Fitness Trailblazer Jack LaLanne

"The only way you can hurt the body is not use it. Inactivity is the killer and, remember, it's never too late." - Lalanne

I knew about Jack LaLanne but never realized how much of a fitness trailblazer he really was. Since his death, I have learned much more about him. He not only transformed his own life as a teen, but he accomplished a lot in his life time and inspired so many people.

A few of his accomplishments:
• In 1957, age 43, he performed more than 1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes on the "You Asked For It" television show.
• At 60, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran — handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat.
• Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in Long Beach harbor.
• His workout show was a television staple from the 1950s to the '70s.
• He also founded a chain of fitness studios that bore his name and in recent years touted the value of raw fruit and vegetables as he helped market a machine called Jack LaLanne's Power Juicer.


One of his accomplishments that we can especially appreciate as CrossFitters: LaLanne opened a health studio in 1936 that included weight-training for women and athletes. At the time, it was believed that weight training made an athlete slow and "muscle bound" and made a woman look masculine.

"You have to understand that it was absolutely forbidden in those days for athletes to use weights," he once said. "It just wasn't done. We had athletes who used to sneak into the studio to work out. It was the same with women. Back then, women weren't supposed to use weights. I guess I was a pioneer," LaLanne said.

He didn't just preach it but lived by it as well. His own routine included two hours of weightlifting and one hour of swimming every day. "It's a lifestyle, it's something you do the rest of your life," LaLanne said. "How long are you going to keep breathing? How long do you keep eating? You just do it."

Thanks Jack for inspiring so many people!