The Dead Weight

There are very few people I have a whole lot of respect for in the fitness business. But one person who I could not possibly feel more affinity and affection for is Jack Lalanne. A few years ago I was on my couch at home and I was either sick or just exhausted from a late night, I can’t remember now. As I was flipping around the channels looking for something to zone out or fall asleep to and I came across ESPN Classic which was doing a marathon of Jack Lalanne’s daily TV show from the 50s and 60′s. I was completely captivated by him. Part of it was because I enjoy almost anything from the that time period, but beyond that I loved his attitude and his philosophy and his boundless energy. It’s not so much that I agree with everything he says, but he embodies an enthusiasm and “can-do” spirit that I really admire. He talks a lot about vim and vigor and intestinal fortitude and a lot of other words your rarealy hear these days. Even when losing weight wasn’t a concern of mine I used to love to watch the show which I would tivo every morning.

Here are some Jack highlights.

Jack’s 10 Steps for self-improvement:

Jack shows you how to lift 1000 pounds (or accomplish any impossible task):

Jack’s dog Happy who meanders in and out of the set during filming:

Sadly, ESPN Classic stopped showing the show in the morning, I guess to make room for some Shamwow commercials or something. The good news is there have been a few DVD releases that you can find at Jack’s site. I highly recommend his “Collector’s Edition” DVD’s Vol. 1-4. If you buy them as a package they’re dirt cheap. They’re probably the only exercise videos I’ll ever watch because they’re the only ones I enjoy watching. The exercises are scored by an organ player right in the studio! The shows seem a little bizarre compared to what you see these days, but I think they’re perfect.