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
lions 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. Some other notable users of this method include
Joe DiMaggio,
Max Baer,
Rocky Marciano,
Joe Louis,
Robert Ripley and
Alan Wells. ==See also==