Physical Fitness Equipment

Complete mental and physical fitness is the goal, and this comprehensive holistic program has been designed to achieve maximum results for men in only 12 weeks-without going to a gym or buying expensive equipment. Three graduated four-week plans address every level of fitness...or lack thereof. The Starter program is perfect for men who haven't exercised regularly for some time; it focuses on gradually improving flexibility and fostering essential core strength. Next, a challenging and varied Intermediate program develops stamina and takes overall physical strength to new levels. Finally, the Advanced workout offers a high-intensity body blast that burns fat and builds muscle to sculpt a better, stronger, healthier body that will make any man proud.

Before Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Reeves, or Charles Atlas, there was Eugen Sandow, a muscular vaudeville strongman who used his good looks, intelligence, and business savvy to forge a fitness empire. The German-born Sandow (1867-1925) established a worldwide string of gyms, published a popular magazine, sold exercise equipment, and pioneered the use of food supplements. He even marketed a patented health corset for his female followers. Among the colorful figures who played a part in Sandow's life are Bernarr Macfadden, Florenz Ziegfeld, Lillian Russell, and others in sports and the theater. Sandow the Magnificent is the story of this first showman to emphasize physique display rather than lifting prowess. Sandow's is also the story of the earliest days of the fitness movement, and Chapman explains the popularity of physical culture in terms of its wider social implications. Sandow was a proponent of exercise to alleviate physical ailments, anticipating the field of physical therapy. By making exercise fashionable, he encouraged the fitness craze that still endures. As the first superstar in his field, Sandow also pried open some surprising cracks in the Victorian wall of prudery. His nude photographs, a kind of soft-core pornography, were anxiously sought by both male and female admirers, and after many of his major public events he gave private "receptions" wearing little more than a G-string.