Talk:Jack LaLanne/Archive 1

Comments
"He spends one and a half hours in the weight room, and half an hour kicking tigers." Is there any evidence of this?

"for example at the age of 61 he swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge 20 feet underwater handcuffed and shackled, towing a 2,000 pound boat (a world record)."

- The Golden Gate Bridge is 1.2 miles long. I sincerely doubt that Mr LaLanne did this so I've deleted it from the article. Lisiate 04:35, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)


 * Um, it said he had air tanks. A fit enough swimmer could certainly do it with air tanks. 4.238.20.46 20:03, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

The idea isn't to delete something you just don't believe. You're supposed to fact-check. In fact, the event did happen, more or less--except he was towing just a 1,000-pound boat, not a 2,000-pound boat. I have added a list of Jack's accomplishments, as fact-checked on his own Web site. The various feats listed there that--63.3.2.1 (talk) 04:13, 24 January 2011 (UTC) he has accomplished are not speculation; these are all well-documented. Whenever he did the many amazing things listed, there were always witnesses, journalists, and cameras to capture it. They're all quite 100% true. Indy 14:33, 9 April 2006 (UTC)

Umh whats up with his spouse dying at six years old? Thats got to be a typographical error. Or else... What state are six year olds married in? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jane Lorn (talk • contribs) 21:53, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Please go get some reading comprehension skills, or ask for a refund from the public education system you attended. That is the years the woman was his wife. Trentc (talk) 05:47, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

I'm not an expert in the field but a couple of sentences bother me. The first may be a matter of composition or left out words. "He studied Gray's Anatomy and concentrated on bodybuilding and weightlifting which, in the 1930s, was a revolutionary technique." What was a revolutionary technique? Weight lifting? (I don't think so.) Bodybuilding? (Maybe) or something else. Can anyone clarify?

I think it might have been applying his knowledge of human anatomy to bodybuilding. Knowing where specific muscle groups existed allowed him to specifically choose exercises which targeted and isolated otherwise neglected muscles. Previous bodybuilders (I guess Atlas and Sandow) probably had only a rudimentary knowledge of the body and might have done "arm exercises" whereas Lalanne would have targeted biceps, triceps, forearms, shoulders, etc. I'm semi-speculating, though Lalanne mentions it a bit in some videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6bO1ELatrk           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ATcUEZR20&feature=related 67.159.70.74 (talk) 16:17, 11 December 2007 (UTC)


 * Notice the part that reads "bodybuilding and weightlifting." There is no comma before the and thus inidcating it is on the same concept. Thus the revolutionary technique would be bodybuilding AND weightlifting combined. Trentc (talk) 05:51, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

The second seems plain wrong, but "gym" maybe is misused and what is meant is perhaps a uniqe kind of spa. I don't know, except that gyms have been around a long time. "but in 1936, at the age of 21, he opened his own health spa in California (the first gym in the United States)" Phil ABQ --Phil ABQ 04:18, Jun 25, 2005 (UTC) -- 1-24-11 Comment: "LaLanne was married to Elaine LaLanne; they had a son Jon together, and he was step-father to her son Dan Doyle and daughter Yvonne.[3]" The way this is written makes it sound like Yvonne's mother was Elaine. Yvonne's mother was Irma, Jack's 1st wife, which is correctly documented in the LA Times reference/link. ~pam --

95th Birthday -- Catalina Island
Article indicates that, in 2007, he said he would like to swim to Catalina Island for his 95th birthday. If, as stated, he was born in 1914, he turned 95 in 2009, and this is 2010. So, did he swim to Catalina Island for his 95th birthday? John Paul Parks (talk) 15:44, 7 August 2010 (UTC)


 * When asked if he had a stunt planned in honor of his 95th birthday, “I wanted to swim from Catalina Island to Los Angles underwater- that’s a trick I always wanted to do. But my wife says if I do, she’ll divorce me.” Smart man. So instead, “I’m going to tow my wife across the bathtub!” Trentc (talk) 05:04, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

categories
Category drunk drivers? Any documentation?

I am wondering about calling his spa the first gym in America. I have seen photographs of a weightlifting center complete with proud musclebound men in the NY city area that were probably taken in the 1890s. I would think that would certainly qualify as a gym.

Weight lifting or strength training has been around for longer than any of us will ever be. Do a little research on ancient Rome and Greece. What one needs to realize is that Jack LaLanne opened the first gym in the United States that was a full service gym. He was a personal trainer when trainers did not exist. He advocated cardio as well as strength training and he integrated proper nutrition as well. Jack was the first to open a modern health club! Prior to Jack, nobody had combined all of these techniques together. Take a look at boxers from the 1930's. They had very defined physiques but for instance, their biceps were smaller, proportionally to the rest of their upper body. The trained themselves for endurance but did not utilize strength training with weights. Every modern health club in the United States owes Jack because he did it right, right from the start and he was met with resistance from the medical community and profesional athletes and coaches. But like many things in life, in the long run, Jack was right. Today it would be tough to find a profesional or olympic athlete that did not strength train with weights. One more point, Jack invented many of the cable pulley weight stack machines, you see today in gyms everywhere, that isolate muscles and muscle groups that would be very hard to work otherwise.

Dan B.

Question about machine inventions/designs
He designed the first leg extension machines, pulley machines using cables, and weight selectors, equipment which is now standard in the fitness industry.

I recently saw an interview with him where he said that he didn't have time to get patents on the exercise machines he invented (patents worth millions, maybe billions); he was too busy paying the rent and feeding his family, or something like that. Should this be mentioned? I'll try to find a citation. -- weirdoactor tundefinedc 20:02, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

No images of him in that stylish outfit?
No one has one? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.184.241.144 (talk) 01:51, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

I think it's copyright issues that prevent us from putting images of him on. There was a good-one of him up a few months ago, but alas, no longer. 05:49, 13 May 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.159.67.164 (talk)


 * There should at least be a mention that he ONLY wears the 1932 "reotard" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.185.73.179 (talk) 22:49, 3 August 2009 (UTC)

Is Jack Lalanne Vegetarian?
The short answer is no, he is not. He was a vegetarian for six years. Nowadays, he eats fish and eggs. See this website for an interview revealing these facts: http://www.shareguide.com/LaLanne.html I removed the false statement that he is a vegetarian. His diet can be discussed elsewhere in the article. Raoulduke25 (talk) 22:40, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

He also eats turkey and chicken: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/11/AR2007061101919.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ykral (talk • contribs) 09:27, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

A few things in the above posted Washington Post article are incorrect. Jack LaLanne's mother, Jennie, died at either 89 (Social Security Death Index) or 91 California Death Index...not 94. SSDI is probably correct. Also Jack's father, John/Jean, died at age 58, not age 50. (CA Death Index, 1930-1939). Interestingly, Jack never mentions his older brother, Norman, who died in California a few years ago at age 97. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.54.97.151 (talk) 16:10, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Not vegan?
Apparently he's not vegan. "He also eats fish, egg whites, food high in fiber, and swears by his juicer." --N-k, 21:03, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Questions re. content of "Timeline: Jack LaLanne's feats" section
It seems to me that the following don't belong in the "Timeline: Jack LaLanne's feats" section:


 * 1992 (age 78): Jack received the Academy of Body Building and Fitness Award.
 * 1994 (age 80): Jack received the State of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award.
 * 1996 (age 82): Jack received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award.
 * 1999 (age 85): Jack received the Spirit of Muscle Beach Award.
 * 2002 (age 88): Jack received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame.
 * 2004 (age 90): Jack celebrated his 90th birthday in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. ESPN Classic ran a 24-hour marathon of the original Jack LaLanne television shows.
 * 2004 (age 90): Jack became the official spokesperson for Covenant Reliance Producers, LLC, a Financial Marketing Organization based in Nashville, Tennessee
 * 2005 (age 91): Jack received the Jack Webb Award from the Los Angeles Police Department Historical Society, the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Interglobal's International Infomercial Award, the Freddie, and the Medical Media Public Service Award, and he was a Free Spirit honoree at Al Neuharth's Freedom Forum.

I therefore propose that all of the above apart from the 2004 entries should be moved to a new section, perhaps titled "Awards" or suchlike. The 2004 entries are biographical and should therefore be incorporated into the main body of text.Vitaminman (talk) 19:47, 29 January 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree. Awards and biographical info are not "feats".--JayJasper (talk) 22:38, 30 January 2009 (UTC)
 * OK, thanks. I've now removed the above material from the "Feats" section and placed it in a new "Awards" section.Vitaminman (talk) 16:44, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

JS:Redirector-AW trojan in link
Avast AV found the JS:Redirector-AW trojan when I clicked the external link titled "Interview on 93rd birthday"

If anyone confirms this, it should be deleted. 71.249.107.43 (talk) 05:20, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Better Photo Please...
Good god, man, can't we get a better photo of Mr Lalane? This man epitomizes absolute health in lifestyle and diet, but the current photo looks like he is about to have a freakin' stroke and drop dead.--SaturdayNightSpecial (talk) 01:45, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * The current photo is in the public domain; if you can find another free use photo, definitely switch it.--The lorax (talk) 03:29, 26 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Will do and thanks. I will poke around and try to find a photo that is more worthy of probably one of the healthiest person to walk the planet. --SaturdayNightSpecial (talk) 19:46, 30 April 2010 (UTC)