Editing Dynamic Tension (section)

==History==

After being bullied as a child, Charles Atlas joined the [[YMCA]] and began to do numerous exercise routines. He became obsessed with strength. He said that one day he watched a [[tiger]] stretching in the [[zoo]] and asked himself, "How does Mr. Tiger keep in physical condition? Did you ever see a tiger with a [[barbell]]?" He concluded that [[lion]]s and tigers became strong by pitting muscle against muscle.

The story may be apocryphal, but it captures the essence of Atlas's innovation. There were many other "isometric" courses available at the time, and sales took off only after Atlas used an advertisement depicting a bully kicking sand in a weakling's face.<ref>The 20th Century History With The Boring parts Left Out, D. Wallechinsky, 1999</ref> Some other notable users of this method include [[Joe DiMaggio]], [[Max Baer (boxer)|Max Baer]], [[Rocky Marciano]], [[Joe Louis]], [[Robert Ripley]] and [[Alan Wells]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}