Hi. I’m Fitness Coach Will Levin head coach at Older Guys Fitness here to share with you a brief story of one of my childhood heroes: Jack Lalanne. I love and respect Jack Lalanne not only for his influence on me personally but for how he changed American society in general. On a personal level, I first encountered Jack in 1968 while at my grandmom’s house watching The Jack Lalanne Show, which ran from 1951 to 1985.. I was 4 years old and just saw him as this big strong man who I wanted to be like. On his program, he did home workouts using a chair demonstrating what anyone can do for physical fitness with only a chair. He was in his 50s by this time.
JACK LALANNE OPENED AMERICA’S FIRST FITNESS CENTER
Having since read Jack’s books and researching his personal history, I’ve learned a lot more about him. Jack was not only a fitness and diet expert but an innovator in the field of physical fitness. In fact, we have fitness centers everywhere today because of Jack. In 1936 Jack opened the first fitness center in the country in Oakland. The first fitness center ever in the US about 88 years ago. Wow!
JACK LALANNE INVENTED THE SMITH MACHINE AND MUCH MORE
Jack was so dedicated to fitness and nutrition he had numerous inventions. Any of us who have been to a gym are familiar with the Smith Machine. Well, Jack Lalanne invented it. He also invented the pulley systems we see on so many of the weight machines in modern gyms. And you know that leg extension machine you use at the gym? He invented it. As well as resistance bands that are so popular today. And check this out: Jack did not patent any of his inventions because he wanted them to be used for the benefit of all. He was a believer in health and fitness for a better quality of life and for longevity for everyone.
What Jack advocated for a healthy diet was also revolutionary. He is one of the first people to say that processed foods, sugar and white flour are bad for us. How often do we hear or read that today? He identified it a long time ago. While we won’t get too deep into Jack’s diet, it is clear that it was healthy because he lived to be 96 years old.
JACK LALANNE PERFORMED AMAZING PHYSICAL FEATS AS AN OLDER GUY
Jack Lalanne accomplished numerous incredible physical feats which have been well documented in the press. While we won’t get into all of them, the one that stands out to me is performing 1000 pushups and 1000 pullups in 1 hour and 22 minutes at the age of 45. Let’s ponder that for a minute. One thousand? One thousand. How many pushups and pullups can you do? I know how many I can do and well… What’s important here is that he did at age 45. Older Guys Fitness strives to help men over 40 get in shape. Do you see why Jack Lalanne is a hero and role model for older men?
Jack was famous for his 2 hour daily weight workouts, which he did every day until he was in his 90s. In fact, his family confirmed that he did his daily 2 hour workout the day before his death at the age of 96. Let’s let that sink in. A 2 hour weight workout at age 96.
So what is the purpose of this blog? Well, it’s first that Jack Lalanne is my hero. But much more importantly that Jack should be any man over 40’s role model and hero. Let’s all be honest here. I’m not Jack Lalanne and neither are you. He was one of kind. But a hero is a person that we strive to be like, an ideal. Even if we never achieve the ideal we greatly improve ourselves by trying. So I shared this story of Jack Lalanne so you can understand what you can achieve as a man over 40. If Jack Lalanne can do 1000 pushups and pullups at age 45 and a 2 hour weight workout at 96, what can you do?