Athletic Sports (extract)

Physical Characteristics of the Athlete only twenty-five per cent surpassed him in length of forearm. In view of Han- lan's style of rowing, these measurements are suggestive. Large bones, which usually accompany large muscles, may result from slow, heavy work, and are indispensable to him who handles great weights. If the bones have large, prominent processes for the attach­ ment of muscles, or the musclee have short tendons and long insertions, great strength is the usual result. Perhaps no one thing ismore important to a successful oarsman than good lung- capacity. In order to relieve the heart and lungs of the embarrassmentat first ac­ companying severe exertion, it is necessary to enlarge thechest and increase its mobil­ ity, especially in the region of the eighth, ninth, and tenth ribs. This can be ac­ complished by the use of light chest- weights, dumb-bells, and running exercises. I am prepared to maintain, also,that row­ ing, with theuse of the sliding-seat, isone of the best exercises for enlarging the chest, and I believe that conclusions of Maclaren and others to the contrarywere formed before the introductionof the slid­ ing-seat, as the evidence is indisputable that the girth of the chest is greatly in- 90