' age, illness or excesses, and all exercises taken by such persons should be slow and firm rather than lively. Exercise for such persons should, in fact, be persistent rather than vigorous. One year of good exercise will do more for a woman's beauty than all the lotions and pom- ades that were ever invented. Interestingf as are the changes produced in a man by proper physical training, the change in a woman is more striking and significant. Exercise seems to have a particularly immediate effect on a Avoman's complexion. I have witnessed simply marvelous changes in the complexion, form and disposition of women under light training. I have in mind one well-built girl who carried herself poorly, breathed badh' and had an un~ satisfactory complexion. She joined a gymna- sium, taking the lighter exercises, and began walking a good deal. In a few months a re- markable change had been produced. The unanimated pose had disappeared, the breath- ing was better (though still not what it should be, no special training having been directed to SOME MINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. 143 to the lungs), and the complexion was so clear that one could scarcely credit the change. Under my own training I have watched most interesting changes as a result of breathing -exercises alone, and the extent to which locally directed exercises have improved forms that Avere considered hopeless would not be believed save by observation. People suffer a great deal from creduility in following this and that random prescription about air and exercise without stopping to study out the natural bearings of the case. In just the same manner as they take up violent and unnatural exercises in order to accomplish what much milder forms might give them, they take sudden and radical means of improving their diet and getting fresh air. Probably the feeling with regard to hard exercise is that it will get them strong in a hurry — a chance that precisely suits the American plan of existence. The suddenly rich American in the west, who bought a whole hotel just to get a sleeping- place for one night, was the kind of man who might plank down a roll of bills and say to 144 'I'JIl"- (^'HiaKLKV SYSTEM. some trainer, *' See here. I \\ant to be made a full-fled {pro- longed mental effort recesses filled with good eneral e.xercise, that starts the entire blood system, will always be a better method of alleviating the tension and tiding over the dan- gerous places than the use of any kind of liquid stimulant. When stimulants aid they aid by giving heat and artificial activity to the circula- tion. Exercise will supph' heat in the safest manner and leave no drafts to make good on the bank account of strength. Stimulants arc- borrowed heat. Exercise is earned heat. Some pertinent remarks on \'entilation and clothing by that sagacious and wholesome writer, Dr. Eelix L. Oswald, may be quoted here : "As houses have been called exterior- garments, a heavy suit of clothes might be called a portable house — a protective barrier between the skin and the cold air ; but in warm weather the most effectual device for diminish- ing the benefit of out-door exercise. Between May and October man has to Avear clothes. SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. I49 enough to keep the flies and g-nats from troub- linfj liim : a pair of Hnen trousers, a shirt and a hg-ht neckerchief — whatsoever is more tlian these is of evil. The best head-dress for summer is our natural hair ; the next best is a light straw hat, with a perforated crown. Hats and caps, as protection from the vicissitudes of the atmosphere, are a comparatively recent inven- tion. The Syrians, Greeks, Romans, Normans and V'isigoths wore helmets in war, but went uncovered in time of peace in the coldest and most stormy seasons ; the Gauls and Egyptians always went bare-headed, even in battle, and a hundred years after the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses (l^. C. 525), the sands of Pelusium still covered the well-preserved skulls of the native warriors, while those of the turbaned Persians had crumbled to the jaw-bones. The Emperor Hadrian traveled bareheaded from the icy Alps to the borders of Mesopotamia ; the founders of several monastic orders interdicted all coverings for the head ; during the reign of Henry VHI. boys and young men generally went with the head bare, and to the preserva- tion of this old Saxon custom Sir John Sinclair T50 THE Clll-XKLEV SYSTEM. ascribes the remarkable health of the orphans of the Queen's Hospital. The human skull is naturally better protected than that of any other warm-blooded animal, so that there seems little need of adding an artificial cover- ing ; and, as Dr. Adair observes, the most neglected children, street Arabs and )'oung- gypsies, are least liable to disease, chiefly be- cause they are not guarded from the access of fresh air by too many garments. It is also well known that baldness is the effect of effem- inate habits as often as of dissipation ; and yet there are plenty who think it highly dangerous to let a boy go out bareheaded even in May or September. The trouble is, that so many of our latter-day health codes are framed by men Avho mistake the exigencies of their own de- crepitude for the normal condition of mankind. Thousands of North American mothers get their hygiene oracles from the household notes, of some orthodox weekly, where the Rev. Fal- staff Tartuffe assures them — from personal ex- perience — that raw apples are indigestible, and that rheumatism can be prevented only b}'' night-caps and woolen undershirts." SOME HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS. I51 The same wholesome writer expresses a sentiment with which I fully ag^ree and cannot forbear to quote : " Wliat a stimulous it would give to manly sports and manly virtues, nay, to the physical regeneration of the human race," says Dr. Oswald, speaking of the Turn- bund and organized sports, " if we could make their yearly assembly a national festival ! The river-meadows of Chattanooga, on the moun- tain amphitheatre near Huntsville, Alabama, Avould make a first-class Oh'mpia, and our Indian summer would be a ready made * weather-truce,' without an expensive burnt offering to the sun. Olives, it is true, do not flourish on our soil ; our mercenary souls need other inducements ; but the rent of reserved seats and camp tents would enable us to gild the crowns of the several victors. Imagine the athletes of every village training for the prizes — thousands of boy-topers turning gymnasts, Avard delegates running for something besides office, and the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation seeking paradise on this side of the 152 THE CHECK LEV SYSTEM. Physical health must, indeed, become some- thing more than a mere fad before our race can do itself justice in the eternal struggle for higher ideals. It is only pedantic cowardice that says we are physically going backward ; but it is true wisdom to acknowledge the danger of allowing modern ignorance of the human body to long continue its dangerous effects. i6 Q^o