Muscles of Iron

Chris “Sticks” Bostick

The MOI Collection

Chris ‘Sticks’ Bostick
(1951 - 2019)

Chris ‘Sticks’ Bostick at his drawing desk.

Chris was a friend, fellow iron lifter, and a longtime contributor to Muscles of Iron. He often intertwined his passion for art with his devotion to physical culture. Through this union, he produced a dazzling array of muscle-cartoon drawings. ‘Sticks’ also left behind several writings which captured and preserved his broad and insightful thoughts about productive strength training. His work output was both enormous in scope and a testament to his ingenuity and originality.

When I first met Chris, I was blown away by his mechanical foresight and aptitude. He designed, illustrated, and built his own exercise equipment with the upmost of talent. He had a design plan to solve just about any training problem, both elegantly and economically. I can't tell you how many times I looked at a piece of strength equipment ‘Sticks’ built and thought to myself, “Why didn't I think of that?”

Although Chris is no longer with us, we can still enjoy and benefit from his vast muscle-building catalog of articles, drawings, and tidbits. Many of these works were written or produced specifically for Muscles of Iron.

The purpose of this memorial is to showcase the great work “Sticks” did for MOI. This showcase is both a tribute to my lost friend and a gift to the lifting community he so much revered. You will surely be find many gems here that will help you build strength, muscle and power.

Yours in strength,
Robert Drucker

Chris Sticks Bostick sitting at an art table with some of his drawings.
Chris ‘Sticks’ Bostick at work in his home art studio. Photograph courtesy of Diane Bostick.
Chris Sticks Bostick standing in front of and pointing to his leverage muscle-building machine.
Chris ‘Sticks’ Bostick showing his leverage muscle-building apparatus. Photograph courtesy of Peter Yates.

Articles

Tidbits

Hanging Out at the End of the Bar

Don't overlook the “end-of-the-bar” rowing exercise. This little gem is a terrific back builder. Great for the biceps and rear delts, too.

Squat/Bench Rack with Kee Klamps

Forget your store-bought model. Build this hefty power rack from pipes and Kee Klamps. No welding. No pipe drilling. It doesn't get simpler than this!

A Simple Weight Rack

Here's another barbell rack you can build with pipe and Kee Klamps. It's perfect for heavy press work. I gotta believe Doug Heburn would like this one.

Sword-Hole Power-Rack Attachment

Add muscle-building versatility to your power rack with this easy-to-build apparatus. Great for “Viking-style” presses, benches, rows, deadlifts, and more.

Four-Way Neck Tension

It is impossible to be a strongman with a skinny and scrawny neck. Here is a starter program for taking your neck up a level or two in record time.

Yoke Walk Apparatus

Yoke walking is one of the best exercises for developing strength, stability, power, and endurance. Here's a plan you can use to build your own yoke apparatus.

Squat Frame for Leg Work

Working your legs with the squat frame apparatus can cause a serious side effect—rapid muscle growth and big strength gains! So, check out this drawing and get building.

Harvey Maxime Apparatus

Before the power rack, this device was considered one the greatest inventions for building strength and muscle. Build your own HMA and discover why.

Static Holds

Learn how static holds can be incorporated into your workout to build thick and powerful shoulders. All you need is a bucket and some sand.

Running and the Weight Man

Do you think a muscle man can't benefit from a little running? You might want to rethink what you think after reading what Sticks has to say about it.

Kee Klamp Rack

This rack functions as a yoke walk device, and it can easily be converted to a complete Harvey Maxime apparatus. It's an amazing muscle builder.

Peoples, Grimek, and Moore

Sticks reflects on Bob Peoples and his “dungeon” gym, John Grimek working his back with a “gin-wheel” lat machine, and Moore's Leg Blaster. Great oldtime pics!