Jack LaLanne will be receiving a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at a Muscle Beach ceremony at Venice Beach, California, on September 3rd, 2007...and rightfully so. Lalanne, at the age of 93, now remains as the last of the original bodybuilders, men who used weights to enhance their health and fitness rather than just to build big muscles. LaLanne also incorporates gymnastics and swimming into his routine, and pays close attention to diet and supplements. He's fond of saying: "I can't die, it would ruin my reputation!". Indeed, his reputation remains intact. In the 50s, there were many short exercise shows, marketed to the huge number of stay at home wives after WWII. LaLanne's was the best of the bunch. while other shows tried to attract viewers by making the workout much too easy, LaLanne presented a reasonable but effective challenge to the homemakers to actually get in shape. The extreme chest-to-waist taper of Lalanne, especially as shot in the shadows for the show's introduction, was as much of an inspiration to young sons as his coaching was to their moms. Steve Reeves, (Mr. America, Mr. Universe, and the first & best movie Hercules), has been quoted as saying that he was inspired by Lalanne to develop his graceful taper. The DVDs of this 56+ year old show are still popular.(June 9th,2010; Just a short correction to the other review: The term 'Aerobics' was coined by Dr Kenneth Cooper, while he was with the US Air Force.)
3 Reviews
"Art for Art's Sake" (MGM motto) "Exercise for your own Health & Well Being" (JACK LA LANE SHOW!)
redryan649 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
"TIMING is Everything in Life!" That's what They say, once again whoever "They" are! This is a saying that like so many others, have become clichéd. Excessive use of a saying in repetitively injudicious situations and circumstances only renders what may well have been something that would be profound into empty and meaningless chatter.
PHYSICAL CULTURE, also called at various times and places "Bodybuilding", "Physique Development", "Progressive Resistance Exercise" or even "Pumping Iron", had long been considered to be Oddball activity that was the domain and province of 'Beach Athletes','Sissies' and "A Buncha Fruits'. After all, 'They' say that working out with weights and other exercise machines and devices will make you too tight and 'Muscle-bound !' (There 'They' are again!).
THERE are many reasons for such beliefs that exercising vigourously will render the body un-athletic and physically klutzy. This was the prevalent line of thinking in my Father's day. If dear old Dad said it once, he must have said it a thousand times; "John, you just cannot be any kind of an Athlete and lift those weights!" After a while he conceded that the old 'Iron Pills' MIGHT be good for oh say, Football, Wrestling and Field Events such as the Discus, the Javelin and the Shot Put; but only in moderated form and during the Off Season.
OH LORD, what would Clem Ryan (Dad) say with today's training methods!
NOW take a guy like Mr. Jack LaLane. He takes this exercise business a full step or two beyond that of their being an ancillary activity to ones' participation in a particular sport to a singularly important discipline, which is practiced for its own sake; largely bringing feelings of well being to the practitioner. This stands in stark contrast to an 'Athlete' who would not run at all; unless, of course it was involving the pursuit of some type of a ball!*
WE can hear some of you protesting that the ultimate and logical steps that an intense, faithfully followed routine of weight-training/bodybuilding leads to contests with names such as 'MR. America', 'MS. OLYMPIA', 'MR. UNIVERSE. MR. OLYMPIA, etc., right Schultz?
WRONG! You really can't call The World of Competitive Bodybuilding a 'Sport'; although bodybuilders train as hard as so ANY athletes do bar none. The difference is that unlike Competitive Weightlifting, be it either Olympic Style or the Power Lifts, the competition requires two or more Lifters having to out do the other competitor(s) in the best total of the 2 (Olympic) or 3 (Power) Lifts.*
BODYBUILDING or Physique Contests are judged by the degree and symmetry of muscular development, the low percentage of body fat that one's body retains (also called 'Muscularity' or 'Definition') and the individual contestant's ability to display same (Posing). In short, a Physique Contest is more closely akin to a Beauty Contest than to any Athletic Contest or Game Sport there is on Planet Earth.
THAT is not to say that Mr. Jack LaLane advocated only the use of weights in exercise. Au contraire, Schultz; for the vast majority (if not all) of the exercises demonstrated by Jack (himself) were of the free hand type. He may well have used a chinning bar or some parallel bar/dipping stands for arm and shoulder strength exercises; but in both cases their resistance came from the bodyweight of the exercise student.
THIS reminds us of another point. LaLane's workout sessions were of the 30 minute or as we like to call them, the "Half-Hour" variety; which would also allow for opening, closing and any commercials. During this period, the M.C. would perform any and all movements included on the daily agenda; all the while providing verbal commentary, instruction and even cracking jokes & singing.
HIS workouts were varied, invigorating and never boring. The selection of both the exercise type and intensity of the routine to be followed was always done in such a manner as to allow the intensity to be tailored to the individual's fitness level. Number of sets per exercise could be a matter of the individual's ability. (A LaLane Precept from day one). One should never push himself beyond his capabilities; but rather gently and gradually progress by prudent and incremental additions in both duration and intensity of one's sessions.
ADDITIONALLY a point that we must make before either running out of space or boring you, kind reader is just how Jack was "ahead of his tine'; a phrase that gets highly overworked, as we all know. Nonetheless it is true.
TYPICALLY a Jack LaLane work out would use a variety of not only different exercises; but also different TYPES of exercise movements, designed for various body parts and muscle groups. His mixture of both exercises designed to increase one's Endurance(Aerobic Exercise) and Strength Movements, with generally lower, harder and more difficult repetitions (Anaerobic Exercise). This was done many years before the term "Aerobics' was introduced by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
ANOTHER concept in fitness that THE JACK LA LANE SHOW introduced was that of doing two or more types of activity; in order to achieve a more rounded physical fitness profile. As an example, in this manner one who Weight Trains should also swim a couple of days, as well as either bicycling and/or running. (The term 'Jogging' hadn't come into usage as of then. Additionally, the term "Cross Training" was also unknown!
NOTE * Until circa 1972, there were 3 Olympic Lifts: The Press, the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. The Press was dropped after sometime after the '72 Olympics.
NOTE ** Our case in point: Dr. Naismith and his invention of a game to keep the Varsity athletes in shape between the Football and Baseball seasons; namely Basketball!
PHYSICAL CULTURE, also called at various times and places "Bodybuilding", "Physique Development", "Progressive Resistance Exercise" or even "Pumping Iron", had long been considered to be Oddball activity that was the domain and province of 'Beach Athletes','Sissies' and "A Buncha Fruits'. After all, 'They' say that working out with weights and other exercise machines and devices will make you too tight and 'Muscle-bound !' (There 'They' are again!).
THERE are many reasons for such beliefs that exercising vigourously will render the body un-athletic and physically klutzy. This was the prevalent line of thinking in my Father's day. If dear old Dad said it once, he must have said it a thousand times; "John, you just cannot be any kind of an Athlete and lift those weights!" After a while he conceded that the old 'Iron Pills' MIGHT be good for oh say, Football, Wrestling and Field Events such as the Discus, the Javelin and the Shot Put; but only in moderated form and during the Off Season.
OH LORD, what would Clem Ryan (Dad) say with today's training methods!
NOW take a guy like Mr. Jack LaLane. He takes this exercise business a full step or two beyond that of their being an ancillary activity to ones' participation in a particular sport to a singularly important discipline, which is practiced for its own sake; largely bringing feelings of well being to the practitioner. This stands in stark contrast to an 'Athlete' who would not run at all; unless, of course it was involving the pursuit of some type of a ball!*
WE can hear some of you protesting that the ultimate and logical steps that an intense, faithfully followed routine of weight-training/bodybuilding leads to contests with names such as 'MR. America', 'MS. OLYMPIA', 'MR. UNIVERSE. MR. OLYMPIA, etc., right Schultz?
WRONG! You really can't call The World of Competitive Bodybuilding a 'Sport'; although bodybuilders train as hard as so ANY athletes do bar none. The difference is that unlike Competitive Weightlifting, be it either Olympic Style or the Power Lifts, the competition requires two or more Lifters having to out do the other competitor(s) in the best total of the 2 (Olympic) or 3 (Power) Lifts.*
BODYBUILDING or Physique Contests are judged by the degree and symmetry of muscular development, the low percentage of body fat that one's body retains (also called 'Muscularity' or 'Definition') and the individual contestant's ability to display same (Posing). In short, a Physique Contest is more closely akin to a Beauty Contest than to any Athletic Contest or Game Sport there is on Planet Earth.
THAT is not to say that Mr. Jack LaLane advocated only the use of weights in exercise. Au contraire, Schultz; for the vast majority (if not all) of the exercises demonstrated by Jack (himself) were of the free hand type. He may well have used a chinning bar or some parallel bar/dipping stands for arm and shoulder strength exercises; but in both cases their resistance came from the bodyweight of the exercise student.
THIS reminds us of another point. LaLane's workout sessions were of the 30 minute or as we like to call them, the "Half-Hour" variety; which would also allow for opening, closing and any commercials. During this period, the M.C. would perform any and all movements included on the daily agenda; all the while providing verbal commentary, instruction and even cracking jokes & singing.
HIS workouts were varied, invigorating and never boring. The selection of both the exercise type and intensity of the routine to be followed was always done in such a manner as to allow the intensity to be tailored to the individual's fitness level. Number of sets per exercise could be a matter of the individual's ability. (A LaLane Precept from day one). One should never push himself beyond his capabilities; but rather gently and gradually progress by prudent and incremental additions in both duration and intensity of one's sessions.
ADDITIONALLY a point that we must make before either running out of space or boring you, kind reader is just how Jack was "ahead of his tine'; a phrase that gets highly overworked, as we all know. Nonetheless it is true.
TYPICALLY a Jack LaLane work out would use a variety of not only different exercises; but also different TYPES of exercise movements, designed for various body parts and muscle groups. His mixture of both exercises designed to increase one's Endurance(Aerobic Exercise) and Strength Movements, with generally lower, harder and more difficult repetitions (Anaerobic Exercise). This was done many years before the term "Aerobics' was introduced by the Royal Canadian Air Force.
ANOTHER concept in fitness that THE JACK LA LANE SHOW introduced was that of doing two or more types of activity; in order to achieve a more rounded physical fitness profile. As an example, in this manner one who Weight Trains should also swim a couple of days, as well as either bicycling and/or running. (The term 'Jogging' hadn't come into usage as of then. Additionally, the term "Cross Training" was also unknown!
NOTE * Until circa 1972, there were 3 Olympic Lifts: The Press, the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. The Press was dropped after sometime after the '72 Olympics.
NOTE ** Our case in point: Dr. Naismith and his invention of a game to keep the Varsity athletes in shape between the Football and Baseball seasons; namely Basketball!
A Review of the Reviews of "The Jack LaLanne Show" (as seen in "Peter Gunn", S3, Ep7
edrybaaudio5 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I fully agree with 'lazur-2' and his or her review. Of the several "Fitness" shows on early L.A. television, Jack LaLanne's was indeed the best. I'm one of MILLIONS of Baby-Boomers whose Moms turned on Ol' Jack's Show every weekday morning. In fact, what you see in the "Peter Gunn" outing was not only a pleasant surprise, it looks as though the "Gunn" people actually went to the TV studio where Mr. LaLanne did his 5-day a week program.
As for the rather snide review by John T. Ryan, YOU MISSPELLED MR. LALANNE'S NAME THROUGHOUT YOUR ENTIRE REVIEW!!
Other than that, almost NONE of your readers are named Schultz! But you did get your facts straight.
Mr. LaLanne did indeed live to a ripe old age, and starting (I believe) on his 80th Birthday, he would celebrate by towing a SHIP across Los Angeles Harbor by putting the ship's tow-line BETWEEN HIS TEETH AND SWIMMING ACROSS THE HARBOR! This would be covered by every TV Station in town, along with the newspapers and even the National and International Wire Services!!!
As for the rather snide review by John T. Ryan, YOU MISSPELLED MR. LALANNE'S NAME THROUGHOUT YOUR ENTIRE REVIEW!!
Other than that, almost NONE of your readers are named Schultz! But you did get your facts straight.
Mr. LaLanne did indeed live to a ripe old age, and starting (I believe) on his 80th Birthday, he would celebrate by towing a SHIP across Los Angeles Harbor by putting the ship's tow-line BETWEEN HIS TEETH AND SWIMMING ACROSS THE HARBOR! This would be covered by every TV Station in town, along with the newspapers and even the National and International Wire Services!!!
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