10 Most Influential People In Fitness the Last 10 Years - JP Fitness Forums

John Izzo · 12-01-2006, 05:32 AM

Hey all,
I asked JP if I can do this and he said "go for it". I am writing a new article for my website and wanted to get your feedback on the Top 10 Most Influencial Fitness Professionals Over the Last 10 Years. Below are some guy/gals that come to mind to me...some of which you may or may not of heard of (I would google them). Please pick your Top 10 (from this list or wherever) and tell me why they have been influencal to the fitness industry, exercise programming, or training. When I am fiinished with the article, I will post it on here.

Al Vermeil
Mark Verstegen
Vern Gambetta
Bill Philips
Donald Chu
Arnold Schwrazzennegger
Charles Poliquin
Annette Lang
William Kraemer
Tom Purvis
Wayne Westcott
Alywn Cosgrove
Michael Clark
Christian Thibidoe
Ryan Lee
Gray Cook
Tom Baechle
Tudor Bompa
Steven Plisk
Nancy Clark
Michael Boyle
Roger Earle
Robb Rogers
Gary Gray
Chuck Wolf
Bill Parisi
Duane Carlisle
Lenny Paracino
Juan Carlos Santana
Tom Incledon
Louie Simmons
Mel Siff
Charlie Francis
Victor Verhoshanki
Michael Yessis

Cynic · 12-01-2006, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Izzo

Christian Thibidoe

Christian Thibaudeau

John Izzo · 12-01-2006, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynic

Christian Thibaudeau

I threw him in there for you guys...I was going to just put "T-Nation".

dos · 12-01-2006, 05:51 AM

From my perspective, I gotta go with the following ....no particular order

Boyd Epley*
Stuart McGill*
Don Chu
Mike Boyle
Tudor Bompa
JC Santana
Robb Rogers
Steve Plisk
Vern Gambetta
Mel Siff

*Not on your original list.

I would go with THIS Mike Clark as well....the real deal.
http://www.seahawks.com/Team/Coaches.aspx?id=8350

Cynic · 12-01-2006, 05:52 AM

I actually have no interest in what he writes. I just feel it important to get the name right.

Other than that, I'm interested in reading this article, John.

Keith Scott · 12-01-2006, 06:01 AM

Michael Yessis

IN undergrad (YEARS and YEARS AGO) my prof warned us about him. I never forgot the warning, but never figured out what he was warning us about....

cowellfit · 12-01-2006, 06:12 AM

Love him or hate him, I don't think Paul Chek should be kept from this list.

John Izzo · 12-01-2006, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowellfit

Love him or hate him, I don't think Paul Chek should be kept from this list.

Damn...I forgot Paul Chek!

Kevin Larrabee · 12-01-2006, 07:31 AM

Where is Hanz and Franz?

They had a great slogan:
"We are going to PUMP YOU UP"

sillybubba74 · 12-01-2006, 07:39 AM

I agree that Chek should definitely be on that list. Alwyn Cosgrove is my personal favorite because he pulls no punches on his workouts or what he says in general. You gotta have Lou Schuler in there. He's definitely one of the most refined and interesting fitness writers out there.

Lou Schuler · 12-01-2006, 07:44 AM

I met Steve Plisk the other day. He's working for Velocity now, and was meeting with John Graham at John's facility in Allentown, where I work out. Good guy.

Of the others on your list, if you're just limiting the influence to the past 10 years, Bill Phillips should make the cut, IMO. He sold more books than anyone, and had as big a role as anyone in making strength training the modality of choice for body transformation. More than anyone, he changed the conversation going on outside academic and fitness-pro circles from aerobics to strength training and HIIT for fat loss.

Inside those circles, I'd look at Louie Simmons and Bill Kraemer as guys who influenced the conversation as much as anybody. Louie (and Dave Tate, of course) got people thinking more about strength and less about hypertrophy. And Dr. Kraemer has not only done the important research, he's tirelessly appeared at conference after conference to explain the emerging science. I think I've learned more from him personally, sitting in on his lectures, than from any other individual in our field.

Ian King, who's not on your list, had a pretty big role in shifting some of the conversation away from "body parts" and getting people to look at movement patterns instead. Alas, you also had the muscle magazines and books like Strength Training Anatomy around to keep people focused on individual muscles in isolation. (I'm not knocking STA, which I really like, just pointing out how it's being used.)

I'd also put Stuart McGill on the final list. After Dr. Kraemer, he's been the most eye-opening lecturer and author of my time writing about fitness and exercise.

UConnJulie · 12-01-2006, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Larrabee

Where is Hanz and Franz?

They had a great slogan:
"We are going to PUMP YOU UP"

John Izzo · 12-01-2006, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lou Schuler

I met Steve Plisk the other day. He's working for Velocity now, and was meeting with John Graham at John's facility in Allentown, where I work out. Good guy.

Of the others on your list, if you're just limiting the influence to the past 10 years, Bill Phillips should make the cut, IMO. He sold more books than anyone, and had as big a role as anyone in making strength training the modality of choice for body transformation. More than anyone, he changed the conversation going on outside academic and fitness-pro circles from aerobics to strength training and HIIT for fat loss.

Inside those circles, I'd look at Louie Simmons and Bill Kraemer as guys who influenced the conversation as much as anybody. Louie (and Dave Tate, of course) got people thinking more about strength and less about hypertrophy. And Dr. Kraemer has not only done the important research, he's tirelessly appeared at conference after conference to explain the emerging science. I think I've learned more from him personally, sitting in on his lectures, than from any other individual in our field.

Ian King, who's not on your list, had a pretty big role in shifting some of the conversation away from "body parts" and getting people to look at movement patterns instead. Alas, you also had the muscle magazines and books like Strength Training Anatomy around to keep people focused on individual muscles in isolation. (I'm not knocking STA, which I really like, just pointing out how it's being used.)

I'd also put Stuart McGill on the final list. After Dr. Kraemer, he's been the most eye-opening lecturer and author of my time writing about fitness and exercise.

Awesome response Lou! Exactly what i am looking for! Ddi you meet Steve Plisk at his Velocity in Stamford or Fairfield...I can't remember which one he was running in southwest CT. I actually met him when he was heading up the Yale strength Dept. around 2001(?).

dos · 12-01-2006, 07:57 AM

Oops! Forgot Dr. John Garhammer @ Long Beach State. John has done more research on Olympic Lifting that anyone in in the U.S. I also believe he was the first PhD to get be a CSCS (pretty significant in the direction of the scientist/practitioner).

FishrCutB8 · 12-01-2006, 08:09 AM

How about Adam Campbell? Lou Schuler? John Berardi? Ian King?

How about JP, who helped transform Mike Huckabee, who is now transforming the entire state of Arkansas...and there are even talks of him thinking about a higher office...

FishrCutB8 · 12-01-2006, 08:32 AM

Brian Grasso? Craig Ballantyne?

Lou Schuler · 12-01-2006, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Ddi you meet Steve Plisk at his Velocity in Stamford or Fairfield...I can't remember which one he was running in southwest CT. I actually met him when he was heading up the Yale strength Dept. around 2001(?).

I met him down here, in Allentown.