Book excerpt: First published in 1961, “[T]his book is the result of ten years of research and experiment in the problems of muscle strength and muscle training at the Max-Planck-Institut für Arbeitsphysiologie, Dortmund, Germany supplemented by further work at the Lankenau Hospital, Division of Research, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There is provided the present status of these problems, and there is demonstrated how muscle strength may be built and maintained with a minimum of time and effort. “The methods used are adaptable, with suitable modification, to children, to average young people, to athletes in training, to sedentary workers and older persons who wish to maintain bodily strength, and to those who have undergone surgery and need rehabilitation of the muscle structure—in short, to anyone who wishes to develop and maintain good muscle tone. “A strong and well-built body not only has pleasing appearance, it permits the undertaking of arduous physical activities or active sports without undue fatigue, and with real enjoyment. “It is the author’s hope that in this age of fast living and nervous tension, when there often seems neither time nor place for extensive exercise, this book will assist those who wish to maintain bodily strength and fitness—simply, at home, without elaborate equipment—on a do-it-yourself basis. It should prove of special benefit to teachers of physical education and rehabilitation.”—THEODOR HETTINGER, M.D.