Muscle Control

by Maxick

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The classic book on Muscle Control from one of the best ever at the art, Maxick, the oldtime strongman. If you're looking to develop tremendous will power, control over your muscles, the ability to tense and relax at will then this book is a must.

Born as a small child and attacked with rickets, he shortly became a robust young lad through his practice of muscle control. He went on to become one of the strongest people of his time, while maintaining a very small bodyweight.

Here are Maxick’s Amazing Feats Of Strength at a Weight of less than 147

Right Hand Military Press, 112 pounds
Right Hand Snatch, 165 pounds
Right Hand Swing with Dumbbell, 150 pounds.
Right Hand Jerk, 240 pounds
Two Hands Military Press, 230 pounds
Two Hands Clean and Jerk with Barbell, 272 pounds.
Two Hands Continental Jerk with Barbell, 340 pounds
In a contest at finger-pulling, in which Maxick was "unbeatable," Maxick could pull a 200-pound opponent clear across the table that separated the two men.
He pressed van Diggelen (185 pounds) overhead 16 times with his right arm, while holding in his left hand a glass of beer full to the brim, without spilling a drop. Earlier that same day, he had pressed Fred Storbeek (205 pounds), who was then the heavyweight British Empire Boxing Champion, 11 times with his right arm.
Holding van Diggelen aloft on one arm, Maxick ran up two flights of stairs with him and then ran down the two flights. Then standing on his hands, he in that position ran up the two flights and down again.

Pretty amazing stuff right? And Maxick attributes his strength to muscle control. Plus here is what Maxick has to say regarding the Mind-Muscle

"THE SERIOUS student of muscle-control will soon become aware of the fact that his willpower had become greater, and his mental faculties clearer and capable of increased concentration. Thus it will be observed that the controlling of the muscles reacts upon the mind and strengthens the mental powers in exactly the same proportion that the control of the muscles strengthens the body and limbs."

Here are the subject headings found within this
Myself
My Early Years
Attacked by Rickets
A Weakling Among the Robust
A Momentous Happening
Muscle-Control
My Health Improves
Work, but nourishment
Contraction
How Muscle Control was Revealed to Me
How Mechanical Exercise May Hinder Muscle Development
The Case of the Stonemason
Muscle-Relaxation
What is Meant by Muscle Control
Muscle-Binding
I Become a Champion
Passive Condition of Relaxation
I Take Up Weight-Lifting
I Win an Open Championship
All Three Championships
My First Pupil
I Come to England
Maxick’s Lifting
Will-Power and Muscle-Control
A Few Hints

You'll also find 21 exercises that cover the body form the head to the toes.

Although this is the best and most famous Maxick wrote a number of other books like Great Strength with Muscle Control, How to Become a Great Athlete and Health, Strength & Will Power.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Fitness

134 pages, Paperback

First published November 2, 2010

Reviews

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

I seriously doubt it's the 'secret' to hypertrophy but it does have some funny muscle control exercises, including an abdominal one that I've only ever seen or heard of in Yoga--the Kriya exercise. I'd be interested in learning if Maxick learned of it from a Yogi that somehow found his/her way into the 19th/20th century Western Physical Culture 'scene' or if Maxick developed it on his own. If you're interested in physical culture of the early 1900's, this is an interesting book-- otherwise it's pretty lackluster.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read two books on this system and I will be posting the same review. Each covers the same info, with some individual differences and not much to choose from between the.
Both these books are more than half just lifestyle advise circa 1910. The temperature of your bath/shower, food etc. The last third is the exercise system.

Both are systems used without weights, one uses the body pushing against itself one leans more towards just tensing the muscles.

The system comes out of the light dumbbell system of Sandow/Attila, which was used in tandem with circus strongman lifts. The system as sold to the public did not include heavy lifts, just the muscle tensing. These sorts of systems remained popular for much of the first half of the 20th Century and went out of vogue when testosterone entered the fitness realm, weights with rotating cuffs became the standard for competitive lifting, lifting weights became a sport rather than an entertainment, and inexpensive weight sets could be had at Sears and Roebuck.
The system can build a surprising physique, especially when combined with a bit of heavy lifting. You can do it with almost no equipment and the chance of injury or overtraining is almost zero.

In my teenage years the bodybuilders of the day, Arnold and his ilk, still used parts of these systems, and the posing of bodybuilding came right out the old system. The downside is the need for willpower. If you're lifting a heavy weight, weight and gravity do the work. You don't have to 'make' it hard. This system takes a lot of concentration and drive.

For most people it's going to be a historical curiosity, but it's my jam and I got a lot out of it.

[Levi McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biographical section of the book is well written. While some parts of his life are likely greatly exaggerated, the pen marks of a good story teller are there.
As for the the training advice the book. Its an extreme. People trust confidence. So if you want that trust you have to act like you know it all. As per usual with self-taught "fitness experts" they don't know it all. Fitness is complicated, and any expert in the field will have their own opinions on this or that. Theres never a clear awnser, but what were seeing in fitness influencers is the Dunning-Kruger effect. These inflencers do not have certifications, they do not have education, and most of all they do not have their fans best interest.
So while I can appreciate this work. Maxick, a man after my own heart, even though he is far before modern fitness influencer culture, he is no better then most of them.

[Joe Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im giving it 3 stars until further notice. I am gonna give the exercises a try and see if anything actually comes of it. Even if this doesn’t provide the mind muscle connection promised it definitely make you much more conscious of your exercises and also lets you flex what muscles you have.

[GORDON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic book on muscle control by one of the great physical culturists of the early 20th century. Likely the source of much Hatha Yoga material.

[aDaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting little tome of exercise history from an era long before bodybuilding was mainstream. Some really insightful stuff here, and definitely new exercises for the toolkit.

[Wiktor Klimek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Underrated way of training

[25thsouthside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique.

[Mark Melendez · Rating 3 out of 5]

ehh