The Nautilus Compound Leg Machine

Posted on Tuesday, June 21st, 2016 by John Wood

The ‘point’ of any tool is to give yourself an advantage that could not otherwise be had… in this case, a machine which will allow a for the performance of a very specialized (and VERY effective) training technique: pre-exhaust.

The Nautilus compound Leg Machine combined a leg extension with a leg press, allowing a trainee to move from one exercise to the next in the quickest possible time — and creating one of the most intense leg workouts ever devised.

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

The Nautilus Rotary Neck Machine

Posted on Thursday, March 24th, 2016 by John Wood

The Nautilus Rotary Neck Machine contains no weight stack, no built in source of resistance of any kind … instead, the resistance is provided by the user through the use of hand levers that enable you to exactly control the resistance during both the positive and negative parts of the exercise. There aren’t many Rotary Neck Machines around but we happen to have one in our private gym and when used correctly, it is excellent. We may do a feature on it at some point.

The Nautilus Infi-Metric Bench Press

Posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2015 by John Wood

The Infi-Metric was an interesting training concept which was pioneered by Arthur Jones. It involved pitting the strength of two body parts against each other. In the case of the Infi-Metric Bench Press machine shown here, as trainee pressed up one handle, the opposite handle lowered. This allowed one to train in a negative fashion in a very safe and productive manner. Because of the angles involved, it was also possible to get a stronger contraction in the chest muscles. Those who used this style of training correctly got great results, eventually becoming so strong that they bent the steel of the movement arm!

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Nautilus Leverage Machines

Posted on Friday, October 30th, 2015 by John Wood
>When most people think of Nautilus Machines they picture cams and weight stacks, which were certainly the case… But later on, Nautilus came out with a series of leverage pieces with the look of machines yet the feel of free weights. Pictured here is Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro Linebacker Reggie Williams demonstrating the shrug/row combo piece. This photograph was taken in the world famous “Kong Room” and if you were ever there, you sure never forgot it.

The Blue Monster

Posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2014 by John Wood

The Blue Monster

The Nautilus phenomenon essentially began in Culver City, California at the 1970 Mr. America Contest where Arthur Jones unveiled “The Blue Monster” — the prototype of what would eventually become his Nautilus exercise machines

“The Blue Monster” was a series of torso machines focusing on training the “pulling” muscles without the disadvantage of having to depend on grip strength to hold the bar, thus being able to develop that musculature far beyond what was capable with that limitation.

This simple observation led to advancements in physical training that had never before even been dreamt of…

To find out more about Arthur Jones and his system of training you will want to pick up a copy of Ellington Darden’s newest book The New Bodybuilding for Old-School Results

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Nautilus Plate-Loaded Spider-Cam Bicep/Tricep Machine

Posted on Wednesday, February 26th, 2014 by John Wood

An obvious characteristic of the early Nautilus machines is what are appropriately called “spider cams,” which you can see on this bicep/tricep. You would be hard-pressed to find a better arm workout… but only if this machine is used correctly (which is exactly how most people don’t use it.)
All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.

Warren Moon on the Double Shoulder

Posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2013 by John Wood

Warren Moon trains on a Nautilus Double Shoulder machine

Warren Moon, circa 1976, then a junior at the University of Washington, getting in a workout on a Nautilus double shoulder machine. Despite training on machines, Moon somehow still went on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

The Nautilus Upright Squat Machine

Posted on Friday, May 4th, 2012 by John Wood

Casey Viator, using the Nautilus Upright Squat Machine during the Colorado Experiment

During the “Colorado Experiment” Casey Viator famously gained 63 pounds of muscle mass in 28 days.  The workouts were brief and intense and while not an “experiment” in a truest sense of the word, it did show that dramatic results were quite possible under a certain set of circumstances.  Interestingly, much of the equipment used was in fact, experimental, and never actually made commercially available.

The Nautilus Upright Squat Machine, shown here, is a good example of this.  This machine was designed to provide all the benefits of the barbell squat, while reducing or eliminating the drawbacks.  This was the only leg machine that Casey used in every workout for the duration of the Colorado Experiment.  While it was effective, the potential for the user to be catapulted right out of it was deemed far too great, so this was the only one ever manufactured.

Sergio Oliva and the Nautilus Pullover

Posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 by John Wood

Sergio Oliva and the Nautilus Pullover

The Nautilus Pullover, demonstrated here by Three-time Mr. Olympia winner Sergio Oliva, was often called “The Upper Body Squat” because it trained the largest and strongest muscles of the back in a way that is not possible with regular barbells and dumbbells…

However, like any tool, the pullover must be used correctly. “Correctly use” entails not just the form of the movement itself but also the volume and intensity in which sets and reps are performed.; A lot of people didn’t do it right from the outset and wrote it off, which is a shame… Once you “get” how to use the pullover correctly, the results are like night and day. Though this particular machine was originally in production over forty years ago, they are still surprisingly easy to find — we may actually do a special feature on the pullover at some point.

All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Author: John Wood. All contents, including images and text, copyright © 2005-2021 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc. Not to be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. We will most likely grant permission but please contact us if you would like to repost. IMPORTANT: Equipment and books, courses etc. pictured in blog posts are generally not available for sale unless specifically noted.