Bob Hoffman sued Charles Atlas primarily because he was losing sales to Atlas’s at home minimal equipment methods. He owned the York Barbell company. Eventually he figured out how to make money with isometrics and was pushing his isometric power rack. The isometric routines Hoffman came up with were used by many people and athletes with outstanding results. He even tried to get his rack installed in the White House. Of course the way he configured his program it not only required the rack he sold, it also required the weight sets he sold that weighed hundreds of pounds of pounds. You can get his course for free at the Sandow Museum online.

Google Alexander Zass if you think that isometrics don’t build strength and lots of it. He was a small man with brutal strength putting many men more than twice his size to shame. As a prisoner of war on a starvation diet he pulled against the chains that bound him and he pulled and pressed on the bars until he was strong enough to break the chains and bend the bars enough to slip through. He escaped this way 3 times. Each time they caught him they bound him with stronger chains. Every time he broke those and got away. He NEVER trained with weights. Only isometrics.

I use isometrics in my training routine and they definitely increase my strength compared to when I don’t do them. Charles Atlas said in an interview that everything he learned from someone named Swoboda. Lots of info on him online as well. He repackaged what he learned from him and turned it into the famous course he sold and which is still selling today. I have his course and have used his methods. I consider it to be full of good info and much of what is being pushed and promoted today is far worse. His exercises are a combination of bodyweight using items around the house, and self resistance. Not isometrics even though lots of people call it that. Good info on healthy living is included. Worthwhile reading and trying and is still being sold today. People that use it still report good results from it.