Daily Exercises and Home Development [1922]: Part 2 – Dipping + Chinning the Bar

Dipping

Take two stout chairs, or the foot-board of a bed and a chair, and bring them together so that you can stand comfortably between them with your hands at your sides. Now, place your hands upon them, raise your feet from the floor and lower the weight of the body by means of bending the arms until your knees touch the floor. Then raise your body until your arms are extended fully, drawing your knees up as high as you can. Continue this motion for not more than eight counts at a time.

If you are not able to perform this exercise at first retain your feet on the ground, permitting as much weight of the body to go on the arms as possible and after having done this moderated dipping for a certain length of time you will find that you will be able to raise your feet from the floor, easily performing the full act of dipping.

NOTE: Dipping strengthens the triceps, the breast muscles, and the shoulder muscles in a wonderful manner and increases the power of hitting very markedly.

Raise feet from the floor and lower the weight of the body by means of bending the arms until knees touch the floor.

Then raise your body until your arms are extended fully, drawing knees up as high as possible. Continue motion.

Chinning the Bar

Place a bar in the doorway of your closet, just a trifle higher than you can reach with your arms completely extended. You can arrange this yourself, or have a carpenter do it.

Reach up and grasp the bar with both hands, palm of your hand towards you. Now, keeping your legs perfectly straight, raise yourself by your arms until your chin comes over the bar; then lower yourself slowly until your arms are completely extended again. Do this exercise 5 or 6 counts-not more than 8.

This exercise strengthens the biceps, muscles in the back, and in the waist, and is exceedingly good for what is known as a corporation or an extended stomach. It strengthens the walls of the abdomen and aids the pupil to hold himself a man should, with chest out and stomach in.