WO LETTERS from readers received recently arrived on the same day, and they are so interesting I pass them on to my vast unseen audience. After you have read them, I have a few comments to make. Dear Mr. Paschall:

The enclosed article, propounding as it does, theories at once disturbing and perplexing to a veteran body builder like myself, demands an analytical comment, both in the interest of progress and as a screening serv-

SCENES

By HARRY PASCHALL

ice for the many followers of the game. I have long been an admirer of yours; your intelligent and able handling of a department made unusually difficult by its limitations has provided for me the one consistently interesting feature in the field. It is therefore fitting that the task of evaluating the article through the medium of Strength and Health be yours.

If it appears that I am taking for granted your acceptance of an unsolicited assignment, let me assure you, I am. But I do so as a tribute to your talent, your vast knowledge of the subject, and your undoubted interest in our fine sport.

Bokto

by Harry Paschall

THE GIANT ESKIMO IG LOO IS 200 POUNDS AHEAD OF BOSCO BUT BOSCO STILL HAS ONE ATTEMPT IN THE SNATCH...

IG HAS 2,000 PRESS 1800 SNATCH...

་་་

IG LOO

Bosco HAS 1800 PRESS-1800 SNATCH. HE IS ABOUT TO TRY 2000 LBS...

IT'S OVERHEAD!

HEAD FORWARD SHOULDERS BACK THE RISE BEGINS---

What's wrong with this picture? It is a shot of Ron Lacy, 1957 Mr. America, taken on the platform at Daytona Beach just after he won the coveted title. We call your attention, not to Lacy, but to those two small objects at his feet. What are they? Those, my friend, are the trophies awarded by the AAU (Daytona Chapter) for winning The Most Muscular Man competition and for Mr. America. Looks like somebody is trying to de-emphasize the size of the trophies, eh? We've seen bigger and better trophies awarded by the Mickey Mouse Club. Daytona Beach Area Photo

Leonard Stein Philadelphia, Pa.

Science Helps Muscle-Building

A radically new method of building muscle strength has been proposed by a German scientist.

It rejects the theory of repeated strenuous exercises. It substitutes a system of simple exercises, each con-

suming no more than seconds daily.

It places increasing muscle strength within the ambition of every man, woman and child-whether or not they have time or equipment.

It is based upon 10 to 12 years of research conducted at the Max Planck Institute fur Arbeitsphysiologie (work-physiology) in Dortmund, Germany.

The results of the research were recently published

by Dr. Erich A. Mueller.

This is the heart of his theory.

That the maximum contraction of a muscle, held momentarily, will cause it to grow in strength as fast as it

can.

Any exercise demanding a maximum contraction, if performed only once a day for a matter of seconds, will increase the strength of that muscle an average of 4 percent a week, according to the theory.

Doctor Steinhaus, professor of physiology at George Williams College, Chicago, agrees that "endless repeating of an exercise over and over doesn't make the strength of the muscle grow any faster.

"You can't make is grow faster than it will through one maximum contraction a day.

This is the type of exercise for the abdomen, the doctor recommends:

"Just pull your stomach in as far as possible . . keep pulling. . . keep pulling until you quiver. Then

let go.

THERE HE GOES-

UP COMES THE 2,000 LBS-SLOWLYBUT WITH A STEADILY ACCELERATING PULL...

THE LIFT IS FINISHED... AND IS IG SORE!

(Continued on page 56) STRENGTH AND HEALTH

NOVEMBER, 1957

HIPS FIRST...

GOOLA GUK-

TRANSLATION-

"THE CHEATERHE NO LIFT BELLHE SNEAK UNDER HIM!

Foo 100!

OOK

IG LOO

THE CONTEST IS TIED-

NEXT MONTH THE FINAL LIFT!