13 Iconic ’70s Fitness Gurus Who Revolutionized Exercise
While growing up, legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired me to hit the gym. One memorable scene from Terminator 2, where Arnold lifted a car to help Sarah Connor and John escape, really stuck with me.
Believe it or not, things like jogging in the morning were once considered odd. It took the efforts of people like Jack Lalanne to make exercising a culture among regular people without a military or athletic background.
While the 1960s were often credited with the uprising of modern weightlifting, the 1970s brought the sport to a broader audience. They marked the inclusion of more women in the physical fitness space.
Below are the thirteen ‘70s fitness gurus who revolutionized exercise.
Lou Ferrigno
The American actor and ex-bodybuilder was born on November 9, 1951. In 1969, Ferrigno became IFBB Mr. America. Four years later, he was crowned IFBB Mr. Universe.
When life gave Ferrigno lemons, he made a bucket of lemonade. He couldn't hear well because of a cascade of ear infections he endured at the age of three. The illness robbed him of 75% to 80% of his hearing ability. Ferrigno’s inability to hear made him a perfect victim to bullies. His impediment motivated him to become a bodybuilder.
In his words, Ferrigno said, “I wanted to become strong so that I could be able to defend myself.”
Early in his bodybuilding career, Ferrigno could not afford to purchase weights, so he built one using oils and brooms, partly loaded with cement.
Serge Nubret
In his 23 years of bodybuilding, Serge Nubret, aka the Black Panther, won five exemplary awards: the World's Most Muscular Man in Montreal in 1960, NABBA Mr. Universe in London in 1976, WBBG Pro Mr. World in 1977, Mr Olympus in New York in 1977, and the World Champion title in Geneva in 1981.
Serge Nubret is a well-decorated French bodybuilder whose impact on physical training cannot be overemphasized. The Black Panther headed the French and European Bodybuilding Federations from 1970 to 1975.
He was born in 1938 and died in 2011. Since childhood, Serge has wanted to become like Steve Reeves. Unfortunately, Nubret fell into a hypoglycemic coma in 2009 and died two years later.
Robby Robinson
Robby wears many hats. He is a personal trainer, bodybuilding trainer, artist, athlete and actor. Despite tackling sickle cell crises, Robby Robinson won the Masters Olympia Overall Champion title when it was first held in 1994. Although it took him 300 amateur competitions to become a pro bodybuilder, the Black Prince bagged three respected awards in his first year, 1975: Mr. World, Mr. Universe, and IFBB Mr. America.
Robby was born on May 24, 1946. The American former bodybuilder started his athletic career as a footballer. Then, he discovered that his body responded positively when subjected to weightlifting exercises. He quit football and tried his luck in bodybuilding.
Denise Austin
Denise Austin is an outlier in an industry predominantly ruled by men. She started her fitness career at the age of 12. Austin, born on February 13, 1957, is a high-time advocate of eating healthy and eliminating fad diets that promise an individual immense quick fix.
George W. Bush named Austin a member of the President's Council of Fitness and Sports in 2002. Austin helped introduce the Reebok freestyle sneaker for women.
Austin received an athletic scholarship at the University of Arizona. She then switched to California State University and graduated with a BSC in physical education.
Richard Simmons
Richard Simmons is well-known for his fitness videos, such as Sweatin to the Oldies. The physical fitness video was released in 1988 and sold 20 million copies. The videos feature an aerobic exercise party where Richard and his friends work out to some of the most popular hits of the ‘50s and ‘60s, including “Beyond the Sea” and “It's My Party.”
His parents were in show business, and young Richard acted in Satyricon and the Clowns.
Simmons, born on July 12, 1948, dedicated his life to helping obese people regain their health and freedom. Having experienced the disgust people show for obese people, he decided to help eradicate obesity. He did so by setting up programs that did not alienate overweight individuals. Richard Simmons is a hero for many overweight kids looking for ways to lead healthier lives.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947. At the age of 14, he decided to pursue a career in bodybuilding and was so dedicated that he broke into the gym to train.
In 1967, at 20, he set a record for the youngest-ever Mr Universe. He attained this feat thanks to the tutelage of Charles “Wag” Benett, a physical training coach who saw his potential before the world knew his name. He won his first Mr. Olympia at the age of 23 in 1970. He won the globally coveted crown six more times in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1980.
As a savvy businessman, he owns gyms, news publications, a personal jet leasing business, and fitness media companies. He was elected the 38th Governor of California and starred in popular movies such as Conan the Barbarian, The Terminator, and Jingle All The Way.
Jack Lalanne
Jack invented the leg extension machine in 1936 and the Smith machine in 1950. He led his followers through workouts and marketed fresh foods decades before eating healthy became the norm.
Jack was born in 1926 and died in 2007.
Like Joseph Pilates, Jack Lalanne suffered from major illnesses like chronic headaches and bulimia as a child. He is known as the face of fitness and the most influential fitness legend, thanks to the success of his show, The Jack LaLanne Show.
Arthur Jones
Jones lived from 1927 to 2007. In 2019, the Arkansas inventor founded the Nautilus Company, the biggest manufacturer of physical fitness equipment. In the same year, the company grossed between 300 and 325 million.
Despite being notorious for his unfiltered opinions, Jones left a great mark in the fitness community. He encouraged people to exercise smarter instead of harder.
Augie Nieto
Nieto was born on February 15, 1959. He co-founded the Lifecycle company and forever changed how people approached cardio workouts. His physical fitness machines have become a major part of modern physical training routines.
In 2005, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Niete devoted himself to financially supporting and raising awareness for ALS research. Together with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, he launched Augie's Quest, a non-profit organization, in 1958. The organization has since raised millions to fund ALS research and has fueled promising breakthroughs.
Jim Fixx
James Fuller Fixx is an American author who preached the gospel of early morning running and its health benefits. He wrote books such as Games for the Super-Intelligent in 1972, The Complete Book of Running in 1980, and Jackpot in 1982.
Before Fixx, running was just a sport. After, running became a cultural and physical routine for many Americans. In her 2022 article, Kayla Kim named Fixx the “Forgotten Father of Running.”
Fixx proves it is not too late to take physical fitness seriously. He spent the first 36 years of his life smoking carelessly and not training. A decade later, Jim lost 60 pounds and became smoke-free.
The American Author was born in 1932 and died in 1984 doing what he loved — running. He died of a heart attack. His autopsy reports showed that he suffered from atherosclerosis.
Vic Tanny
Vic Tanny was born in 1912 and died in 1985. Known as the father of modern health clubs, he revolutionized the American gym industry. He built over 300 gym spaces that were comfortable and appealing to non-athletes in North America.
Tanny’s training centers had carpets, saunas, pools, and other cool features. Users were offered memberships for a contracted period (half a year to seven years). Tanny created a business model that has become a template for many gym owners after him. He believes in democratizing gym access and making it affordable for the general public. According to him, volume is what counts.
Franco Columbu
In 1970, Columbu was crowned IFBB Mr. Europe and Mr. Universe consecutively. The following year, he won the IFBB Mr. World. He also won Mr. Olympus twice, in 1970 and 1975.
Like Ferrigno, Columbu’s bodybuilding villain arc was triggered by his bullies. He had an unbeaten run in boxing but left due to the sport's hazardous nature. Columbu says boxing is very “rough on your face and head.”
Columbu left boxing for bodybuilding in the late 1960s; he relocated alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger (his best friend) and started training with Weider. When he wasn’t bodybuilding, he was acting. He starred in Arnold’s movies, such as The Terminator in 1984 and Conan the Barbarian in 1982.
The Italian-American bodybuilder and actor, born in 1914, passed away in 2019.
Ed Corney
On his first try, Ed Corney won Mr Fremont in 1967. A year later, he bagged four awards: the Heart of Mr. California, Mr. Westerner, Mr. Northern California, and Mr. Golden West.
Arnold Schwarzenegger described Ed Corney as the “greatest poser” he’s ever seen. The hall-of-fame bodybuilder started bodybuilding because he envied the physique of his opponents when he used to play volleyball.
The American professional bodybuilder, born in 1933 passed away in 2019, was inducted into the International Federation of Bodybuilding Hall of Fame in 2004.
