How to Get Strong, 1884

spine of How to Get Strong with disembodied biceps; cover of book with muscled, mustachioed man

To Obtain a Good Biceps. Mounting a ladder or a rope hand-over-hand; lifting any weight in front of you, whether a feather or a barrel of sugar… pulling downward on a rope, as in hauling up a sail; hammering– in short, anything which bends the elbow and draws the hand in toward the shoulder, takes the biceps muscle; and, if the work is vigorous and persisted in, this muscle will ere long become strong and well-shaped.

William Blaikie, How to Get Strong and How to Stay So

After all that rope climbing, sugar-barrel lifting, and sail hauling, you’ll not only have the desired guns, but you’ll also be ready for a career as a swashbuckling pirate. Though you may just want to lounge shirtless and practice your come-hither gaze (Fig. 1; Fig. 2).

two images of muscled men with facial hair labeled "Fig. 1" and "Fig. 2"

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