His house is modest by football-star standards—a tidy yellow-brick, single-story,nondescript he bought for around $50,000 in 1966, his second year with theBears. In 1968, with his fortunes vastly improved, Butkus expanded the house,adding a workout complex. In it stands Dick's pride and joy: a Universal Gym,$2,400 worth of muscle-building machinery on which he manufactures the strengththat makes him the game's best linebacker. "My weakest point is the benchpress," Butkus allows during an impromptu tour. "I only lift about 200,and the weights go up to 220. But I don't want to get muscle-bound. I need thatmobility." On the military press, which goes up to 200 pounds, Butkusregularly lifts 170 or more—the weight of a minuscule running back. "Incompetition," he explains, "you can do things that no gym can teachyou."
Leg weights, asit-up machine and many other Charles Atlas adaptations are available on theUniversal, and starting in May of every year Butkus begins using them. He worksout with two football-playing neighbors, Marty Schottenheimer of the Bills andJohn Johnson of the Broncos. After a few sit-ups the trio takes off in sweatsuits for a half-mile airplane runway belonging to a neighboring farmer. Theyrun for an hour or two, mixing the action up with competitive sprints andhandicapped distance races, then return to the gym for a few friendly leglifts. ""Working out by yourself can be deadly boring," saysButkus, "'but with Marty and John it's all a lot of fun. Sometimes, atparties, after we've had a few beers, some of us guys come down here andcompete on the weights but I try not to overdo it. This machine is supposed tokeep me from injuries, not inflict them."
