Comments on: Old School Workout: Daily Exercises for Young Men From 1883

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:20:40 +0000

Brett wrote, “Writing has improved since those days.” I disagree. Their sentences were sonorous, intricately developed, and forceful, primarily due to the influence of Latin and Greek. In fact, ours is also the more artificial, since we, for fear of producing a run on sentence, split things which by logic ought to be connected. I would take a Burke, Johnson, Milton, Addison, or even Lincoln any day over anything written post-1900.

If this is the Art of Manliness, how about a post on developing a manly writing style?

By: Reggi

Reggi — Tue, 04 May 2010 07:54:07 +0000

That is a good workout that will get you shape, Remember working out back in vintage time was for a purpose not for show.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 06:13:19 +0000

@Will Charpentier

I don’t have the way with words that you do, so I will just say ‘bravo’, ‘well put’ and ‘I couldn’t agree more’.

By: Will Charpentier

Will Charpentier — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:57:02 +0000

@Jason & Brett:

Writing isn’t better; rather it seems more purposed for the Internet, in short sound bites instead of a sentence that follows the structure of the writer’s thought. Our culture has moved toward that short, if no less evocative manner of communicating and the written word, in so many formats, has followed suit–web writers will tell you that it’s based on the attention span of an 8th grader. Admittedly, American English is more prescriptive in its grammar than other languages; that’s long been acknowledged. I wonder, though, if the movement to the staccato style of communications now present in text messaging and the abbreviations (LOL) that one sees scattered throughout other media aren’t a cry for help, issuing from the shades of the grammarians in our past….

By: Hugh

Hugh — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:27:55 +0000

Looked easy but I found that I had to start with 10lb dumbbells. Even then I could only get 30 reps (sad). It’s a good basic quick workout with minimal equipment. I love the simplicity of old workouts but this one could be brought into the 21st century if desired. It could be done in circuits, periodized, done with kettlebells, or screwed up in any number
of ways. I say enjoy it for what it gives you, a good basic quick workout with minimal equipment. Grandpa could appreciate something simple and effective that lacked paralysis from analysis.