Welcome back to the Daily Dumbbell, the only newsletter that nearly had a heart attack yesterday when we saw Gene Wilder trending on Twitter. Thankfully it was because someone asked who was the best Willy Wonka and every single person said Gene causing him to trend. Thank goodness.

Today, we put our minions to work to research badass fitness influencers from the past in order to name our very first “Beast of the Week”.

Hooray for new bits!

Side note: I asked ChatGPT for help workshopping “Beast of the week” and it came up with “The Mighty Muscle Maven of the Week”. Yeesh. Glad to see it won’t be taking my job anytime soon.

Let’s dive in!

Our Very First Beast of the Week:
The Godfather of Fitness

Happy Friday fitness fiends! Today, we have a very special feature for you. We’re diving into the legendary life of the man who very well might have been…the first fitness influencer.

Picture this: a man who not only introduced the public to the concept of structured exercise but also revolutionized fitness television shows in the 1950s. Impressive, right?

using our very best infomercial voice But wait there’s more!

A string of jaw-dropping accomplishments that will leave you questioning why you haven't heard of him before. For example:

• Started the first commercial gym in the US

• Invented the Smith Machine

• Invented the juicer and brought it to the masses

• Swam from Alcatraz to shore while shackled, pulling a boat of guards

• Completed 1,000 pushups & 1,000 pull-ups in under 90 minutes

And that’s just a small taste of what he accomplished in his 90+ years of fitness fanaticism. Chances are you’ve never heard of the man Arnold called “The Godfather of Fitness”. But without his influence, the health and fitness landscape might look very different today.

That’s why this Friday, we’re diving into the pacific ocean and swimming out to Alcatraz and back in honor of the man, the myth, the legend; Jack LaLanne.

Believe it or not, the man who would become a fitness legend wasn't always a picture of health. Born in San Francisco in 1914, Jack suffered from a range of health issues, including asthma, frequent headaches, and in his words “a serious sugar addiction.”

Editor’s note: Sugar addiction isn’t a real thing, but this was the 1930s.

It wasn't until he attended a lecture by nutritionist Paul Bragg that his life took a dramatic turn for the better. Inspired by Bragg's message, young Jack decided it was time to take control of his health.

He completely overhauled his diet and began incorporating weightlifting, & calisthenics into his daily routine.

Side note: This is all pretty amazing if you consider the time this was going on. Doctor’s actively discouraged weight lifting. It was thought lifting weights would make you big and bulky, putting undue stress on the heart.

Lo and behold, Jack’s health issues disappeared, and he developed an impressive physique. Like seriously impressive…

Much like today’s influencers, Jack felt the need to share the gift of health and fitness with others. He enrolled in chiropractic school and began working as a fitness instructor.

We know what you’re thinking, but unlike the quacks of today, this chiropractor/fitness instructor had some pretty damn good advice up his sleeve.

• In 1951, he launched "The Jack LaLanne Show," which was the first-ever fitness television program in the United States. The show ran for an insane 34 years, inspiring millions of viewers to get up, get moving, and embrace a healthier way of life.

But he didn’t just talk about it, he opened the very first commercial gym in California. Welcoming both men and women to be about it.

We are absolutely stealing that.

He became a relentless promoter of healthy living, always seeking new ways to spread his message. In the 1970s, that message took the form of a very annoying trend: when he introduced the world to the concept of juicing with the launch of the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer.

The juicer became a staple in many homes & many more garbage dumps. But we all have missteps.

He set numerous world records, including performing 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes (wtf?) and swimming from Alcatraz to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed and shackled. Even in his later years, Jack proved beast mode has no age barriers; doing absolutely wild shit well into his 70s.

Jack LaLanne passed away in 2011, but his impact on the world of health and fitness continues to be felt today. His dedication to promoting exercise, proper nutrition, and a positive mindset has inspired countless people to live healthier, happier lives.

More importantly, without him, we might not have any Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. And for that, we thank him.

Friday Finds

Research Roundup

Some absolute bangers this week!

New study finds lowest risk of death was among adults who exercised 150-600 minutes/week.

• The study analyzed records of more than 100k people over a 30 year period.

• Participants filled out a self reported exercise form every 2 years.

• Those who exercised in the recommended range (150-300m/week) had a 21-23% reduction in mortality. 

• Those who exercised 300-600 minutes/week saw a 25-30% reduction.

• Previous studies had found evidence of negative health outcomes for people who exceeded the vigorous exercise recommendation. i.e. marathoners, triathletes, insane people. This study pushes back on those findings.

Another new study suggests regular exercise may blunt the negative effects of poor sleep. These results were insane:

Scientists took activity tracker data for 92,000 people in the UK. They compared physical activity & sleep data, and followed up 7 years later.

Results: 

• 3,080 people died in that time frame. (2,900 of CVD or cancer!) Of those:

• Comparing people who got less than 6 hours of sleep, those who did not exercise were FOUR TIMES as likely to have died during this span.

• The ‘slept-poorly-but-exercised-heavily’ group had a 3.2/1000 mortality rate. Compared to 12.2/1000 for the ‘slept-poorly-and-didn’t-exercise group.

A fascinating instance of selection bias here. Among those who slept longer than recommended (8+ hours) there is an interesting relationship with exercise.

• Extra sleep appears to have a protective effect for those who workout (2.2 deaths compared to 2.4/1k) & (3.4 compared to 3.8/1k), but not those who don’t (8.6 deaths compared to 7.7/1k).

• Likely due to confounding variables. Namely, people who sleep 9+ hours and don’t exercise tend to be sleeping that much because they have chronic disease or depression.

Snippets:

• A guide to fixing your rounded shoulders & poor posture

The greatest Tik Tok you’ll ever watch. Make sure the sound is on!

@keepupwithjacob

Jacob works out everyday! Just look at those whoppers! 💪😂🥰

Hope you had an amazing week! Thanks so much for coming along on this journey with us!

If you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter, do us a favor and share it with 1 to 20 of your closest friends and family!

See you next week for more exciting studies, suggestions, and shenanigans.