The man I’m going to talk about today is Joe Pilates. Pilates was born in Germany in 1883, and, like many of the people I’ve studied and whose methods I’ve used in my own training, Pilates was a sick child: asthma, rickets, rheumatic fever.

Today I’m going to talk about Angelo Siciliano, you may not have heard of him, but most of us my age really have. Angelo Siciliano was born in 1892 and he was the 97 pound weakling who had sand kicked in his face on the beach. Otherwise known as Charles Atlas, who trademarked the name Dynamic Tension, which is another name for something that I teach called Dynamic Resistance. There’s really nothing new under the sun.

Today I’m going to talk about Sandow. Eugene Sandow was a Russian strongman. He was born in Prussia. Who toured England and he wrestled. He did strength feats. He broke chains. Mostly what people were interested in, was his posing routines because he as very muscular. So he’s known as the father of modern bodybuilding.

This is from George Hackenschmidt: The principal food for man is pure air. Partake of it as much as you possibly can. Breathe much, and as deeply as you can, through the nose. Breathing through the nose is the only proper way of respiration, and at the same time, an important regulator for the movement of the body. For if, for any kind of work, the breath through the nose ceases to be sufficient, one ought to either discontinue the work or restrict the movement until breathing has again become normal.

We don’t die from old age, we die from inactivity. Me? I can’t die, it would ruin my image. I wish I would have said that. Well, I just did say that. But, originally it was said by The Godfather of American fitness, Jack LaLanne. Jack LaLanne was born in 1914 in the era when doctors said that lifting weights or extensive exercise would cause a heart attack, it would cause women to turn into men.

Today I’m going to talk about an old master who I knew quite well. He was born in Japan in 1935 and I met him in Philadelphia at The Philadelphia Karate Club when I was 18 years old. His name is Master Keinosuke Enoeda, Sensei Enoeda.