Jack LaLanne has been called the Godfather of Fitness

Jack LaLanne has been called the Godfather of Fitness

He opened his first Jack LaLanne health club in 1936 in Oakland, California. His fame increased with "The Jack LaLanne Show," the first syndicated exercise program, which ran for more than 30 years. By the 1980s there were more than 200 gyms bearing his name.
Getting Older, Getting Fitter



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Mr. LaLanne eventually licensed his health clubs to Bally, which renamed them Bally Total Fitness. His TV show has long been off the air, but a new program "Jack LaLanne Live" debuted Monday on the VoiceAmerica Network, which streams Internet talk radio programs. The one-hour show features Mr. LaLanne along with his wife Elaine LaLanne, 81 years old, and his nephew, Chris LaLanne, a body-builder and personal trainer.

As a kid, Mr. LaLanne ate a steady diet of junk food and, as a result, he had horrible skin and a nasty temper, he says. "I was a sugaraholic." At age 15, after hearing nutritionist Paul Bragg lecture on diet and exercise, he started experimenting with weight lifting at a local YMCA.

Mr. LaLanne has been married to his wife for 53 years. They live in Morro Bay, Calif. and have two sons and a daughter. He stands 5'6'' and weighs 150 pounds.
The Workout

Brian Smith


"I have never missed a workout," says Mr. LaLanne. "My wife can attest to that." First thing in the morning, he does a series of stretches while still in bed. He then goes straight to one of his home's two weight rooms. One room has barbells and dumbbells; a second houses weight-lifting machines, many of which Mr. LaLanne invented. He is credited with inventing the first leg extension machine and the first pulley machines using cables.

Mr. LaLanne was one of the first proponents of switching-up routines to keep muscles challenged. A change can be as simple as varying the intensity or the amount of repetitions or as dramatic as creating an entirely fresh routine of new exercises. He changes his program every 30 days -- both strength and cardio.

He currently alternates between lifting his upper body, including his lats, deltoids, pecs, shoulders and chest one day. The next day he works his lower body, including his lower back and waist, as well as his arms (biceps, triceps and forearms). On Sunday he hits every major muscle group. Mr. LaLanne lifts until failure – i.e., he can't complete another repetition -- usually between ten and 15 repetitions.

His 90-minute weight routine is followed by a half-hour pool workout. Mr. LaLanne has been swimming since he was a kid. "It's one of the best exercises you can do," he says. Mr. LaLanne recently added a second pool at home with a current that can make it more challenging to swim. He swims laps and does a variety of pool exercises. Sometimes he ties himself in place with a belt and swims in place or he will swim freestyle against the current.

He tries to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night, going to bed between 9 and 10 p.m. Travel does not deter Mr. LaLanne. Most hotels have gyms and if he can't find one he improvises using a towel for resistance or a chair or broomstick to perform exercises, and doing sit-ups and push-ups.

When Mr. LaLanne met his wife she was out of shape and a smoker. These days she works out after her husband between 7 and 8 a.m. for 30 minutes.

"Two hours is an ego thing with me to see how long I can do it," says Mr. LaLanne. "If you exercise for 25 to 30 minutes four to five days a week you can do a lot. It's your health account. The more you put in the more you'll be able to take out."
The Diet

"The way people eat today is sick," laments Mr. LaLanne. "Would you even feed your dog a cup of coffee and a doughnut in the morning?" Mr. LaLanne has many favorite sayings when it comes to diet: "Everything nature's way.…If man makes it, don't eat it.…If it tastes good, spit it out.…The food you eat today you're wearing tomorrow." He lives by all of them. "Before I eat something I ask 'What is it doing for me, the most important person on Earth?' "

Mr. LaLanne only eats two meals per day: One at 11 a.m. after his workout and one at 7 p.m. at a restaurant with his wife.

His 11 a.m. meal consists of three to four hard-boiled egg whites, a cup of broth-type soup, oatmeal with soy milk, raisins and a plate of seasonal fruit.

"Every restaurant we frequent has the 'Jack LaLanne salad' which is ten raw vegetables and four egg whites hardboiled," he says. "I make them throw the fat and cholesterol in the yolk away and you're left with the best protein known to man. Four egg whites have the same amount of protein as one pound of steak but only 60 calories compared to 1,000 calories." Mr. LaLanne eats fish nearly every night at dinner. The only other meat he eats is roast turkey. He doesn't snack between meals.
Sample Workout



Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Lower body, includes legs, lower back, waist and arms. Plus 30 minute swim and pool exercises.

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday: Upper Body, includes lats, deltoids, pecs, shoulders and chest.

Sunday: Whole body. Plus, 30 minute swim and pool exercises.

With dinner he drinks wine -- a mix of white zinfandel and red. "French people live the longest and they have wine with lunch and dinner every day," he says. "Americans drink milk instead. Milk is for a suckling calf. How many creatures still use milk after they're weaned? Man."

He also takes between 30 and 40 vitamins every day.
The Cost

His second pool cost about $20,000. He spends between $30 and $50 a month on vitamins that he buys in bulk. Mr. LaLanne describes himself as a "clothes horse." "I love to dress," he says. But when he's working out he keeps things old school and continues to wear his trademark jumpsuit.
The Effort

"It's a pain in the gluties," says Mr. LaLanne of working out. "But you gotta do it. Dying is easy, living is tough. I hate working out. Hate it. But I like the results."

For many years Mr. LaLanne worked out at 4 a.m. but now he gets up between 5 and 6 a.m. to work out. "I roll out of bed and my wife rolls over," he says. "She only works out 30 minutes every day." Mr. LaLanne says he likes to get his exercise out of the way first thing in the morning so that he won't have any excuses later in the day.

Mr. LaLanne says as he's gotten older he has scaled back the amount of weight he lifts. "I'm just not as strong now," he says. "You have to forget about what you used to do and do the best you can with what you have. But I'm doing pretty good for a 90-something year-old poop."
The Benefit

"People make excuses and they're lying to themselves. Thirty or 40 minutes two to three times a week is nothing considering you're taking care of the most priceless possession you have." Mr. LaLanne says there are times his wife tells him just to skip his workout, just one day. "She asks me, 'who's gonna know?' and I tell her 'me, that's who is going to know.' "

Write to Jen Murphy at workout@wsj.com