charlesatlas.com

In article entitled "How to Develop A Perfect Body, Charles Atlas Secret Of Success" explain the basic principles by which Mr. Atlas obtained physical perfection, which you can find summarized below:

1. Have a goal
2. Regard each day's effort as a goal itself
3. Regarding your body as a priceless machine which must be nourished correctly
4. Concentrate the mind in the work involved
5. Seeing that every part of the body gets their quota of daily exercise
6. Moderation
7. Never exercise beyond the fatigue point
8. Go to bed early every night
9. Assume a cheerful mental attitude
10. Seek beauty in everything (work, friends, environments)
11. Frequent and regular bathing (with water, and also air and sun if possible)

For us that have the Dynamic Tension Course, all of these points are very known as they all are profoundly explained in the course. Nevertheless, it is very nice to find them in list form. It is much easier to know if you are doing all of them. I must confess that when I began the course I did not have a specific goal, I just wanted to gain muscle and weight.

By the way, this is the first article you can find in the museum section of Charles Atlas Ltd. website.

Remember to visualize yourself as possessing a perfect body, realizing that each time you exercise, you're arriving at still greater perfection. Visualization is important.

I could not agree with you more!!!! Sending that direct and clear message to your subconcious is of great value

I'd also recommend that one ignore contemporary bodybuilding's standards of physical perfection that are only achievable using harmful and more often than not illegal methods. Set realistic goals. Goals that are in cooperation with mother nature. I think you'll find that mother nature's ideal of the limits of physical perfection is in the range of Charles Atlas and Steve Reeves.

Totally agree with that last statement.
Old school physical culture is best !

I read a book by a guy who got keep into bodybuilding (the extreme kind) for a while. Can't remember the name just now. There was nothing healthy about it whatsoever. He dieted so severely to get definition, his bodyfat got so low it hurt his feet to walk. Didn't have enough fat to pad the bottoms of his feet! No thanks to that!

Not that reasonble weight training isn't a good thing. I may take it up later on. I used to get mags in the 60's where the guys looked more reasonable. Even then, I think many were experimenting with steroids.

It's funny how guys who do no exercise at all will tell you weights are a must and they say that Bodyweight and Dynamic Tension aren't enough. Meanwhile they ain't doing anything!

Pretty much everybody KNOWS what to do. It is inspiration that is lacking and that's the main thing you get from Atlas.

ejoe4655p wrote:I read a book by a guy who got keep into bodybuilding (the extreme kind) for a while. Can't remember the name just now. There was nothing healthy about it whatsoever. He dieted so severely to get definition, his bodyfat got so low it hurt his feet to walk. Didn't have enough fat to pad the bottoms of his feet! No thanks to that!

Not that reasonble weight training isn't a good thing. I may take it up later on. I used to get mags in the 60's where the guys looked more reasonable. Even then, I think many were experimenting with steroids.

It's funny how guys who do no exercise at all will tell you weights are a must and they say that Bodyweight and Dynamic Tension aren't enough. Meanwhile they ain't doing anything!

Pretty much everybody KNOWS what to do. It is inspiration that is lacking and that's the main thing you get from Atlas.

Don't let what other people say about training the atlas way bother you. Keep training mate the results in the way you feel and look will be your reward .
not a lot of people understand how much it takes day in day out to keep motivated to continue to exersice you got to make interesting and like you say having and interest in the atlas system the history of etc makes exercise a bit like a hobby taking care of your body !

Starting week four in the morning. Odd to start on a Thursday (on this side of the world), but when I decided to start the course I saw no reason to wait until a week-end. The twice a day is really keeping my mind on it. I think about how the military trains and this seems like very little. Feel just as committed as ever.

Rats, it's week FIVE, not four starting in the morning. Adding lessons 4 & 5 to 1 (and 2 of course). Today I hate a raw potato at lunch. Freaked my buddies out. It was good. Not sure I knew what a potato actually tastes like - not grease, salt, and ketchup. Only thing was a whole one was too much. Tomorrow will slice in half and eat the rest Friday.

ejoe4655p wrote:Rats, it's week FIVE, not four starting in the morning. Adding lessons 4 & 5 to 1 (and 2 of course). Today I hate a raw potato at lunch. Freaked my buddies out. It was good. Not sure I knew what a potato actually tastes like - not grease, salt, and ketchup. Only thing was a whole one was too much. Tomorrow will slice in half and eat the rest Friday.

Good luck with that ! steamed or boiled is as far as I go LOL!