Читать книгу Strength and How to Obtain It - Eugen Sandow - Страница 9

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This appliance is very simple and may be described in a few words. It consists of a dumb-bell made in two halves separated about an inch and a half from one another, the intervening space being occupied by a small steel spring. When exercising, the spring is compressed by gripping the bells and bringing the two halves close together, in which position they are kept until the exercise is over. The springs can be of any strength, and consequently the power necessary to keep the two halves together can be varied to any extent.

The advantages of this arrangement are obvious. Whether he will or no, the pupil must grip the bells hard, and as the strength of the springs are known he can regulate his progress to a nicety as he grows stronger. There is also another point in connection with the new device to which I want to draw particular attention. It will often happen that a pupil who is exercising will feel “a bit off-colour” one day, and consequently less inclined to exercise, or he may be worried and perplexed by his business affairs to a degree which lenders it almost impossible for him to concentrate his mind solely upon the work. The natural consequence of either of these two conditions is that unless he possess very uncommon will power, if he is exercising with ordinary bells, he only does so in a desultory and half-hearted manner, and benefits little thereby. Now this is impossible with the “grip” bell—however preoccupied and worried the pupil may be he has a definite point upon which to concentrate his mind; he must exert a certain amount of force in gripping the bells to keep the two halves together, and consequently must put out a certain amount of will-power.

Of course there is no reason why in using the “grip” dumb-bells, only the grip necessary to keep the two halves together should be exerted. On the contrary, as with ordinary bells, a man may, and should put “all he knows” into the work; the special point and the great merit about the former is that with them the amount of power exerted can never fall below a known and easily regulated minimum.

The pupil who possesses these bells will find that instead of having to be continually buying heavier dumb-bells, one pair will suffice him for all time. All that it will be necessary for him to do will be to purchase, at a small expense, new springs from time to time. All pupils are advised to use the dumb-bell, upon the merits of which I need not further enlarge. As will have been seen, this is not a mechanical device which will render unnecessary the employment of will-power; that would be opposed to all my theories and teaching. On the contrary it will aid in developing will-power, as it will stimulate the pupil to put it forth, and guide him how to use it in the proper direction.