Fitness Mentors and Legends: Lalanne, Holyfield and Lee

Exercise (physiology, kinetics, anatomy, etc.) is a science. But the practice of fitness is an art. In my life I’ve been impressed and influenced by a number of fitness pioneers and innovators including Jack Lalanne, Cory Everson, Bruce Lee, Dara Torres and Evander Holyfield. Each has, in their own way, accomplished with a unique approach to training an unprecedented level of physical excellence.

And with the exception of Bruce Lee, who died much too young, you may notice that there is another common element among the elite group I’ve listed above: Each has carried an extraordinary level of physical vitality into the “prime” years and, in some cases, beyond.

But probably most relevant to my life and work are the philosophies and approach of a gentleman named Clarence Bass. Mr. Bass is not well known outside bodybuilding circles. And he, himself did not compete in the contests with men in their 20’s and 30’s with gargantuan chests and mountainous biceps. But he did write a column for Muscle and Fitness magazine for over a decade advising on training and dieting principles that were remarkably sound and effective.

His career was actually as an attorney and then a fitness researcher and writer, after an athletic trajectory which included power-lifting, masters (over 40) natural (no steroids) bodybuilding, and in his 60’s, becoming the age-level indoor rowing champion.

The pictures featured of him here show him at 15, mid-forties and, finally, at 70.

His approach to fitness at the time of his last book I read was simple but revolutionary:

• 2-3 short (20 minutes or so) extremely high-intensity cardio workouts per week*
• A single two-hour resistance strength session a week
• Managing the diet with consistent precision
• Nightly walks with his wife after dinner

*(Training at high-intensity should be cleared by your physician and worked up to slowly and gradually as your fitness level improves with regular training.)

The basic idea that was new to me when I first learned about him was the idea of less being more IF it was more intense and carefully executed. I was training six days a week for an hour or more but not as fit or as lean as I thought I should be. Now I train 3-4 days a week, usually for 30-45 minutes (or less). I’m in better shape than I was in my 20’s and training 10+ hours a week. And diet is even more important to me than exercise when it comes to staying lean.

The detail is beyond the scope of this column, and, can be found in abundance in previous and my blog. To Mr. Bass’s framework I’ve added low-impact cardio drills with a broad variety of movement patterns (to save the joints and spine) and to resistence (strength) training, range and timing variations, rather than explosive Olympic-style lifts - again, to dramatically lower the risk of orthopedic injury.

This approach is the basis for my private training and what we do at the studio in our small-group training program.

And I’m convinced it’s the best training approach, period, whether you’re 15, in your 40’s, 70 or somewhere in between. After 70, you may want to pull back a little on the intensity of your training.

But just a little.

Dan is a nationally certified personal fitness trainer and former continuing education faculty member of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. He is the owner and head trainer at Tri Valley Trainer, which provides personal and small group fitness training and nutrition guidance. He can be reached at Dan@TriValleyTrainer.com.