system 51

51

((.«.. Nos, 3, 4. 5 and 7) would be morę effectiee if performcd with dumb-bells, but tliis is so far from bcing the case ihat I firn wam against the use of thcm. Dnmb-bclls will grcatly inerease the common tendency to put strain in a wrong place ; namely, in the muscles of the hands and arms instead of in the trunk muscles. Therc would also be the tempta-tion to usc the weights for pulhng or swinging the body up or round, thereby making the cxercise easier and of less value. I can assure you that even the strongest athlete or weight-lifter will find he gets quite sufiicient vigorous exercise by performing the hardest degrees of " My System ” without dumb-bells, if tlone correctly. Many who havc tned to follow my pace in doing the exercises, soon got out of breath and nonę of them were able to move the trunk as quickly and powerfully as myself. There are still somc people who ahvavs speaic about “ My System ” ;ls " light exercises,” and tliis is truć, as far as the first and easiest degrees go- whicli can be performed without risk or over-exertion by tiny cliildrcn, delicate women and octogenarians; but the strongest degrees are anything hut '‘light,” and will develop mighty muscles round the waistline in a short timc, and by pressing verv hard in the rubbing exercises, the muscles of the arms, round the shoulders and upon the breast will becomc highly det elopcd.