Editing Dynamic Tension

{{Short description|System of physical exercises popularised by Charles Atlas}}
{{One source|date=October 2012}}
'''"Dynamic Tension"''' is the name [[Charles Atlas]] gave to the system of [[physical exercise]]s that he first popularized in the 1920s.

Dynamic Tension is a self-resistance exercise method which pits [[muscle]] against muscle. The practitioner tenses the muscles of a given body part and then moves the body part against the tension as if a heavy weight were being lifted. Dynamic Tension exercises are not merely [[isometric exercise|isometrics]], since they call for movement. Instead, the method comprises a combination of exercises in three disciplines: [[isotonic (exercise physiology)|isotonic]], [[isokinetic]], and some exercises in the isometric discipline.

Charles Atlas Ltd., which Atlas incorporated in 1929, owns the trademark for Dynamic Tension.<ref>{{cite web |title=Official USPTO Notice of Acceptance and Renewal Sections 8 and 9: U.S. Trademark RN 1300500: DYNAMIC-TENSION: Docket/Reference No. Atlas DT |url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn73408018&docId=ACR20240320235109&linkId=1#docIndex=0&page=1 |website=[[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] |access-date=30 May 2024}}</ref>

==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}}

==See also==
*[[Isometric exercise device]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.charlesatlas.com Dynamic Tension at charlesatlas.com]

[[Category:Physical culture]]
[[Category:Physical exercise]]
[[Category:Bodybuilding]]