By Ellington Darden, PhD
The date was October 8, 1975. It was 7:00 pm and I was in my office at Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries in Lake Helen, Florida, working on a project. My office was next to one end of the strength-training area that housed a dozen Nautilus machines.
Arthur Jones, who invented Nautilus machines, was explaining to one of our employees from the assembly division that these machines, named Omni, could be applied in a negative-accentuated manner. The Omni machines had been tested with Army football players during the West Point Study earlier that year.
As I ambled into the gym, I noticed that the assembly worker had a large basket slung over his shoulder. The basket contained what appeared to be a child covered by a blanket.
I soon realized that the child was actually a young man, his son. He had been in a violent car crash in Worcester, Massachusetts. He suffered a traumatic brain injury that caused significant disabilities. He could not walk or speak and weighed approximately 100 pounds. His name was Wendell Hobby.
He said Wendell was 32, married, and the father of two children. His wife could no longer cope with Wendell’s condition nor the enormous amount of care he required. Thus, Wendell was transported to Florida from Massachusetts to live with his father.
Arthur suggested that we try to fasten him into some of the Nautilus machines and stabilize him into proper positions with a couple of belts. After several attempts, we got the hang of getting Wendell into and out of the machines. It took two sessions before he was able to resist the lowering part of two machines.
Three Times Per Week
Our goal was to move Wendell in and out of six Nautilus machines. He gradually learned how to emphasize the lowering phase of the movement.
With each workout, Wendell progressed and became stronger. He began to speak understandably. He asked questions and he learned. He began to move around the gym with the aid of a walker. His muscle mass increased by 5, 10, and 15 pounds.
After nine months, Wendell was able to drive a customized car equipped especially for him. He never missed a workout. His form was precise and he trained intensely. His once severely atrophied, limp body morphed into a strong, somewhat normal physique.
Strength-Training Principles
In 1978, I published Strength-Training Principles, a small book that contained 84 pages. Strength-Training Principles was written for Nautilus Club owners and users of Nautilus equipment, which had now spread throughout the United States and Canada.
To meet the Nautilus educational demand, we held seminars in Lake Helen on a monthly basis. Wendell always attended these seminars and observed closely and participated.
The State of Florida had a unique program for those with reading disabilities that involved getting written books audio recorded. Wendell had Strength-Training Principles put on tape. He listened to the entire book repeatedly – until he could recite each paragraph and page from memory.
During our fitness seminars, Wendell recorded my presentations and slide shows. Soon, he became a mini-Ellington Darden. According to Arthur Jones, “Sometimes he sounded more like Ell Darden than Ell Darden.”
By this time, Wendell had been through three years of rehabilitation. I had pushed him the first year through negative-accentuated repetitions on all the Nautilus upper-body machines. Then, we moved into the lower-body equipment. He was now fairly strong and his body was in reasonable shape.
A College Nearby
Wendell had never attended college in Massachusetts. But now he had a desire to learn and help others. Near Lake Helen, Daytona Beach opened a small community college annex for students in central Florida. Wendell enrolled and was motivated to get an associate degree. It took him three years to finish the requirements.
Wendell never missed a class and his continued Nautilus workouts were achieved with 100-percent consistency.
Wendell then enrolled at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. He needed a major and I suggested trying some Speech Communication courses, especially since he had mastered many of my presentations during the Nautilus Seminars.
Wendell jumped into public speaking with enthusiasm. Within a couple of semesters, his presentations were the talk of the department.
Again, because of Wendell’s traumatic brain injury eight years earlier, he required extra time and additional study for his college courses. It took Wendell twice as long to get his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCF in Communications. He approached all his requirements with eagerness. I never saw Wendell discouraged. He just chipped away at his classes and goals.
The year was 1986 and a lot was changing with Nautilus Sports/Medical Industries. Arthur Jones decided to sell Nautilus to a group in Dallas, Texas. Since I was originally from Texas, I decided to relocate to Dallas and I moved there, with my family, in 1987.
The Lincoln Fitness Center and Beyond
Before leaving Florida, I reached out to Jim Randell. Jim owned and operated the Lincoln Fitness Center in a large hotel in Orlando. I introduced Jim to Wendell and suggested that he allow Wendell to train people on a volunteer basis in his club.
Jim agreed. Wendell subsequently was on duty at the Lincoln Fitness Center for 18 years, from 1987 through 2005. Most mornings, Wendell opened the club at 5:00 am and instructed members until noon.
Eager for a new challenge, Wendell became interested in scuba diving and became certified. There were many natural springs throughout central Florida that Wendell visited and dove regularly.
Nautilus was sold several additional times in the 1990s. I relocated to Gainesville, Florida, in 1991, where I worked with Joe Cirulli and his large fitness club doing research in strength training and fat loss. I moved to Orlando in 1998.
In 2007, Wendell left Florida and moved in with his daughter, Brandi, who was an executive in New York. They visited me in 2008 and we had a great reunion and discussed the old days in Lake Helen and what Wendell had accomplished. That was the last time I saw Wendell in person.
On January 29, 2024, Wendell contacted me through my HIT Coaching Forum on the T-Nation website. I replied by writing: “Wendell Hobby was a one-of-a-kind trainee. I have never seen a man more disciplined and devoted to proper strength training.”
Some of my forum readers wanted to know more about this remarkable man. Wendell himself even noted that his memory was fading. He didn’t want to forget his time in Florida. Could I jot down some details for him?
Yes, of course: What you are reading is The Saga of Wendell Hobby.
He was carried into the Nautilus Lake Helen gym in 1975 in a basket. He could not walk or talk. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was disabled in various ways.
But he was not disabled in his motivation and his desire to learn, improve, get stronger, help others, and become a productive citizen.
An Extra-Ordinary, Exceptional Person
Throughout my career, I’ve been to three Olympic Games and three Super Bowls. I’ve trained athletes from the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Bucs, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees. I’ve worked with dozens of bodybuilding champions, including Casey Viator, Sergio Oliva, Boyer Coe, Mike Mentzer, Joe Means, and Scott Wilson.
Plus, I’ve trained more than 10,000 people who just wanted to get in shape.
I’ve visited fitness centers and gyms all over the world: in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Argentina, Australia, and throughout the United States.
I’ve helped many individuals make dramatic comebacks, with proper rehabilitation, from injuries to their knees, hips, lower backs, shoulders, elbows, and necks.
Believe me: After more than 65 years, I’ve seen strength training at its best, its worst, and at everything in between.
But I’ve never witnessed a male or female overcome such adversity as I observed Wendell Hobby achieve. And it’s not even close.
Wendell, with his relentless perseverance, dedication, and commitment toward overcoming the seemingly insurmountable tribulations he faced in his life, has unknowingly influenced hundreds and hundreds of people who are fortunate enough to cross his path.
Wendell G. Hobby forever occupies a unique and extra-ordinary place in my memories.