Edwin Checkley (1847–1925) was a British-born American athlete, physician, and the author of a book about strength-training. He was supposedly "one of the strongest men in America" in 1890.
Life
Checkley was born in 1847 in London, U.K.
He emigrated to the United States in 1871, settling in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York City.
He studied at the Long Island Medical College.
By 1890, he had become a long-distance bicycle rider; for example, he rode from New York City to Chicago.
That same year, he was "said to be one of the strongest men in America."
In his 1895 book, ''A Natural Method of Physical Training'', Checkley advocated light
bodyweight exercise
Calisthenics (American English) or callisthenics (British English) () is a form of strength training that utilizes an individual's body weight as resistance to perform multi-joint, compound movements with little or no equipment.
Calisthenics sol ...
s without dumbbells.
Nevertheless, the book inspired
Alan Calvert
Alan Calvert (1875 – June 24, 1944) was an American weightlifter, businessman, magazine publisher, and the author of several books. He was the founder of one of the first barbell companies in the world and one of the first strength-training maga ...
, the founder of one of the first barbell companies in the world.
Checkley died in 1925.
Selected works
''A Natural Method of Physical Training: Making Muscle and Reducing Flesh Without Dieting or Apparatus''(1892)
''Checkley's Natural Method of Physical Training''(1921)
References
1847 births
1925 deaths
People from Brooklyn
Medical doctors from London
People associated with physical culture
English emigrants to the United States
19th-century English medical doctors
Strength training writers
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