Strength and How to Obtain It

by Eugen Sandow

Eugen Sandow - the most famous bodybuilder in the early days of the sport - not only invented the business of bodybuilding, but would go on to define the parameters of masculine beauty. After an early stint in a European circus, he met his mentor, Louis Attila, who helped turn the lean and wiry Sandow into a muscleman. Sandow's career as showman began with a successful publicity stunt in Amsterdam, which he was able to parlay into repeated public performances of strength. Early in life Sandow decided it wasn't enough to simply demonstrate his strength, but to actually display his muscular physique as though it were a work of art. He soon made his "Muscle Displays" the main feature of his stage show. As his European success grew, Sandow, always the promoter, had photographs of himself sold and distributed, with an unintended consequence: his photos become a sort of late 1800s soft porn among homosexuals. In the U.S., Sandow was able to use the emerging notion of muscular Christianity to connect physical strength with moral virtues - and thereby promote himself and the sport of bodybuilding.

Genres: Fitness

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating and encouraging book. The title is a bit misleading and Sandow doesn't exactly outline an exercise plan or program. However he talks about the benefits of strength, health, exercise etc. There is a fantastic autobiography comprising the second half of this short book. Sandow is a very interesting character, as the first body builder in modern history basing his physique off of the Greek and Roman statues he found in European museums. Sandow is credited with creating the 'Grecian Ideal' a body type that has been idealized and pursued by proponents of fitness and aesthetics. The book in many ways is also interesting as a historical product of its time and gives insight into the origins of the modern fitness movement.

[Michał Hołda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pioneer in bodybuilding, very accurate about subject of building mussels & maintaining strength. Because not to exercise is crime to nature and the biggest secret which is not secret is that you have to use your mind.

[Cris Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of Eugen Sandow on Rogue's documentary " The Rogue Legends Series - Chapter 1: Eugen Sandow".

The book and the documentary tell the life of Eugen, who was a weak kid that trained himself to be a really strong guy. He eventually made a living from his strenght shows, bodybuilding program, and selling workout equipment.

The circus ambiance can seem a little bit ridiculous to us now, but most of his feats are still quite impressive:



Pretty cool guy if you ask me.

[Joel Marbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could’ve dived more into actual training routines etc. Having said that, five stars because it brought me value that is greatly impacting my approach to training and performance/execution of exercises.

[James Robert Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit less than what I had imagined due to how overhyped Sendow is by greats like Schwarzenegger, Pavel Tsatsouline, & others. But still worth a read.

[briek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical artifact but mostly tall tales

[Tech Nossomy · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the first books to popularise the idea of body building. Split in two parts: the first on rudimentary anatomy and training and the second on auto-biographical experiences as a show-man. The text reads as if redacted by a professional author for readership gains. For historical interest only.

Available on Project Gutenberg.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read over the life of a man who could be said to be the father of modern body building. Eugene Sandow was an undoubtedly amazing individual who pioneered a new form of exercise in order to achieve preset measurements. However in true Victorian fashion he was an over the top self publishing showman and so the stories of some of his feats must surely be taken with a pinch of salt. Sadly in true Victorian fashion there is an overtone of class structure and snobbery as well as two very definite episodes of outright racism in his writing. Never the less an enjoyable and interesting look into a very niche area of Victorian society.

[Derrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and quick read that reveals important info about the history of bodybuilding and weightlifting -- including the marketing, as the e-book includes a number of vintage ads for Sandow's exercise equipment and an egg-white nutrient powder he sold called Plasmon.

Half the book is memoir, though. It reminds me a lot of Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder in that way: half how-to and half autobiography.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book on vintage strength training techniques.

I found some of the advice hard to follow, and I'm not sure I believe that he wrestled a lion or lifted a horse above his head, but to have the reputation that he does, I am sure he was a pretty strong guy!

[Christopher Nance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only briefly goes into methods of strength training, it is mostly filled with tall stories from his life (many of which seem highly exaggerated)

[Darius · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did NOT expect this book to be that crappy. There's literally nothing of value.