Copyright by Kimberly Ayn Beckwith 2006 The Dissertation Committee for Kimberly Ayn Beckwith Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: BUILDING STRENGTH: ALAN CALVERT, THE MILO BAR-BELL COMPANY, AND THE MODERNIZATION OF AMERICAN WEIGHT TRAINING Committee: Janice S. Todd, Supervisor Terence C. Todd Carla A. Costa Janet M. Davis Charles D. Kupfer BUILDING STRENGTH: ALAN CALVERT, THE MILO BAR-BELL COMPANY, AND THE MODERNIZATION OF AMERICAN WEIGHT TRAINING by KIMBERLY AYN BECKWITH, B.A., M.ED. DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN AUGUST 2006 DEDICATION To my mother, Joan Ratliff; To the memory of my father, Clois Ray Beckwith; and To the rest of my family who kept encouraging me to “Just get it done!” ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As is the case with most projects of this scale, my dissertation was not completed in a vacuum. First, I want to thank Dr. Jan Todd of the Kinesiology and Health Education Department at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Todd taught me to trust in my strengths, both physically and intellectually. This dissertation would not have been started, much less finished, without her constant encouragement and support. Dr. Todd chaired my dissertation committee and provided the ongoing analysis that helped me to narrow and complete the manuscript. I would also like to acknowledge my other committee members. Special thanks go to Dr. Terry Todd, also of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas, who began the Todd-McLean Physical Culture Collection and, in so doing, provided me with the means to complete this dissertation. What’s more, his constant support and reminder that, “It’s a good life if you don’t weaken,” meant more to me than he probably realized. To Dr. Carla A. Costa of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas, to Dr. Janet M. Davis of the Department of History at The University of Texas, and to Dr. Charles D. Kupfer of the American Studies Department at Penn State University at Harrisburg, I am grateful for your willingness to be on my committee and for your insightful feedback. Not forgetting the always helpful, but under-recognized, staffs at The University of Texas at Austin libraries, the Philadelphia Free Library, and the Philadelphia City Archives, thank you for your patient assistance. Ryan Richards of the Suburban and Wayne Times office also deserves a thank you for digging through his newspaper’s v archives for the information that allowed me to finally make contact with a descendant of Alan Calvert—Howard Wiig. Having found Mr. Wiig, I now want to thank him, and his cousin—Linda Laurence, for their eagerness to gather information for me concerning the Calvert family. George D. Devine also deserves recognition for his willingness to share information on Edwin Checkley. A big thank you also goes out to Reuben Weaver and Michael Murphy for their readiness to share the Calvert materials found in their collections. David Webster, Mike BonDurant, and Joe Roark each earned a thank you for answering questions and contributing information about the Iron Game. I am also grateful to the North American Society for Sport History for making me, and other graduate students, feel welcome at their annual meeting. NASSH has a tradition of supporting graduate students that is truly commendable. It goes without saying that I depended on my family--especially my mother, Joan Ratliff—for their patient support, love, and encouragement during this process. The whole bunch stayed right behind me, urging me on with their constant reminders to hang in there. Finally, a word to my fellow graduate student friends Nick Bourne, Sylvia Trendafilova, Tommy Hunt, and Jules Woolf—thanks for making the experience one to remember. Y’all will be close on my heels! vi BUILDING STRENGTH: ALAN CALVERT, THE MILO BAR-BELL COMPANY, AND THE MODERNIZATION OF AMERICAN WEIGHT TRAINING Publication No._____________ Kimberly Ayn Beckwith, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2006 Supervisor: Janice S. Todd Men looking to reshape and strengthen their body in fin de siècle America (particularly after Eugen Sandow’s 1893 appearances at the Chicago Worlds Fair) discovered two major problems: the limited exercise literature available in this era almost universally espoused the use of light weight training methods which did not build the kind of muscles owned by Sandow, and those who wanted to lift heavier weights—ala Sandow and other professional strongmen—could not buy such implements from any sporting goods company in America. Enter Alan Calvert, who solved both problems for American men by opening the Milo Bar-bell Company in 1902. His promotion of progressive resistance exercise using the adjustable barbells and dumbbells he manufactured launched a new era of strength and muscularity for America. vii Using historians Allen Guttmann’s and Melvin Adelman’s theories on sport and modernity, this dissertation argues that Alan Calvert was the pivotal figure in the modernization of American weight training. His first book, The Truth about Weight Lifting, did more than expose the professional strongman’s tricks. It also urged Americans to create an association for the sport that would regulate competitions, create rules and standards for equipment, decide on a definitive set of lifts, and keep official records. Calvert’s suggestions resulted in the formation of the American Continental Weight-Lifters’ Association, the first national governing body for weightlifting in the United States. Modern sports according to Adelman must have a specialized literature, and Calvert also provided this for weight training by beginning Strength magazine in 1914. In his articles and editorials, Calvert introduced his readers to scientific training methods, emphasized the importance of training with heavy weights, and counseled thousands of men on the best methods to build an impressive physique. Known for his honesty and integrity, many of Calvert’s followers viewed him as a messianic character as he converted thousands of men to weight training during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Although Calvert turned from lifting in his later life, his followers did not stray from the path he’d set them on—the path that led to the creation of the modern sports of bodybuilding and weightlifting. viii Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE ALAN CALVERT AND EUGEN SANDOW: BARBELL ENTREPRENEUR AND HIS INSPIRATION .................................................................................................15 CHAPTER 2 AMERICAN WEIGHT TRAINING BEFORE ALAN CALVERT ...........................45 Weight Training in Nineteenth Century America................................47 Calvert’s search for Barbells................................................................69 CHAPTER THREE “AMERICAN BARBELLISM” AND THE MILO BAR-BELL COMPANY: 1902-1911 ..................................................................................96 The Milo Bar-bell Company................................................................99 The Milo Barbells and Early Publicity Campaigns ...........................104 The Early Training Courses...............................................................157 CHAPTER 4 “AS A SPORT, AS A MEANS OF BODY BUILDING, AND AS A PROFESSION” THE TRUTH ABOUT WEIGHT LIFTING ..........................................................171 Strongman “Tricks”...........................................................................179 Amateur Lifting and Standardization.................................................190 Breaking New Ground .......................................................................195 New Training Courses .......................................................................199 1912 and Beyond ...............................................................................218 CHAPTER 5 BUILDING STRENGTH: AMERICA’S FIRST MUSCLE MAGAZINE ................222 Honesty & Integrity ...........................................................................245 End of an Era: Calvert sells Strength................................................250 ix CHAPTER SIX FROM STRENGTH TO SUPER-STRENGTH .....................................................253 Super-Strength ...................................................................................267 Strength after Calvert: The Late 1920s..............................................286 CHAPTER SEVEN RENOUNCING STRENGTH: CHECKLEY’S SYSTEM, 1925-1930...................292 Edwin Checkley.................................................................................294 Body Molding & Other Publications..................................................306 Conclusion .........................................................................................334 RESEARCH NOTE .................................................................................................339 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................344 VITA…………………………………………………………………………….368 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Eugen Sandow.......................................................................................18