While the author may be widely known in the field of physical training only as a result of the recently announced developments which are the subject of this Bulletin, quite a number of readers will probably recognize the name in connection with another field -- since, for the past fourteen years, motion-pictures produced by the author have been in constant distribution throughout the world. Included in these credits were the following series of films produced for television, "Professional Hunter," "Wild Cargo," "Capture," "Call of the Wild," and major portions of four other series, as well as several theatrical and special films for television. The most recent film produced by the author was seen on CBS network on Friday, August 28, 1970 at 7:30 in the evening - - titled "Free to Live: Operation Elephant," a one-hour, color special on a major conservation project, the capture and relocation of African elephants.

Before becoming involved in film production, the author was an airline pilot and conducted a large-scale import-export business in wild animals, birds, reptiles and tropical fish - - an occupation which eventually led to the production of films based on conservation themes.

Eight members of the author’s family - - father, mother, brother, sister, paternal grand-father, uncle, cousin and brother-in-law - - are medical doctors; or were, when still living. And the author has devoted a great deal of time to research programs in closely related areas - - work dealing with both wild animals and human subjects.

Such work in the field of weight-training dates back approximately thirty years - - and while such research has certainly not been constant for that period of time, several years were spent in such studies; with, until very recently, no thought regarding the commercial possibilities that might result.

As recently as a year ago, it was the author’s intention to publish the results of his experimental work in this field without taking credit under his own name; Bill Pearl was primarily responsible for causing a change of plans in that regard. He said, ". . . if you don’t take credit under your own name, somebody will try to steal the credit for anything worthwhile that you have produced."

Since no commercial considerations were involved in the development of the new Nautilus training equipment, absolutely no publicity was given to this research program until long after everybody involved was satisfied with the results that were being consistently produced by a high percentage of the trainees using this equipment in experimental training programs; an as a natural result, many people are probably left feeling that the recently announced results are based upon hasty conclusions - - whereas, in fact, the background of research data upon which these conclusions are based is literally enormous.

Secondly, since there is really no practical ground upon which a reasonable comparison between the new equipment and previously-existing types of conventional training equip-ment can be based, it is extremely difficult to even attempt to draw such comparisons.

How, for example could you fairly compare the barbell to any type of training equipment that existed previously? By comparison to any earlier equipment intended for the same purpose, the barbell was literally; a great leap forward, a major breakthrough, capable of producing more in the way of muscular mass and/or strength increases in a few months than any other method of training could produce in a lifetime.

And not the same sort of breakthrough has occurred again; and just as the barbell was an almost complete departure from earlier types of equipment, the Nautilus equipment is also something entirely new. Nautilus machines are not an improvement in equipment’; instead, they represent a new approach to the whole idea of progressive weight-training.

Rather than attempting to design exercises based on the use of conventional training equipment, the problem was approached from an entirely different direction; totally new equipment was designed to meet the needs of human muscular structures.

And in many respects, that was one of the most difficult parts of the problem; since it was first essential to establish just what was required for stimulating increases in muscular size and strength. And since very little in the way of serious work has been done in this field by the scientific community, there was almost nothing to refer to for guidance.

High degrees of results were obviously being produced by training with barbells and conventional pulley devices, but there was certainly nothing even approaching agreement insofar as the best method of training was concerned.

The production of any given result - - regardless of how spectacular it may appear - proves nothing beyond the ability of a particular method to produce a certain result, eventually; and it certainly does not follow that the same degree of results could not have been produced by some other method.

So, rather obviously, in the almost complete lack of anything dependable in the way of guidelines, it was necessary to study the physics of both conventional forms of exercise and the functions of muscular structures.

In the following chapters, a brief - non-technical - outline of the basic physics involved will be attempted; but since this is actually a rather complicated subject, it must be remembered that a full explanation is impossible within the limits of length that must be observed in this bulletin.

For those who might be interested in greater details, a much longer account, a book titled "The Ultimate Development," by the same author, will be available, in a few months. In a total of 99 chapters, the subject of physical training is covered in detail.

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