charlesatlas.com

Mr. Atlas stated in the DT course that he did 200 pushups daily, and said that we should do at least 100 pushups daily, and if we were serious in obtaining top development, we should shoot for 200 reps per day. Pushups or dips as they are also called, was Mr. Atlas' favorite exercise, and many others have advocated doing pushups, as well as pushups being done big time in the military. There are some advocates who say that they do 1000 pushups a day. I don' t think this is necessary, but are there guys on this forum who do more than 200 pushups per day? I have worked myself back up to three sets of 65 reps after a long spell of not working out properly, but 200 reps seems to be just about right to give you a super workout.

This one confuses me. The course says Atlas did 200 or more dips daily, divided evenly between AM and PM workouts. The Gaines biography of Atlas puts the number at 300, and the video biography has him doing 300 in the morning. Which is the correct number?

He maybe varied his workout reps, I don't think any of us do the exact same number of reps every day. Sometimes we get that sweat moment where we feel like nothing can stop us and other days just don't have the same muscle power.

In the course, Atlas advised working up to 200 pushups daily. I believe that he did more than that daily himself, as the video and biography has him doing 300 daily, and doing pushups was his favorite exercise.

I believe Mr. Atlas stated that he performed 200 dips daily to give his pupils a number that could be surpassed by many and that in turn would give them a feeling of confidence. This of course would lead to faster gains in the chest, triceps, etc., thus giving his pupils the confidence that their efforts would pay off. This is just one example of the clever manner the course was put together! His course is effective and certainly enduring as it has been around since the 1920's.

Sky

Well, I now do 400 "dips" every day, but not straight through -- my morning session is 25 dips, 20 crunches, 15 squats, 20 side bends, then repeat dips, crunches & squats & do the neck exercises (5 each) then repeat & do the arm exercises (15 each with "curls", "rowing" & "reverse curls" then repeat & do the calves (I stand on the edge of the chair with my fingertips on the ceiling for balance & added pressure) & close with chin-ups (currently 5 with palms facing out & % with palms facing me) -- that is my half hour morning routine which I repeat in the evening -- daily total is 400 dips -- "train don't strain" has really increased my triceps & deltoids!
My abs are not too bad for an AARP guy, but I think that is more diet than exercise!