Edwin Checkley

Edwin Checkley (1847–1925) was a British-born American athlete, physician, and the author of a book about strength-training. He was supposedly "one of the strongest men in America" in 1890.^[1]

Edwin Checkley
Born	1847 London, England
Died	1925 (aged 77–78)
Education	Long Island Medical College
Occupation(s)	Athlete, physician

Life

Checkley was born in 1847 in London, U.K.^[2] He emigrated to the United States in 1871, settling in Brooklyn, New York City.^[1] He studied at the Long Island Medical College.^[1] By 1890, he had become a long-distance bicycle rider; for example, he rode from New York City to Chicago.^[3] That same year, he was "said to be one of the strongest men in America."^[1]

In his 1895 book, A Natural Method of Physical Training, Checkley advocated light bodyweight exercises without dumbbells.^[4][5] Nevertheless, the book inspired Alan Calvert, the founder of one of the first barbell companies in the world.^[2]

Checkley died in 1925.^[2]

Selected works

• A Natural Method of Physical Training: Making Muscle and Reducing Flesh Without Dieting or Apparatus (1892)
• Checkley's Natural Method of Physical Training (1921)