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Bodybuilding during the era?

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  • Bodybuilding during the era?

    Hi all,

    For some time I have been wanting to put on quite a bit more muscle. I am five-ten and weigh about 130 pounds. My question is, did men during the 1860's lift weights? Were there books about it? I am not talking about the strongest man in the world circus lifting look. Just a very muscular but nimble look, maybe like we are used to seeing on boxers.
    Nathan Dodds

  • #2
    Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

    German Americans founded the American Turners Association in 1848 to promote gymnastics and culture under the slogan "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body".

    see: http://www.americanturners.com/Home/...6/Default.aspx

    When the 2nd Wisconsin returned to Madison Wisconsin in 1865, the local Turners Club was among the various civic organizations that escorted the veterans to the capitol building for their mustering out, and so were well established among Wisconsin's German community by wartime. A few years back, I attended an antique show that was being held in the modern Madison, WI Turner Hall. I noticed a framed lithograph on the wall dated 1866 showing portraits of the Turner membership. They were all decked out in what looked like light-colored fireman shirts with dark kerchieves and were depicted tossing around indian clubs and lifting bar bells ect...and like any good German, standing around the keg tossing back a few lagers!

    Paul McKee
    Paul McKee

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    • #3
      Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

      Indeed. A Turnverein chapter was organized here in Lafayette, IN as early as 1854. Period newspaper reports I've noted indicate they even provided public exhibitions of their gymnastic prowess albeit with some risk. On at least one occasion, a Turner was seriously injured (possibly died) after falling off the top of a human pyramid.

      There's a lesson in that for us all. ;)

      Regards,

      Mark Jaeger
      Regards,

      Mark Jaeger

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      • #4
        Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

        A life spent doing manual labor will promote a lean muscle mass. Based on the socio-economic level of the person you are portraying, you may be better off learning the basics of a period trade and using that as the reason for your muscled appearance. A river (one who rives wood with a maul and froe) would be a good one to research as it would promote strong muscles in the shoulders, biceps, triceps, and laterals.


        I've got fences that need to be built and wire to be stretched if you want to save your gym membership money.
        Cody Mobley

        Texas Ground Hornets
        Texas State Troops

        [HOUSTON] TRI-WEEKLY TELEGRAPH, October 28, 1863,

        Wanted.

        All ladies in Houston and surrounding counties who have cloth on hand, which they can spare, are requested to donate it to the ladies of Crockett for the purpose of making petticoats for the Minute Men of this county, who have "backed out" of the service. We think the petticoat more suitable for them in these times.

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        • #5
          Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

          I can't remember what book I saw the picture of, but it was of a blacksmith during the industrial revolution. The man looked to be in his 20s, but had the arms of somewhat who could lift some serious weights. I would imagine he built his muscle mass through his trade's physical labor and not in the weight room however. That said, hitting the gym won't kill your impression. At 130 pounds, you could gain 20 to 30 pounds (even 40) and still look like the boys did in '61.
          Jason David

          Peter Pelican
          36th Illinois Co. "B"
          Prodigal Sons Mess
          Old Northwest Vols.

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          • #6
            Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

            There certainly was interest in "physical culture" during the Civil War period although not in "body building" as it's commonly understood today. There definitely seems to have been a "moral" angle connected with physical culture back then--certainly much more so than now. I immediately know of two Civil War era periodicals that dealt in this subject: Lewis's Gymnastic Monthly (changed in January 1862 to Lewis's Gymnastic Monthly and Journal of Physical Culture) as well as the Boston Journal of Physical Culture. Here's a Google link to get you started:



            Check it out,

            Mark Jaeger
            Regards,

            Mark Jaeger

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

              1st thing that popped into my head was what Harvard student Richard Henry Dana did when he became sickly, Hire out as a common sailor on a Brig and sail around the horn.
              Robert Johnson

              "Them fellers out thar you ar goin up against, ain't none of the blue-bellied, white-livered Yanks and sassidge-eatin'forrin' hirelin's you have in Virginny that run atthe snap of a cap - they're Western fellers, an' they'll mighty quick give you a bellyful o' fightin."



              In memory of: William Garry Co.H 5th USCC KIA 10/2/64 Saltville VA.

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              • #8
                Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

                Just an aside, but Stonewall Jackson was apparently known to work out with wooden dumbbells. According to what I remember from the tour of his house in Lexington, he worked out in a large walk-in closet on a regular basis. He had his own home gym =) Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
                Robert Ambrose

                Park Ranger
                Fort Frederick State Park, Maryland
                5th Virginia Infantry Co. K

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                • #9
                  Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

                  This looks interesting:



                  Regards,

                  Mark Jaeger
                  Regards,

                  Mark Jaeger

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

                    Thanks folks, I'm still reading the stuff you-all posted.
                    Nathan Dodds

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                    • #11
                      Re: Bodybuilding during the era?

                      T.J. Jackson used to get up every morning and take a walk, with a pair of dumbells, this followed by a cold-water bath, before walking over to the Institute for class. The Stonewall Jackson House in Lexington, still has the tub, and dumbells.

                      Note: This act was considered to be a peculiar oddity...I suspect that on the large scale, it would be rather uncommon to see folks ripped like the old Arnold - though with the advent of 'clubs' as listed above, certainly there were exceptions.

                      Paul B.
                      Paul B. Boulden Jr.


                      RAH VA MIL '04
                      (Loblolly Mess)
                      [URL="http://23rdva.netfirms.com/welcome.htm"]23rd VA Vol. Regt.[/URL]
                      [URL="http://www.virginiaregiment.org/The_Virginia_Regiment/Home.html"]Waggoner's Company of the Virginia Regiment [/URL]

                      [URL="http://www.military-historians.org/"]Company of Military Historians[/URL]
                      [URL="http://www.moc.org/site/PageServer"]Museum of the Confederacy[/URL]
                      [URL="http://www.historicsandusky.org/index.html"]Historic Sandusky [/URL]

                      Inscription Capt. Archibold Willet headstone:

                      "A span is all that we can boast, An inch or two of time, Man is but vanity and dust, In all his flower and prime."

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