MtJSCLE BUILDING. 21
esercise should not be long in duration. The muscles eiiould be allowed to becoine soft again. In order to favor its accomplishmeut a number of Yigorous eserciscs rather short in duration should be taken.
One connnon way of eiejreising the forearm is to put something in the palm and grip it, a rubber bali, a piece of wood, or even a wad of paper. (Gut Nos. 1 and 8). The trouble with tliis exercise is two-fold; first, it develops only one set of muscles, the flexors, and the muscles that extend the iingers are left im-developed; secondiy, as a result of the developmcnfc of the flexing muscles, and the non-dcvelopment of the extensors, the hand when not in usc tends to hang with the flngers alrnost elosed into the palm (.No. 9). The strong muscles have overbalanccd the weak ones so that the hand is lield nearly sliut. By the metliod that 1 have proposed, fiexors and cxtensors are de-veloped together, and no mat ter how strong tlić forearm becomes, the hand and iingers will liang in a norraal position.
The question may naturally be asked as to why I have said that gripping with the hand or esercising Łn Bome other way the muscles of the forearm with the greatest vigor will result in developing the muscles