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The Magic Circle
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During the 1960s the Body Culture Equipment Co in Nebraska, U.S.A manufactured a some-what cumbersome squatting device called The Magic Circle.
The idea was to drop the centre of gravity of the weights from the upper back such as in a regular back squat to waist height. You simply rested the circle on the 2 horses pictured, stepped inside it, knelt down then adjusted the shoulder straps. Once the straps were nice and snug you stood up and took a step back from the horses and began squatting. The hands could grasp the circle or be used to help squatting in the last few reps by simply placing them on your legs and pushing upward, almost like a forced rep.
This device would have taken away a lot of the lower back stress that goes with regular barbell squatting and would have also been much easier to control. All this for a low $35, what a bargain! Oh, and the guy in the photo was non other that the famous Peary Rader editor of the best weight training/bodybuilding publications ever...the old Iron Man magazine.
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Moore's Leg Blaster
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The Moore's Squat Bar was originally invented by Jim Moore and later known as the Moore's Leg Blaster and then the Zane Leg Blaster. It was first manufactured in the 1960s with the same idea as the Magic Circle, to make squatting more comfortable and safe. This one however was a lot more compact than the Magic Circle and a hell of a lot more attractive.
The downside of this bar (see pic in heading of original bar) was that you had to raise yourself on your toes when performing the lift so you wouldn't fall back wards. There was also a rack that could be bought as an extra, this would allow you to hold on to a bar and lean back wards while squatting to keep the heels on the ground and the knees in a better position.
Frank Zane the champion bodybuilder from the 60s, 70s and 80s purchased the rights to this device, perfected it and re named it the Leg Blaster and is still sold today.
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The Zander Machines
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In the late 1800s Gustav Zander a Swedish physician invented a line of 70 different exercise machines based on pulleys and counterweights.
This pulley machine looks to be the forerunner to the modern Lat-Pull down machine. By simply moving the seat up or down the resistance is made either heavier or lighter.
One arm could be held in an isometric contraction while the other worked through the full range of motion, this would have been quite intense. Of course both arms could be used together, in unison or alternately.
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Another one of Zander's machines, this one is a combined leg extension/leg curl with counterweights.
Note how the thighs were restrained to prevent movement. Such restraints were to be seen some 70 to 80 years later on both Nautilus and Med-X machines made famous by there inventor, Arthur Jones, who had no idea that these machines ever existed.
Considering that this machine was made prior to the 1900's, it's an incredible piece of work and a real credit to the man.
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The Elgin exercise unit
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This apparatus was manufactured during the 1940's by the Elgin Exercise Appliance Co., Illinois, U.S.A.
It was described as the complete exercise unit for administering progressive exercises. This was an amazing piece of equipment which was initially developed to rehabilitate injured soldiers from World War 2.
Patents could perform almost every exercise you could think from leg press, bicep curl to leg abduction and many, many more. Note how the pulleys were adjustable and could slide along bars to accommodate different angles and body parts.
This machine worked on isolating the intended muscle to be strengthened, the only true way to test and strengthen an injured or weak muscle. Read that sentence again.... and apply it to your own training when working with injuries, something the functional training brigade of today seem to have forgotten.
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In this pic we see the same machine in real, however this unit had extra gear arrangements behind it and was connected to the so called "converted metabolic machine."
This machine at the back was for recording ergographs, which give a scribble line appearance on a graph to show muscular exertion. This would have been invaluable in assessing strength gains from each session and quite possible the world first exercise machine linked to recording device. At this end of the machine the shinny round rods that run vertically are the guides for the weight stack and behind it the ergograph.
Arthur Jones, who we spoke about previously used a similar principle when in the 1980's he introduced the Med-X medical machines, that were linked to the latest computer technology to test the function of various muscle groups.
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Hyper- extensions for the lower back being performed on the Elgin exercise unit.
Looks somewhat creepy but those leg restraints and the hands behind the back make for a total isolation of the lumbar area. The pad under the hips ensures the spine is kept relatively straight without excessive arch yet still placing the lumbar spine in extension.
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Seems we owe a lot to these strength training pioneers and there inventions. The next time you sit on a modern piece of exercise equipment have a little think about were or what it may have originated from.
Like this article? sent feedback to colin@fitterfasterstronger.com.au Got a training question? Putting together a FAQ soon. Email any you have and we'll put it in the FAQ article.