Fred Rollon: The Bronze Era Human Anatomy Chart

Back in the late 1890s and early 1900s, before all the fancy testosterone products and steroids came into play, Fred Rollon was making waves on the strongman scene.

He earned the nicknames “The German Muscular Miracle” and “The Human Anatomy Chart ” for his high-definition physique.

Unlike today’s bodybuilders who rely on steroids and supplements, Rollon was 100% natural. We know he built his body naturally because he lived in a time before steroids. He lived during the Bronze Era of bodybuilding, which predated the development of synthetic testosterone. (The first steroid.)

Rollon’s upper body had an incredible level of muscular separation that had never been seen before. The guy was a beast!

And get this, he achieved his jaw-dropping physique without training with dumbbells or barbells. According to Rollon himself, he only started using barbells and dumbbells much later in his career. His secret weapons were chest expanders and cable sets!

Fred Rollon was known as the human anatomy chart due to his chiseled features and deep muscle striations. Rollon was ripped. About as ripped as it gets. You could see every line and muscle striation through his skin.

The Chest Expander

He claimed to train primarily with a chest expander. A chest expander is a device with two handles connected by springs.

The expander got its name because you pull the handles apart until your arms are straight out to your sides, like you’re reaching to touch the walls on both sides of a room.

Chest expander is just one example of cable training, also called strand-pulling.

What is Strand-pulling?

Strandpulling is a type of exercises where you pull rubber tubes, rubber bands, resistance bands, or steel springs apart for resistance. It is the category of training that used springs or bungee like cables as resistance to build muscle.

The farther you stretch the strands the stronger the resistance. The resistance curve increases as you stretch the bands further. The greater the range of motion the greater the resistance.

Chest expanders are better for training the upper body muscles compared to the lower body muscles. This may be apparent since you need to grip the handles to train effectively, which obviously engages the upper body musculature.

Chest expanders aren’t perfect by any means but they allow you get to be creative with exercises and come up with new ways of training to target all your muscle groups.

Resistance bands use the same principle as cables, they are just less intimidating than the cold metal chest expanders of the old school bodybuilders used.

Resistance Training Wins

When it comes to muscle constriction, any resistance will do the job. It doesn’t matter if it’s weights, calisthenics, cables, rocks, stones or milk jugs full of sand.

It doesn’t matter. Your body doesn’t care. Resistance is the only things that matters if you want to build muscle.

Fred Rollons Physique and Strongman Lifestyle

Fred Rollon wasn’t just any strongman, he was a strand-pulling champion who remained undefeated in cable pulling. Picture this: the cables he trained with could withstand the resistance of multiple horses!

And that’s not all. Rollon had a knack for incredible feats of strength. He could pull horses, bend nails and iron rods, and even tear a deck of cards with his bare hands. Once when he toured Russia, he dared anyone to match his performance, offering a prize of 1,000 Roubles to anyone who succeeded. Talk about confidence!

During one tour, in the city of Minsk, someone in the crowd challenged Fred to show some real strength. True to his showmanship nature, he pushed over 250 lbs. over his head without even tilting his torso. And to further prove his point, he added several weight discs totaling a whopping 365 lbs. on his back and did multiple reps of floor presses.

For most of his adult life, Fred Rollon lived as a show-strongman, touring around and showcasing his incredible strength in circus-like settings. In 1902, he even declared himself the World Champion Strongman and dared anyone to challenge him.

While he may have been more of a circus act than a bodybuilder, there’s no denying that his training with chest expanders gave him muscle definition that was unparalleled.

Muscles force applied against the resistance. We are the physical manifestation of spiritual matter and ethereal energy. We are tangible examples to gain lessons about life.

Fred Rollon height and Weight

Fred Rollon’s upper body was incredibly developed, complete with ‘Ballon muscles’.

Fred Rollon stood at 5’10” tall and weighed 185 lbs. With a neck circumference and biceps measuring 17 inches each, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Fred wasn’t the only one who achieved incredible results using chest expanders. Other legendary bodybuilders like Eugene Sandow, Professor Attila, John Grimak, and Reg Park also swore by them.

These guys didn’t make excuses. They dedicated themselves to their training, using the tools they had, to develop the most awe-inspiring natural physiques in history. It’s a testament to their determination and commitment.

Fred Rollon Workout

Rollons primary training method was using his chest expander to do total body workouts.

Bicep curls, Tricep press, shoulder press, overhead pulldowns, back press, and front press can all be performed with a chest expander or resistance

Fred Rollon had the yoke muscles. The yoke are strong and well defined upper back and shoulder muscles. Rollon also had powerful arms and grip strength. Probably due to bending thick nails and iron bars regularly. As well has have to grip the chest expander on a daily basis.

Unlike other bronze era bodybuilders and victorian strongman, Fred Rollon had a developed chest. A rare feature for the early victorian strongmen.

Training

For Fred Rollon, chest expanders were his go-to tools. They targeted muscles that traditional barbells, dumbbells, and cables often missed. And that’s probably why he had such exceptional definition in his upper body.

Looking at his pictures, especially his double back pose and most muscular pose, you can see the results of his chest expander training. He inspired countless young men to train vigorously with chest expanders and strength cables.

Reports suggest that Fred Rollon used chest expanders with resistance levels or tensile strengths of over 300 lbs. Compare that to modern-day chest expanders that typically only have around 80 lbs. in tensile strength.

There is a variety of chest expander exercises inspired by Fred Rollon that you can do to train an underdeveloped chest and upper body. They include:

Exercise 1: Standing One-Arm and Double-Arm Lateral Extensions

Hold the chest expander with both hands
Extend one hand as far as possible. Hold briefly at the end of the movement, then relax.
Repeat the same movement with the other hand.
Perform a double-arm lateral extension by extending both hands to the sides simultaneously.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Exercise 2: Fly Lateral Raises

Start in a relaxed position with the chest expander held behind your back, crossing just below your buttocks.
Raise both hands upward and outward to the sides, simulating a flying motion.
Pause briefly at the top of the movement, then slowly return to the starting position.
Complete the desired number of repetitions.

Exercise 3: Overhead Chest Expansions

Start with your arms outstretched above you.
Slowly widen your arms, lower your head and shoulders, and stretch the expander above your chest.
Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Exercise 4: One-Arm Triceps Extensions

Grip the expander with one arm at groin level and the other arm raised.
The expander should cross your torso diagonally.
Raise your top hand until the expander is fully stretched, then relax.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions on each arm.

Exercise 5: Press Out and Twist

Grip the expander at shoulder level on both sides behind your back.
Extend the expander forward as if throwing a slow punch while twisting your torso.
Inhale and return to the resting position, then repeat in the opposite direction
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Exercise 6: Press Out and Side Bend

Grip the expander at shoulder level on both sides.
Extend the expander on both sides while bending your torso to one side.
Inhale and relax in the standing position, then repeat the movement while bending to the other side.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Exercise 7: Arm Curls

Put your right foot through one handle, securing it at the arch of your foot, and grip the other handle with your right hand.
Perform upward curls similar to dumbbell bicep curls.
Inhale and return to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions and sets, then switch to the other hand.

Exercise 8: Diagonal Arm Raises

Put one handle through your right foot and grip the other handle with your left hand.
Pull your left hand as high as possible using a downward grip.
Relax at the top of the movement, then gently return to the starting position.
Repeat the desired number of repetitions and sets for one side, then switch to the other side (right hand and left foot).

Fred Rollon Diet

There isn’t much information available on Rollon’s diet. However, back in the Bronze Era, people didn’t have easy access to junk food like we do today.

Their diets consisted of nutrient-dense whole foods, mainly fresh produce. They didn’t rely on preservatives or highly processed foods.

It was all about what we now refer to as organic, wholesome goodness. Think beef, chicken, fish, cheese, fruits, and vegetables.

Conclusion

Back in the Bronze and Silver Eras of bodybuilding, chest expanders were a go-to training tool for the oldschool greats.

That’s because chest expanders offered versatility, working multiple muscle groups in the upper body simultaneously. With consistent use, you could expect detailed muscle definition and dense muscle mass and muscle separation.

As time went on however, chest expanders lost popularity with the emergence of resistance bands and gym machines.

Bands were cheaper and safer, while cable machines provided more targeted muscle workouts. But the legacy of Fred Rollon and his fellow strongmen shows us that sometimes, the simplest tools can yield the most impressive results.

So, the next time you hit the gym or work out at home, remember the story of Fred Rollo and his chest expanders.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll find inspiration in his unconventional training methods and achieve remarkable results of your own.