As a child we always had one of these around the house. It was my first introduction to strength training. Of course as a child I couldn’t say the name and used to call it the ‘chestic banger’ 🤣
Pretty nice that this hasn’t been entirely forgotten. I bought a pair 4 years ago but I never quite found a good exercise to work the lower body with it.
There are some really good leg exercises you can do with them. I have multiple different exercise charts from the early 1900's, so if this video gets enough attention, I may make a follow up video depicting some of the different leg exercises.
I had always a chest expander, for around 30 years (I was 14 years old when I got it) The funny thing is, when the gyms closed because of the pandemic, the expander became more of the main tool for strength training again, with great effects on my shoulders and back, but also the biceps and trizeps, since the resistance curve is very different. I use two different Expanders with one with "rubber cables", one with "latex cables". May not be as "oldschool" as the "steel chest expander", but they have a very good "quick-click-system" to change the cables fast for different exercises.
Bought one back in the early sixties endorsed by Bob Hoffman and John Farbotnic(not sure about the spelling but it seems he was an early fifties AAU Mr. America) Mine was a five spring model but three is the most I was ever able to use. It’s great for biceps, triceps and shoulders, back. No balance issues, greater tension at the end of the movement. It was great when I lost my left leg in a motorcycle accident seventeen years ago and it helped me maintain my upper body strength during recovery. I could sit on the side of the bed and work nearly my whole upper body, even able to do partial leg presses with my good leg. That and my Total Gym were the best pieces of rehab equipment I could have had.
I found something similar to chest expanders that I like even more in some ways (I've owned an old-school chest expander from the 1960s). This other design consists of a length of strong surgical tubing, a little under three feet in length. There are two strong, flexible but fairly stiff handles that are slipped over the tubing, one at each end, but also positionable anywhere along the tubing. At the far ends, past the handles, are two rubber balls, a bit smaller than tennis balls. So you can grip the handles or the balls. You can double the tubing back on itself to make a shorter length with more resistance. You can also reposition the handles, to make the length just right for specific exercises. These things are great. Unfortunately, the company that made them did not have much in the way of marketing savvy. Great product, no effective marketing department. With gloves and resistance bands you can do the same.
I have a still spring chest expander that I use at least once a week to supplement my calisthenics body weight strength training. I love the chest expander my dad used to use it now I use it it's a great strength building piece of equipment it's just hard to find any that are any good on the market
I definitely agree with you on the value of this gear. I use a band version, although I first heard about the equipment after reading how Chuck Sipes used the spring expander--along with hiking--to heal his joints/maintain his muscles, during long breaks in the off-season. To my mind, there are few free weight exercises that match the expander for curls and French presses; rear pulls also work the upper back well, and you can pump up the shoulders very, very effectively with no pain using expanders. (Delt circuits are particularly worth a try.) If you throw in a power twister for the pectorals, and some bodyweight squats, you have a total body workout that matches the weights, but with far less joint stress.
I don't have a Spenby or Terry's but know a lot of guys swear by them. A few of my faves are 1)Whitely/Voit chest pulls with swiveling Saf-Tee handles and springs (I was fortunate to find a premium, 3-spring model w/machined aluminum handles... super nice) , 2) AMF Whitely with non-swiveling, black plastic handles, black metal clips and safety locking rod (my sentimental favorite as I had this one in 1975) and 3)believe it or not late 1980's to probably mid-1990's Bollinger Chest Developer (made in Taiwan and this style was sold under many other brand names during this time period). The Bollinger had shorter, smaller diameter springs with more coils that provide some serious tension/resistance. Their handles are very tough plastic. They have a hole running completely through the width of the handle ends. I took two chest developers and attached them to a 5/8" steel rod with set screw collars. I use this set-up for shrugs, curls and rows. If you can do any full range of motion, two-handed exercises with all 5 springs on one of these units you are a BEAST for sure! Hope this helps anyone who might be thinking about "old school" spring expanders rather than the newer rubber cable type. The bottom line is to find a style that YOU like and get busy on them. They make for a pretty taxing workout.🏋
@@ForgottenFitness Yeah that guy vic tanner who had those gyms, or whatever his name was got sued for fraud and that ended that line of research for a long time. But it seems to increase collagen production and also brown fat both of which are pretty huge benefits. I have been doing it for a while now. Also seems good for muscle recovery.
I just want to echo what Sudhir Sean Sista and Forgotten Fitness have mentioned already. Ebay is a great source for chest expanders as they were very popular in past decades and there are still many well made units out there.👍
Very good video. I use the the Chest-Expander and the Bullworker in combination. Two very old devices. I really gain muscles. No dumbbells needed at home.
I've been using the chest expander for about 2 years now. Can testify to this great piece of equipment. Use Jack Reid's four exercises. Overhead front pull(1st exercise) the front pull (3rd exercise) followed by the back press and front press. Can't recommend them enough. Built a dense upper body off just these four exercises. Get one. The old ones. Spenby and Terry. Got mine of eBay 👍
got my Terry's from flee market for like 5-7€. In a box with 4 springs if remember correctly . too bad that I lost the box. Somewhere in the handle it says "Terry's Made in England". My gym got closed and all I miss is a proper leg workout.
Just took my two 40 year old Spenby's out and was trying a few different exercises to see what muscle groups i could hit with a bit of experimentation. With two 1 metre long inch steel pipes i placed one on a dining room chair (without arms), sat on it and took the other bar in my hands. Whilst thumb holding 2 exercisers over the bar I did perfect form military presses, which felt really great for the shoulders. I used to love the row variations hooked over a door handle when i was young but probably wouldn't risk it today. Occurred to me with a chained bike lock around a garden tree and 2 exercisers attached you could really max out the heavy two handed rows. Also hooked it over a chinning station and did triceps pressdowns.
I have one instead of springs it has 5 rubber bands. I use it in combination with bullworker, for compression, plus weight as you said. Its really great for the back and highly recommend it.
@@ForgottenFitness Yeah at some point the rubber will be broken down and snapped. I snapped two already and bought another set. Always find the spring one scary because I have fear that my finger will be entangled between those since childhood. I think adults instilled that fear when I was young due to safety reason, but I can not brush off this fear even now lol
Anyone looking for a quality, top of the line chest expander, Robert Baraban has one for sale that ranks as probably one of the best ever made (his Chest Krusher and Iron Horseshoe are also outstanding).
Great content! It's very nice to see this vintage exerciser coming back into popularity. I can still remember getting my very first chest expander when I was just 14 years old. It was Christmas 🎄 and I also received my first weight set that year.( Christmas 1967 ) Thanks for posting this information on Cable Training. Bring more. Muscle UP! 💪🌴🤙
I bought a mint condition Spendy expander from a car boot sale a few years (still in box with fold out guide). Fantastic piece of equipment, only downside is once you pulled/pushed all five springs all you can do is add reps. Front pull and back press are my favorite exercises.
I recall Louie Simmons saying something on benchers didn't have many problems with delts in the 60s and 70s as many still used the expanders during that time frame
Hey brother thank you so much for making this video I really appreciate the in-depth detail you go to. I also appreciate you referencing the Bronze Age bodybuilders I really think that they had probably the best Physique a man can aim for
@forgottenFitness you have to check out the chest expander of Robert baraban. It's a 7 spring model with each spring @ 10 kg tensile strength. It's very well built and will last a lifetime. The strength it builds in the delts and arms is unmatched by anything 💪🏼
I used to think these were more of a gimmicky piece of junk than a real thing, but doing deeper research has shown me these are actually an amazing supplement as isolation work. I'm going to buy one for sure.
Have some about 42 years now, originally from my dad, But I always trained with them as a kid. They are from the brand Spenby and made in England. Still have the box and poster with the exercises. They are still in very good condition, use them back for my back and shoulders.
Got one a week ago from a video like this and holy shit I've increased my lifting power by almost double in a week. Its so light and adjustable too. I can do 30lb lifts or 150lb lifts. Either way the equipment is light as air, and harder to pull
@@ForgottenFitness best damned piece of workout equipment ever made in the history of working out. Right there next to Bruce Lee's method of chaining the bar to the ground.
I always buy older handles, regardless of the elasticity of the old springs, and replace them with 12-16 inch garage door springs. They are strong and won’t wear out. Works really well!
The bull worker bow is a very well made piece of equipment and has a similar movement to the bow, but offers a wider variety of movements because it can be used for compression as well.
Looks like York still makes a 5 spring chest expander for 13 bucks. Next time I order something there I will pick one up - already ordered a vintage one that will be arriving soon. York also has 18 inch spinlock dumbbells which are way better than any other loadable standard dumbbells I've seen and I plan to get more of those at some point.
York is great! They saved me during quarantine! I am so glad they are still around. Them and Marcy are two of the oldest barbell companies still doing it.
i think i had one with springs or saw one 50 plus years ago... i know in early 90's i had one that came with rubber tubes... i still have but only one tube is still good... It was great and most definitely can be used in anyway you can think of...
Are there any chest expanders you recommend specifically? Are you saying the really old ones with the springs are the best? Where do you buy extra springs to add resistance
Yes, I would buy an old set and avoid the cheap, plastic, Chinese expanders. I would buy an older pair and replace the old springs with garage door springs available at your local hardware store. A good expander is one of the best pieces of home gym equipment, period.
@@ForgottenFitness I bought a Chinese chest expander on Aliexpress for like $25 and it is super strong, beautiful and resistant. The chest expanders from the Stolen Lands of America are overpriced, do not last a year and if you have any problems they never exchange or refund the money.
@@charles2521 I've never had any problems with any of my vintage York expanders. I have, however, had a lot of trouble with my one Chinese chest expander springs stretching and never returning back to shape, hence why I first started buying garage door springs to replace them. Also, why get so political? I would like none of that here.
Well you can easily buy attachments for pulling machines on places like Walmart so if you bought two single hand attachments, a couple of carabiniers, and a bunch of those garage springs that you were talking about, you could essentially make your own and I would suggest getting the GripGenie carabiners because they are rated for well over 1,000 lb and they also have a spinning threaded lock so that even if you were doing this at home and your kid threw something at least the carabiner would stay shut but I'm sure these didn't just fade into the ether, remember during the second World War, women got really really involved in industry and schooling and of course they go by feelings and not critical thinking so if one kid pinched his fingers in the springs they ban them from schools, and of course the US Department of Education took over the syllabus and structures of physical education so they were probably removed into the ether
Went through the whole comments section but couldn’t find anything about breathing; specifically when to inhale and when to exhale. Usually, with weights, one exhales when producing force against resistance. However, in yoga one inhales when one’s arms are raised or when one is expanding the chest and lung capacity. I ask because, using the chest expander, it seems that I am exerting force whilst expanding my chest (different to many weight lifting movements and why I like the chest expander) so I’m a bit confused about when to exhale etc. I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks very much for the fantastically informative videos!
I do have an exercise to share that I remember my dad showing me, Well you lay down with the chest expanders out infront of you "like you would if you were stood up to do a regular expansion" Expand and do a sit up and twist either side while you are fully extended, Then lay back down, Slowly release the tension, And repeat, And feel the burn!
I have used chest expanders for many years and I got more shoulder and upper back development from them than I did from weights. Especially great for side and rear delts, really increased my shoulder width. Unfortunately, as was said in video they are hard to find these days as nd when you can find them the quality is poor.
I'm revisiting some old school exercises and strand pulling is one of those.i just realized that, similar to the old school light dumbbell system, I end up not just doing the movement but squeezing hard the contracted part of the movement. Do you guys that use it feel the same?
@@ForgottenFitness Fair enough. if you do I recommend looking at the book "The Lost Secret To a Great Body" By David Bolton. Gives a good history of the system and explains the exercises very well.
What if I add it to my bodyweight routine? Are there good leg exercises for jt? Because that is the one thing I have a hardtime training with bodyweight
Looking for (if possible) hamstring / quad exercises (diagrams or photos) using a chest expander. I could, but really do not want to get into DIY builder mode Thanks!
@@ForgottenFitness thanks. I just looked, I found a few vintage ones. I’m looking for springs from hardware store, will see them in person in morning. An Olympic recurve bow is huge for a small bedroom. It’s impractical taking that bow with me, leaving it in the car, letting people think “there’s gold bricks in that case”, etc etc etc. This chest expanded will be perfect: small bed room, leave in sight in car, a few dozen pulls during lunch break. Making this into a life style.
Unfortunately it is difficult to find a good expander today, the only one I know of is Robert Barabans 7 spring expander, very quality construction and enough resistance to give even strong men a hard go of it. But one of them will set you back around $200.00.
Can’t seem to find a good quality set with metal springs Just the cheap Chinese imports , if any of the UK viewers have any suggestions I’d be very grateful
@@ForgottenFitness I heard that on the video. I was hoping someone was now making a decent one since getting some attention on YT. Thanks. Interesting channel.
@@ForgottenFitness thanks man and gonna buy it because it will help shaping my physique since I’m making great progress so far and close to my desired physique I have in mind
@@ForgottenFitness i was asking a question lol i putted "and" instead of "do" 😅 if you know the answer to my question its will saves me some money because i have one with elastic at home but i don't know if they have the same resistance
Bro, what about springbites? Once it bite my throat, it looked like wild animal attack. Also if you do back training- you use biceps. And then, as a finisher: chest expander, that use FRESH triceps to kill back xD
@@ForgottenFitness do i just search “50’s chest expander”? It’s a bit hard to get results. I do see one that says “vintage exercise equipment” but no indication what year it was made. Also, if I already use loop and handle resistance bands, is it still worth it to use these too?
As a child in the 1950s, I knew that ths was a dangerous contraption. It was advertised and sold by post order. Probably because it was a lightweight thing. Not like weights! You cant do much with it! I now train bodyweight exercises in gymnastic rings. That would have been the sensible tool back then too. Weights are O K for the upper body. And good for the legs. But rings are superior for the upper body, if you want to keep training for a long time. Old bench-pressers always complains about shoulders hurting. Push-ups in rings keeps the shoulders healthy!
As a child we always had one of these around the house. It was my first introduction to strength training. Of course as a child I couldn’t say the name and used to call it the ‘chestic banger’ 🤣
That’s a great story! Hope you still have that pair! If not, it’s never too late to purchase another!
Pretty nice that this hasn’t been entirely forgotten. I bought a pair 4 years ago but I never quite found a good exercise to work the lower body with it.
There are some really good leg exercises you can do with them. I have multiple different exercise charts from the early 1900's, so if this video gets enough attention, I may make a follow up video depicting some of the different leg exercises.
@@ForgottenFitness Please do, that would be useful
@@ForgottenFitness why are ignoring that your times on using these was Wrong? 😤😤😤😥😥😥😥
@@captainamericaamerica8090 It is not. Eugene Sandow, Bobby Pandour, Otto Arco, etc. all used them at the turn of the century.
@@ForgottenFitness did you make the video for lower body exercises? 🤔
I had always a chest expander, for around 30 years (I was 14 years old when I got it)
The funny thing is, when the gyms closed because of the pandemic, the expander became more of the main tool for strength training again, with great effects on my shoulders and back, but also the biceps and trizeps, since the resistance curve is very different.
I use two different Expanders with one with "rubber cables", one with "latex cables". May not be as "oldschool" as the "steel chest expander", but they have a very good "quick-click-system" to change the cables fast for different exercises.
Awesome! Hey, whatever gets the job done!
14:24
My dad had one. He was 6'4 ,300lbs with bird legs and gorilla upper body.
I could barely pull it.
Dad stretched it out like nothing.
Haha! Stories like that are fun. Thanks for sharing!
They call it " Dad Strength " for a reason.
Bought one back in the early sixties endorsed by Bob Hoffman and John Farbotnic(not sure about the spelling but it seems he was an early fifties AAU Mr. America) Mine was a five spring model but three is the most I was ever able to use. It’s great for biceps, triceps and shoulders, back. No balance issues, greater tension at the end of the movement. It was great when I lost my left leg in a motorcycle accident seventeen years ago and it helped me maintain my upper body strength during recovery. I could sit on the side of the bed and work nearly my whole upper body, even able to do partial leg presses with my good leg. That and my Total Gym were the best pieces of rehab equipment I could have had.
That is very motivating and super cool to hear! The chest expander is an amazing piece of equipment!
My grandfather bought me this equipment 30 years ago and I totally forgot this existed. I love that you brought this to our attention again!
You’re welcome!
I found something similar to chest expanders that I like even more in some ways (I've owned an old-school chest expander from the 1960s).
This other design consists of a length of strong surgical tubing, a little under three feet in length. There are two strong, flexible but fairly stiff handles that are slipped over the tubing, one at each end, but also positionable anywhere along the tubing.
At the far ends, past the handles, are two rubber balls, a bit smaller than tennis balls.
So you can grip the handles or the balls.
You can double the tubing back on itself to make a shorter length with more resistance.
You can also reposition the handles, to make the length just right for specific exercises.
These things are great. Unfortunately, the company that made them did not have much in the way of marketing savvy. Great product, no effective marketing department.
With gloves and resistance bands you can do the same.
I’ll give that a try. Thanks!
I have a still spring chest expander that I use at least once a week to supplement my calisthenics body weight strength training. I love the chest expander my dad used to use it now I use it it's a great strength building piece of equipment it's just hard to find any that are any good on the market
It is a wonderful too that needs to make a comeback!
I definitely agree with you on the value of this gear. I use a band version, although I first heard about the equipment after reading how Chuck Sipes used the spring expander--along with hiking--to heal his joints/maintain his muscles, during long breaks in the off-season.
To my mind, there are few free weight exercises that match the expander for curls and French presses; rear pulls also work the upper back well, and you can pump up the shoulders very, very effectively with no pain using expanders. (Delt circuits are particularly worth a try.)
If you throw in a power twister for the pectorals, and some bodyweight squats, you have a total body workout that matches the weights, but with far less joint stress.
Yep. I too learned about it from Chuck Sipes.
I don't have a Spenby or Terry's but know a lot of guys swear by them. A few of my faves are 1)Whitely/Voit chest pulls with swiveling Saf-Tee handles and springs (I was fortunate to find a premium, 3-spring model w/machined aluminum handles... super nice) , 2) AMF Whitely with non-swiveling, black plastic handles, black metal clips and safety locking rod (my sentimental favorite as I had this one in 1975) and 3)believe it or not late 1980's to probably mid-1990's Bollinger Chest Developer (made in Taiwan and this style was sold under many other brand names during this time period). The Bollinger had shorter, smaller diameter springs with more coils that provide some serious tension/resistance. Their handles are very tough plastic. They have a hole running completely through the width of the handle ends. I took two chest developers and attached them to a 5/8" steel rod with set screw collars. I use this set-up for shrugs, curls and rows. If you can do any full range of motion, two-handed exercises with all 5 springs on one of these units you are a BEAST for sure! Hope this helps anyone who might be thinking about "old school" spring expanders rather than the newer rubber cable type. The bottom line is to find a style that YOU like and get busy on them. They make for a pretty taxing workout.🏋
Great advice!
Another thing that was called quackery was vibration training but now absolutely every big sports team uses it.
Interesting. It really is making a comeback? I know it fell out of favor Ik the 1970s. I had no idea research is proving it somewhat valid.
@@ForgottenFitness Yeah that guy vic tanner who had those gyms, or whatever his name was got sued for fraud and that ended that line of research for a long time. But it seems to increase collagen production and also brown fat both of which are pretty huge benefits. I have been doing it for a while now. Also seems good for muscle recovery.
@@LTPottenger Very interesting. I'll do more independent research about it myself. Thank you for letting me know about this!
I bought a Spenby chest expander for$20 on ebay , my teenage son is using it every day, he is getting really strong and he loves it !
Really great to hear!
I just want to echo what Sudhir Sean Sista and Forgotten Fitness have mentioned already. Ebay is a great source for chest expanders as they were very popular in past decades and there are still many well made units out there.👍
Nice video, probably my favorite way to train my back and shoulders.
Thanks! One of my favs too!
Amazing video mate ! One of the most detailed I have ever seen
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. There are many more exercises that can be done with the chest expander. I probably will do a follow up sometime soon.
Very good video. I use the the Chest-Expander and the Bullworker in combination. Two very old devices. I really gain muscles. No dumbbells needed at home.
I love both devices as well! I may do a video on the Bullworker shortly. Thank you for the support!
I've been using the chest expander for about 2 years now. Can testify to this great piece of equipment. Use Jack Reid's four exercises. Overhead front pull(1st exercise) the front pull (3rd exercise) followed by the back press and front press. Can't recommend them enough. Built a dense upper body off just these four exercises. Get one. The old ones. Spenby and Terry. Got mine of eBay 👍
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
got my Terry's from flee market for like 5-7€. In a box with 4 springs if remember correctly . too bad that I lost the box.
Somewhere in the handle it says "Terry's Made in England".
My gym got closed and all I miss is a proper leg workout.
@@Make154 bargain 😁 And yes you can't work the lower body with the chest expander. But upper body 💪👌
Great, how many reps and sets? And how long is the rest?
@@robertosadan4674 use 2 sets each exercise. One warm up of 6-8. One work set of 8-15.
Rest is about 2 mins
Just took my two 40 year old Spenby's out and was trying a few different exercises to see what muscle groups i could hit with a bit of experimentation. With two 1 metre long inch steel pipes i placed one on a dining room chair (without arms), sat on it and took the other bar in my hands. Whilst thumb holding 2 exercisers over the bar I did perfect form military presses, which felt really great for the shoulders.
I used to love the row variations hooked over a door handle when i was young but probably wouldn't risk it today. Occurred to me with a chained bike lock around a garden tree and 2 exercisers attached you could really max out the heavy two handed rows. Also hooked it over a chinning station and did triceps pressdowns.
Wonderful innovation! Great work!
@Oldschool77 Love your channel name and some great ideas on how to get more out of your expanders. EXCELLENT!👍
I have one instead of springs it has 5 rubber bands. I use it in combination with bullworker, for compression, plus weight as you said. Its really great for the back and highly recommend it.
Awesome! I prefer the spring ones for reliability but I don’t doubt the effectiveness of the rubber tubing!
@@ForgottenFitness Yeah at some point the rubber will be broken down and snapped. I snapped two already and bought another set. Always find the spring one scary because I have fear that my finger will be entangled between those since childhood. I think adults instilled that fear when I was young due to safety reason, but I can not brush off this fear even now lol
Bullworker! Thank you for the childhood memory
Best thing I ever bought don't have shoulder pain now back when I did push ups then.
Thanks for demonstrating each exercise. I’m going to try these with my elastic bands after I’m done with PPL this week
Awesome! Make sure to check out my second video on the Chest Expander as well!
I absolutely love mine for the scap work. I usually get a few pulls in even on my days off just to get the blood flowing.
Me too!
I use one at home. I like it.
I’ve had mine since I was 12 years old, I’m now 49. Yes use it still to this day.😎💪🏻
Awesome! Me too!
Al Sharpton was notified
Anyone looking for a quality, top of the line chest expander, Robert Baraban has one for sale that ranks as probably one of the best ever made (his Chest Krusher and Iron Horseshoe are also outstanding).
^This
Great content! It's very nice to see this vintage exerciser coming back into popularity. I can still remember getting my very first chest expander when I was just 14 years old. It was Christmas 🎄 and I also received my first weight set that year.( Christmas 1967 ) Thanks for posting this information on Cable Training. Bring more. Muscle UP! 💪🌴🤙
I bought a mint condition Spendy expander from a car boot sale a few years (still in box with fold out guide). Fantastic piece of equipment, only downside is once you pulled/pushed all five springs all you can do is add reps. Front pull and back press are my favorite exercises.
It’s a great piece of equipment. I have 3 old York expanders myself. They are my favorite way to train my back at home.
You can use two of them together.
I recall Louie Simmons saying something on benchers didn't have many problems with delts in the 60s and 70s as many still used the expanders during that time frame
That doesn’t surprise me. If you think about bands as expander alternative, then it makes sense for them to be used back in the day.
Hey brother thank you so much for making this video I really appreciate the in-depth detail you go to. I also appreciate you referencing the Bronze Age bodybuilders I really think that they had probably the best Physique a man can aim for
I absolutely agree! The bronze and silver eras were unmatched!
I absolutely agree! The bronze and silver eras were unmatched!
@forgottenFitness you have to check out the chest expander of Robert baraban. It's a 7 spring model with each spring @ 10 kg tensile strength. It's very well built and will last a lifetime. The strength it builds in the delts and arms is unmatched by anything 💪🏼
Rudolph thank you for sharing your insights on the Chest Expander. I thoroughly enjoyed your lecture. Continue producing great content.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I did simply enjoy your video...nay thoroughly enjoyed the video lecture presented.
I used to think these were more of a gimmicky piece of junk than a real thing, but doing deeper research has shown me these are actually an amazing supplement as isolation work. I'm going to buy one for sure.
Yep! Definitely not a gimmick. I hope you enjoy using it!
I got one of those Christmas of 1988. The start of my lifting journey 😊
Awesome!
Have some about 42 years now, originally from my dad, But I always trained with them as a kid. They are from the brand Spenby and made in England. Still have the box and poster with the exercises. They are still in very good condition, use them back for my back and shoulders.
Got one a week ago from a video like this and holy shit I've increased my lifting power by almost double in a week. Its so light and adjustable too. I can do 30lb lifts or 150lb lifts. Either way the equipment is light as air, and harder to pull
Pretty great, isn’t it?
@@ForgottenFitness best damned piece of workout equipment ever made in the history of working out. Right there next to Bruce Lee's method of chaining the bar to the ground.
Used my grandfathers one years ago and. Glad I’ve picked one up today 🎉
you mind telling me where you got yours im tryna find a high quality one, one that also goes decently heavy
eBay used to have tons available for real cheap before everyone jumped on the bandwagon making videos about them.
There was a molded rubber version of the chest expander in the 1970s know as the "Jiffy Gym" I used it for years.
Awesome! I’ve always thought exercise bands mimicked the chest expander quite well.
Brought an orginal sandow today and I'm so happy I commented on this video already to get me back up to speed with my strand puller 😏
Awesome! I hope the video helps out!
@@ForgottenFitness it certainly will watching your videos and a few bronze age videos has inspired me 💪
Awesome content!!
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it!
Making one from garage springs might be the way to go
I always buy older handles, regardless of the elasticity of the old springs, and replace them with 12-16 inch garage door springs. They are strong and won’t wear out. Works really well!
The bull worker bow is a very well made piece of equipment and has a similar movement to the bow, but offers a wider variety of movements because it can be used for compression as well.
Yep. I recently made a video on it.
Love your videos man keep it up👍🏽
I appreciate the support. Expect much more on the way!
Looks like York still makes a 5 spring chest expander for 13 bucks. Next time I order something there I will pick one up - already ordered a vintage one that will be arriving soon. York also has 18 inch spinlock dumbbells which are way better than any other loadable standard dumbbells I've seen and I plan to get more of those at some point.
York is great! They saved me during quarantine! I am so glad they are still around. Them and Marcy are two of the oldest barbell companies still doing it.
I've bought a ton of stuff from York over the years and I've got nothing but amazing things to say about them. Great company.
@@Wayf4rer Yeah they seem to be the only 'real' company left in physical fitness, not too corporatized etc.
Unfortunately they are out of stock on the site and I can't find any site that has them that ships to the US.
Great video, I love old time fitness equipment. Thx.
Glad you liked it!
I normally hate 80s pop music but you sure make it sound fun with the way you do your intro
Thanks!
Great stuff man. Thanks for sharing this
Glad you liked it, Joel!
Robert Baraban just released one with heavy duty springs and knurled handles. The cost is $150 shipped from Austria. I ordered mine yesterday.
Okay I’m definitely gonna check that out! I love his iron horseshoe!
@@ForgottenFitness Yes, I have both versions (small and regular) of his horseshoes and his Chest Krusher. Very good quality equipment.
I’d say the BEST modern equivalent.
@@ForgottenFitness I've been using my Baraban Chest Expander, Horesshoes, and Krusher for months. They are high quality and very tough!
i remember as a kid almost in every house there was one expander.Its time for me to get one :D
Everyone should have one if you ask me.
@@ForgottenFitness Agree..i already ordered one :)
i think i had one with springs or saw one 50 plus years ago... i know in early 90's i had one that came with rubber tubes... i still have but only one tube is still good... It was great and most definitely can be used in anyway you can think of...
Buy some garage door springs from your local hardware store.
@@ForgottenFitness Ha Ha... i am good... i also have plenty of bands on hand... thanks
Are there any chest expanders you recommend specifically? Are you saying the really old ones with the springs are the best? Where do you buy extra springs to add resistance
Yes, I would buy an old set and avoid the cheap, plastic, Chinese expanders. I would buy an older pair and replace the old springs with garage door springs available at your local hardware store. A good expander is one of the best pieces of home gym equipment, period.
@@ForgottenFitness I bought a Chinese chest expander on Aliexpress for like $25 and it is super strong, beautiful and resistant. The chest expanders from the Stolen Lands of America are overpriced, do not last a year and if you have any problems they never exchange or refund the money.
@@charles2521 I've never had any problems with any of my vintage York expanders. I have, however, had a lot of trouble with my one Chinese chest expander springs stretching and never returning back to shape, hence why I first started buying garage door springs to replace them. Also, why get so political? I would like none of that here.
The steel expander builds the shoulders and rhomboids like mf. Amzing tool. Wish i discovered it earlier
Yep! A great workout implement!
could you link where you bought it.
Forget the Spring Models. Ironmind Inc. has elastic bands with handles that are more versatile and let's you have more interim resistance increases!
The Chest Expander is still alive and a workout is possible with it. Maybe I will release a video on how to build a modern chest expander.
Please do!
If anybody needs additional exercise ideas look for the second edition of "Fatman's Guide to Cable Training"
I think I’m gonna make another video showing some more exercises you can do with this tool.
@Tsee Tzett... Excellent suggestion.👍 I downloaded the PDF and it has a lot of great information.
Well you can easily buy attachments for pulling machines on places like Walmart so if you bought two single hand attachments, a couple of carabiniers, and a bunch of those garage springs that you were talking about, you could essentially make your own and I would suggest getting the GripGenie carabiners because they are rated for well over 1,000 lb and they also have a spinning threaded lock so that even if you were doing this at home and your kid threw something at least the carabiner would stay shut but I'm sure these didn't just fade into the ether, remember during the second World War, women got really really involved in industry and schooling and of course they go by feelings and not critical thinking so if one kid pinched his fingers in the springs they ban them from schools, and of course the US Department of Education took over the syllabus and structures of physical education so they were probably removed into the ether
Not a bad idea.
Went through the whole comments section but couldn’t find anything about breathing; specifically when to inhale and when to exhale. Usually, with weights, one exhales when producing force against resistance. However, in yoga one inhales when one’s arms are raised or when one is expanding the chest and lung capacity. I ask because, using the chest expander, it seems that I am exerting force whilst expanding my chest (different to many weight lifting movements and why I like the chest expander) so I’m a bit confused about when to exhale etc.
I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks very much for the fantastically informative videos!
Inhale when pulling the springs apart. Take a deep breath and slowly exhale while releasing the springs.
The bullworker x5 with 4 strings does the job. same techniks
Sure does. I forgot to mention that.
Where can I purchase a new good quality chest expander or do they not make them anymore? I had one when I was a kid and I loved it!
eBay. Robert Baraban also makes one but it’s very expensive.
Sir, show chart all body exercise including leg, stomach ,back side to front chest etc.
That is risky. Many are copyright protected.
I do have an exercise to share that I remember my dad showing me, Well you lay down with the chest expanders out infront of you "like you would if you were stood up to do a regular expansion" Expand and do a sit up and twist either side while you are fully extended, Then lay back down, Slowly release the tension, And repeat, And feel the burn!
nice video. i love old school physical culture.
Thanks!
I think the best at-home equipment is the power tower combo of pull up bar, dip stand, and push up stands.
You are entitled to your opinion.
I have used chest expanders for many years and I got more shoulder and upper back development from them than I did from weights. Especially great for side and rear delts, really increased my shoulder width. Unfortunately, as was said in video they are hard to find these days as nd when you can find them the quality is poor.
Try Ebay. That’s where I got mine.
Look up Robert Baraban. I bought one of his chest expanders, and it's absolutely phenomenal.
@@kettlebellcarnivore-vr5cw Thanks I'll check it out.
I'm revisiting some old school exercises and strand pulling is one of those.i just realized that, similar to the old school light dumbbell system, I end up not just doing the movement but squeezing hard the contracted part of the movement. Do you guys that use it feel the same?
So do you think you’ll do a video of Professor Attila’s Light Dumbbells System?
I most likely will get around to it. I have been really busy with Grad school recently, so my time has been limited.
@@ForgottenFitness Fair enough. if you do I recommend looking at the book "The Lost Secret To a Great Body" By David Bolton. Gives a good history of the system and explains the exercises very well.
What if I add it to my bodyweight routine? Are there good leg exercises for jt? Because that is the one thing I have a hardtime training with bodyweight
Absolutely! All of these exercises will help improve your calisthenics routine.
Looking for (if possible) hamstring / quad exercises (diagrams or photos) using a chest expander. I could, but really do not want to get into DIY builder mode Thanks!
I’m looking for one of these for archery training
Try eBay. You should be able to find a pair fairly priced.
@@ForgottenFitness thanks. I just looked, I found a few vintage ones. I’m looking for springs from hardware store, will see them in person in morning.
An Olympic recurve bow is huge for a small bedroom. It’s impractical taking that bow with me, leaving it in the car, letting people think “there’s gold bricks in that case”, etc etc etc.
This chest expanded will be perfect: small bed room, leave in sight in car, a few dozen pulls during lunch break. Making this into a life style.
I used this tool as well to strengthen my draw for hunting. Worked great for me!
What’s a good expander? Any recommendations?
Any York expander made from the 1950’s to the 1970’s
Hey, where did you get that intro? Looks like yougottabeafreak did that
He did, I had him make it for me
Have you read Inch's course on expanders?
How many sets/reps would you do?
3-5 sets, 10-20 reps. Afterward, I do static holds to really cramp the muscles of the back and shoulders.
@@ForgottenFitness thanks! Ive just made an isometric chain and board, so ill work some expander exercises into that.
It is pretty much the same as the rubber bands today. Except it also removes the hair from your chest.
And has far superior grips.
Unfortunately it is difficult to find a good expander today, the only one I know of is Robert Barabans 7 spring expander, very quality construction and enough resistance to give even strong men a hard go of it.
But one of them will set you back around $200.00.
Go the eBay route and buy a York expander. Well worth the investment
@@ForgottenFitness I did check ebay for the York brand but could not find one, perhaps my search game is weak.
Cannot find any quality ones to buy. Any recommendations?
eBay. Any vintage York expander will do.
Can’t seem to find a good quality set with metal springs
Just the cheap Chinese imports , if any of the UK viewers have any suggestions I’d be very grateful
Try eBay or any other second hand seller site. You should find some available.
You got any links for this chest expanders?
eBay. Buy used.
@@ForgottenFitness what are they called i search for one but they all from china
what have concluded from this expander that the nagetive rep (excentrique) is what matters
Yep!
Do springs have a more even resistance than rubber bands?
Not necessarily. The both can be equally as strong.
Is this any on Amazon that are better quality and value than the others?
Check EBay
@@ForgottenFitness I heard that on the video. I was hoping someone was now making a decent one since getting some attention on YT. Thanks. Interesting channel.
Can resistance bands be and alternative?
Absolutely. Pretty much at a 1/1 on the different exercises.
I’m looking for a high quality one where can I get it
Ebay
Can strandpulling replace pull ups?
Do you know if it possible to have chest expander like the on Fred rollon used
eBay would be your best bet.
Can a similar movement be done on a cable machine?
Yes, but bands make a better replacement.
Are there any chest exercises that can see be done with the chest expander?
You can do a press out. I believe it’s in my second video on the chest expander.
I find modern day ones awful :( too easy is there point in using modern ones? At all or just buy an old one if you can? Might even make one!
Me too. I much prefer the old ones.
My age 70yr I'm sure I have one hidden around the house somewhere I also had a bullworker
Time to hunt it down and use it again! It’s an invaluable workout tool!
Where can I find a good quality one from online ?
eBay will be your best bet.
@@ForgottenFitness thanks man and gonna buy it because it will help shaping my physique since I’m making great progress so far and close to my desired physique I have in mind
It's verry hard to buy good quality chest expander here in Europe, with good and solid spring that would give you real resistance
In BULGARIA in every home has on of these
That’s awesome! You all are lucky. They have become a forgotten relic here in the states.
Couldn't these exercises be done with bands?
Probably. I prefer the real grips on expanders
I have one with elastic and they have the same resistance
How do you know it has the same resistance?
@@ForgottenFitness i was asking a question lol i putted "and" instead of "do" 😅 if you know the answer to my question its will saves me some money because i have one with elastic at home but i don't know if they have the same resistance
has anyone got experience with this genuinely improving there posture long term?
I had one when I was young and it pinched the crap out of my puny little chest.
Bro, what about springbites? Once it bite my throat, it looked like wild animal attack.
Also if you do back training- you use biceps. And then, as a finisher: chest expander, that use FRESH triceps to kill back xD
Just don’t press it up against your body when you do exercise.
@@ForgottenFitness I'm happy that there is a guy out there that appreciate expander. I bought one today, rubber one, got two with springs in the past.
Does anyone know where I can buy an old chest expander?
eBay/Craigslist
@@ForgottenFitness do i just search “50’s chest expander”? It’s a bit hard to get results. I do see one that says “vintage exercise equipment” but no indication what year it was made.
Also, if I already use loop and handle resistance bands, is it still worth it to use these too?
I guess bands would work in the same manner.
Yes, very similar
As a child in the 1950s, I knew that ths was a dangerous contraption.
It was advertised and sold by post order. Probably because it was a lightweight thing. Not like weights!
You cant do much with it!
I now train bodyweight exercises in gymnastic rings.
That would have been the sensible tool back then too.
Weights are O K for the upper body. And good for the legs.
But rings are superior for the upper body, if you want to keep training for a long time.
Old bench-pressers always complains about shoulders hurting. Push-ups in rings keeps the shoulders healthy!
Who's that bottom right at 11:56 ?
John Grimek
It's a rear delt expander
Sound like todays heavy loop resistance bands.
Similar for sure.
Great video with great information! Do you remember the p o w e r leather weighted wrist straps that Arnold wore back when?