Description

Physical Culture for Beginners

Physical Culture for Beginners Without the Use of Appliances was one of the first physical culture books that I owned and it has been a firm favourite of mine ever since. A mixture of self-resistance, and some good old-fashioned basic bodyweight exercises, this book is both an excellent introduction to this type of exercising, but also an excellent go-to guide for the more experienced.

Dubious quality PDFs of this book have been available online forever, but I thought it was time for a good update and the usual Internal Force Fitness treatment. So, for this PDF I’ve matched up each exercise with the corresponding image, and added a little extra explanation where needed (you’ll know when I’ve got something to say, because I’ll start by writing “Richie:”).

Physical Culture

Physical culture, although definitions do vary, means basically living a lifestyle that will provide you with maximum physical and mental improvement via exercise (the type of exercise does not particularly matter). So in the case of this little publication, the aim is to make you fitter and healthier without the use of weights or dumbells, etc. The term is making a long-awaited comeback as people disregard ‘fad’ routines and ‘keep-fit-quick’ programs, and aim more for something they can understand and do day in and day out to keep them in tip-top condition.

Zero Equipment Required:

One of the main selling points of physical culture is that you don’t NEED equipment. Here is an exercise from the routine that will get you stronger using only your own muscles:

Full instructions are included in the text, with notations by me where I think things could be a little clearer.

A Final Word

All that remains for me to say, and I mention this throughout the text, is to please be careful and use your common sense! I’ve covered things like eye baths in other Internal Force Fitness reproductions for example, and there are ways they can still be effective. However, remember water has literally changed since this book was written, and over-the-counter eye drops are now available to help with tired eyes, etc. for only a few dollars. So, with the general advice sections, just think on.

While no particular suggestion is given for repetitions. I would suggest (as was common with routines of this time) working until you feel slightly tired (somewhere around the 8 to 10 rep mark I would imagine). This routine is not going to build you a herculean body, and that was never the aim, but a good physical culture routine like this CAN make you move easier and give your muscles a certain firmness.

Richie Neville | Director
Internal Force Fitness