Bernarr Macfadden Self Resistance Exercises, Part 1

Bernarr Macfadden was an American who founded the very popular Physical Culture magazine in 1899, under his Macfadden Publications, which also had titles such as True Detective, True Stories, SPORT (which was brought out 8 years before Sport's Illustrated), and a gossip tabloid The New York Graphic. Macfadden himself is credited as being the man who started the health craze in America.

Macfadden was a man who lived by his own words. He was born weak and sickly and orphaned as a child. By the age of 11, he was placed with a farmer and the hard work and wholesome farm food had him in fit shape rather quickly. However, at the age of 13, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri, taking a desk job and his health reverted back to weak and sickly. He started exercising with dumbbells, walking 6 miles a day, became a strict vegetarian. He was also a huge proponent of fasting and called white bread the “staff of death”.

Maybe Macfadden was simply a man ahead of his time. His ideas on health in his time are the exact same that are being pushed today. So, maybe spending 15 minutes with the routine he published in the early 1900's is well worth pursuing.

The routine consists 15 self resistance exercises. The first 5 are found in this post. There will be two more posts, each with 5 exercises of the routine, published later this week, and early next week, so stayed tuned for those!

Bernarr Macfadden Self Resistance Routine

1. Grasp left hand with right, as per illustration. Now, resisting slightly with the left arm, bring right arm outward and downward to same position in which the left arm is illustrated. Continue until tired, then same exercise with left arm. This exercise is particularly good for developing the intercostal muscles and for expanding and developing the chest. If a full breath is inhaled and retained while three or four movements are made, it will assist greatly increasing lung capacity and power. (Note: holding one's breath can increase blood pressure. It is advised to breath out on the exertion portion of the exercise and breath in when returning to the start position).

2. Place left hand on right as per illustration. While resisting slightly with the left arm, bring right hand up as far as you can. Continue until tired; then same exercise with left arm. This exercise will be found especially good for developing the biceps, and it takes a short while to show results.

3. Interlace the fingers tightly together just behind the knees as per illustration. Now bend downward slightly, then straighten the body as much as you can with fingers interlaced as illustrated. Of course, you cannot make much of a movement of this, but the endeavors made to straighten the body vigorously exercises the muscles of the small of the back. Continue the exercises, bending forward slightly, then endeavoring to straighten up, until tired. This is a most excellent remedy for curing pains in the back, though it should not be made too vigorously until considerable strength has been gained.

4. Place Left hand on right arm as per illustration. Now while resisting the movement slightly with left arm, raise right arm outward and upward as nearly to the side as possible. Continue until tired; then same exercise with the left arm. This is especially good for filling out muscles on the side of the shoulders.

5. Interlace fingers and twist left arm as far out to the side as possible (see illustration). While resisting with the right arm, bring left arm straight across the chest until right arm is forced into the same position as the left arm is shown in the illustration. Continue until tired; then same exercise with the left arm resisting. For the twisting muscles of the upper arm and shoulder. If you desire to be proficient in the feat of “pushing the arm down,” practice this persistently and you will surprise all your friends. It is also splendid for increasing chest capacity.

Give these 5 exercises a try for a few days, before Part 2 is published,  and I think you'll start to feel the difference.  And to make things better, check out the free 1 Day Meal Plan from the Fit Father Project which can really help you get the most from these exercises.

Upper Body Work with a Towel

It's hard to believe that a cigarette company would have exercise related items, but it's true.  As early as 1875, promotional, and collectible cards were included in cigarette packaging.  These cards often were images of actresses, sport teams and celebrities, and other curiosities (as considered at the time), such as Native American Chieftains.  Most cards belonged to a series of 25 to 50 cards, but there were the occasional sets of 100.  But some cards included instructions on exercise.

Below is a set of cards from the W.D. & H.O Wills tobacco company out of Britain.  It appears that these cards were printed sometime in the late 1800's to the early 1900's.  It's an interesting set of exercises using nothing more than a towel.  It looks like it could be some pretty decent shoulder work when there is nothing else at hand.

Ex 1

(1.) Stand in position illustrated, with towel held tightly stretched on level with the shoulders. (2.) Raise arms as high as possible above head. (3.) Return to position 1, and then lower arms as illustrated, resuming position 1, from which whole exercise should be repeated 8 to 10 times.

Ex 2 

(1.) Stand in position illustrated, with towel held stretched between hands. (2.) Extend arms as high as possible above the head. (3.) Bend elbows so that towel is now stretched behind the neck. (4.) Lower hands, sliding towel through them, until arms are fully extended behind legs, when it may be stretched tightly again. (5.) Return in order to positions 3, 2, and 1 from which whole exercise should be repeated 8 to 10 times.

Ex 3 

 (1.) Stand in position illustrated, with towel stretched tightly across chest, and on level with the shoulders. (2.) Then extend arms fully above head with towel still taut. (3.) Bending forward, with towel still tightly stretched, bring it over the head and hold it horizontally, just above ground. Both arms and legs should be kept perfectly straight. (4.) Return to position 2, and then to position 1, from which the whole exercise should be repeated 8 to 10 times.

Ex 4 

(1.) Stand in position illustrated. (2.) Then raise arms above head, and lower again, so that stretched towel is again level with the shoulders, but BEHIND the head. (3.) Straighten right arm, at the same time lowering right hand so that towel (still taut) now slopes to the right. (4.) Return to Position 2, and repeat with left arm. (5.) Return again to position 2, and then to position 1, from which whole exercise should be repeated 8 to 10 times.

Ex 5 

(1.) Stand in position illustrated, with towel tightly stretched and held across chest. (2.) Extend arms as far as possible, keeping towel taut. (3.) Return to position 1, from which the whole exercise should be repeated 8 to 10 times.

Self Resistance Chest Exercises

When it comes to non-apparatus chest exercises, the big one that comes to mind is the push-up.  It is, of course, a great exercise and one that should be done often.  You can read my previous post on the push-up here.  But there are a few others that are worth noting and adding into your current routine.


1) Liederman Chest Press

This chest press is done by clasping the two hands together in front of the chest, palms together.  Push your RIGHT hand to the left while strongly resisting with the LEFT hand. Then, reverse the motion by pushing your LEFT hand to the right, while resisting with the RIGHT hand.  That is one rep.  What you get is a bit of a sawing motion.  Repeat 10 to 15 times. 













2) One Armed Press Out

Place the RIGHT hand next to right pectoral, palm out.  Now place the LEFT hand into right hand, palms together.  Press straight out with the Right hand, resist with the LEFT.  Pressing out should remain level with chest. Do between 8 to 15 reps, then repeat with the left hand.














3) Diagonal Press Downs


Place LEFT fist into right hand at about left shoulder height, left elbow will stick out and point slightly upward.  Now, Press LEFT hand down at a diagonal so that you end the motion at your RIGHT hip.  Repeat 8 to 15 times, then repeat with the RIGHT hand.








These exercises are great to add to any workout, especially if you are focusing on the chest.  They will work your chest at new angles and with new motions than exercises with equipment.  Give them a shot and let me know in the comments how they worked out for you.

Meal Idea: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I'm sure that most people have heard of the Paleo Diet.  I really don't want to call it a diet, as it is certainly not something that is done for a week or two to lose some weight.  No, the Paleo Diet is a way to eat to fuel the body properly- getting the right nutrients and avoiding the foods that can cause problems with inflammation and other autoimmune type issues.

If you aren't sure about the Paleo Diet and how it would fit into your life, check out these recipes that are pretty simple to make, but so, so delicious.  The recipes will take you to the Paleo Leap site, where the recipes are available freely (note, I am not an affiliate, but I strongly believe in Paleo Leap and all that they do).

The Buffalo Chicken Meatballs 

(image used with permission)

Preps in 15 minutes, cooks in around 35.   and if you are into the nutritional information, 28g Protein, 3g Carbohydrate, and 17g Fat per serving.  The recipe serves 4, as is, but who says you can't make up a double batch and have some for the next day's lunch?

Roasted Mixed Vegetables

(image used with permission)

A perfect pairing for the Buffalo Chicken meatballs, above.  Most of the prep work involves the washing and cutting of the veggies, so it will take around 20 minutes or so, but cooks in roughly 10 minutes.  You could have these done while the meatballs cook, and like the meatballs, this recipe serves 4.  With 4g Protein, 14g Carbohydrate, and 14g Fat, it makes for a perfect side dish for any meat based main course.

Give the these two recipes a try.  They are fairly simple to whip up, and can be done in less than an hour.  Don't forget to go check out the Paleo Leap website for more recipes that will have your mouth watering!

The Push-up: Scaling the Difficulty Level

The push-up is a classic exercise that should really be a part of any one's fitness routine.  While it targets the muscles of the chest, shoulders and arms, the push-up require other muscles to help support the main three areas, thus integrating a fairly good amount of the body.  Push-ups can be made easier and harder, depending on your fitness level.




Push-ups against a wall: Instead of laying on the floor, just do your push-ups against a wall.  Do them until your muscles are tired, but not completely exhausted.  Keep control of the going down - don't just collapse.  Keeping things controlled is the key.

As you get stronger, do your push-ups against the back of a chair, and then the seat of a chair, then a low stool.  Eventually, you'll be doing them on the floor.




Push-ups on Knees:  More demanding than wall push-ups, but easier than on-the-toes push-ups.  Again, do as many as you can until the muscles are tired, not until complete exhaustion.  When you can do a good number of them, say 25, it's time to graduate to on-the-toes push-ups.


Push-ups on-the-toes: The classic exercise that has been used by sports figures, military, and school kids around the world.  There's a reason: they work! Just get down on the floor, feet out and close together. Lower yourself till your chin (or nose) just barely touches the floor, and push yourself back up.  Again, keep everything controlled, from the raising to the lowering.  One perfectly controlled push-up is better than 10 sloppily done push-ups.




And when you are strong enough, start doing them on chairs, so that you get a deeper stretch in the chest as you go down.  These are pretty advanced, so don't do them until you have mastered the on-the-toes push-up.

Look at that young man on the right.  Yeah, he's still got it even today.  Feeling lucky, punk? Yes? Then get to some push-ups, and make your day,

Chest Expander Warm Ups

The following two exercises were originally published by Joe Bonomo in his classic book, "Power Plus Cable Course".  It is a well written course, and it is a great resource to have.

I find these two to be very good warm up exercises, and, on their own, have great benefit.

1) The body lunge:

Stand with the expander resting in front of your thighs.  Then simply lunge forward with one leg, while at the same time bring the arms forward in front of you (straight arms) and then over the head and lightly behind.  Then reverse the motions back to standing, and then repeat with other leg.  That is one rep.  Best to start with 8 reps and work your way up to 18.

This is truly a warm up exercise to get the blood flowing to all parts of the body.

Tip: keep arms straight, and keep the chest expander taut.  This is a warm-up exercise, so no need to do more than keep the cables taut.

2) Extended Arm-Leg Lunge

Stand with the expander diagonally across the back - left hand down at thigh, right hand at shoulder. Now, lunge forward with the right leg and at the same time, push the right hand directly over-head. Then slowly bring right arm back down as you return to starting position. Start with 8 reps, and gradually increase to 18. Then repeat with the opposite side.

This exercise not only help warm up the body, but does start working the shoulders, as well.

Tip: When breathing, I like to breath IN when I do the press overhead, and breath OUT when I return to starting position.  This will slow down the hand descent, and help keep that aspect of the exercise controlled.