Sandow on Physical Culture.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11795, 1 December 1902, Page 7

Sandow on Physical Culture.

INFORMATION FOR OLD AND YOUNG.

On Friday morning last', Mr. Eug-en S:indon' the world-famed teacher oi physical culture, delivered .a lecture on h.& system., at the Collegiate S'diool. At tne conclusion of the lecture Mr. Sandow invited questions. The following were the questions asked, and the answers given:--What wyuu think of dietV-1 dont be lievc in diet. A man should eat and drink and live its he fee'Js agrees with, him. What is medicine for one man is poison for another, and a man should jn>t find out Avnat

suits him best. . , Are the exeicises equally beneficial whether gone through in the early morning or in the day time, or before retiring at night r —I don't advocate that you should exercise all day. You should exercise once a clay, and find out your own time. Is it injurious to exercise on an empty stomach?— Not a bit. „ Are the exercises likely to anect tne heart?—lt stands to reason that they cannot. The exei-cises are begun so gradually, and they only bring- into play one or two muscles at once. People make a great mistake in classing physical culture and athletics together. If you bring only cine or two muscles into piay at pnce you cannot hurt the heart., but if you go m for violent exercise without being prepared you may hurt, yourself. While exercising must you take ordinary breath?— You should breathe with, more force. The breathing is for the purpose of netting the lungs properly filled. Most peotfe only use about two-thirds of the tongs. You should fill the lungs absolutely from top to bottom. Does your system affect., the .'ipeed of a runner—would it make a. man faster or slower?—lt stands to reason that, it would make him faster. I dooft say that it will make a mail a good] runner or football payer, but it will prepare him for the parpose. If one man who has developed and another who has not commence at the same time tot train for football, the developed man will stand a much better chance. Will the system benefit elderly gentlemen?— There is no question about it; it an elderly man exercise he will be surprised at the r,esu'!ts. A person will benefit in proportion to his age. Most people go m for athletics when they are young, but when "they get on in yeaas and enter business stop all exefoise, saying they have not time for it. This is where they make a great mistake, as they feel the effect moi^e than the man who never exercised- . , .' ~ What is your opinion with .regard to the moderate use of stimulants: and smoking? —Well, I certainly think you need not drink alcohol for the purpose of obtaining development, neither need you smoke. But if a person is inclined that way, say in moderation—great moderation —I do not think it would do any harm. Is the use of the left arm likely to' strain the heart more than the use of the right?—lt stands to reason that you must use the right more than the left. It is an old saying that children are taught to use the right hand most because the heart is on the left side. I do not think there is much in that, but I have advocated the use*of the right arm more than the left. Why do you object to rubbing down after a'bath?—lt is better to let the heat come back naturally sifter a batth. If you diy with a towel, one part gete chilled while the other is being dried. Some of the boys practice three times a day. Da you think they harm themselves by doing so?— The exercise should not be done too often. If you do the ■strength of the body is at a stand still. You must give tne body a rest. Can half an hour a. day do?— Yes. It all depends how much you put into. it. If Vott put in; all you know, half an hour a tlay will do. The exercises should be gone through every day. Exercising is just as necessary "as food or clothing or the cleansing of the teeth. Of course you can get to such a state of perfection; that you can stop exercising. At first you must practice every day, then later on a couple of times a week. Afterwards you need not exercise at all, because you do it unconsciously. For instance, if I did not exercise for two, three, or four years I vo- !d not go back. Tfle reason is that I .. j~'c act unconsciously. While I am speaking to you I daresay lam exercising. I have been two years without exercising, and I have not changed ati all1. If a man has Avillpower, and studies -his muscles, he will be able to get quite sufficient exercise, without using apparatus. . Da you thick that long runs aa-e a* good! form of exercise?—As I said before, so much harm is done by these violent exercises. A run is veiy good if you take it regularly, but you will find that during ■sunwner*' the runs are discontinued, but in winter footbaill and running and all such things are gone in for. Harm is thus done, whereas practice eJiould have been kept up all the year. What- do you think of bicycling: —All sports, such as football, cricket, etc., axe excellent, but they bring into play only certain muscles, so that you only exercise one set at the expense of another. Bicycling brings into play about 12 muscles, cricket about 36, football; about 48, and so on. There are 400 musctes in the whole body. A man is not really strong, if he is not strong all over. Does bicycling weaken, the back:—lf you do too much I think it would, and it would make you flat-chested. Do you notice any difference between the physique of the boys here and in England? —I intended to speak of that later on, but I think I can say that tiie "bpys I saw in the field yesterday were the best, as a, lot, I have seen. You have very fin© boys, and if they keep up the exercises I am sure I won't be in it. Is it possible to alter the shape of the chest after the walls have been set?— Yes. absolutely, because the walls are more or less loose. You can also change the shape, by developing different muscles. For instance, you take an ordinary man, and j,a,y '-lie is deficient here; he is perfect here," find so £-n. You act as a sculptor would with a clay model. You build! up the deficient parts and make the figure perfect. Do you think any of your pupds have been as fully developed as yourself?—Oh yes, I think there are some to a certain extent. It takes a good deal of perseverance and will-power to enable one to get io the top so that you need not exercise any mi>re, hv&, the», none pf you boys; want tio go on the stage every night as I °How Jong is it since you adopted these exercises?— Since I was about 17 or 18 rears of a»-e. If you want to know how long ago that is, I will tell you privately. Does swimming bring all the muscles into play?—No, not by a long way, but it is a very good thing if not; overdone. It should be entered into with great care. Do you recommend the massage f-~.N0., not at 'all The massage is perhaps all ngnt for an invalid, but in the case of a person undergoing my system, one muscle massages another—which is tit© natural method,

What do you think of walking as an exercise?-^-It* is a splendid exercise besau.se of the breathing in the fresh, air. There being no more questions, Mr. Sandow said it had given him the greatest plea-lure to be present, and to see the boys so enthttviastic with regard) to his system. He was sure if they continued with the exorcises they would never regret it.