Kudos From The Great White North - PhillyFIT Magazine

PhysicallyFITLeft: A young Bob...back then they calledit "Physical Culture"Below: Bob andArnold circa 1974by Charles PeeplesKudos FromThe GreatWhite NorthThe MUSCLEMAG “Encyclopedia of BodyBuilding,” all 792 pages of it, arrived unsolicited at Jami’s officerecently, a gift, inscribed by the author “To the magnificent Jami, a supreme publisher, and amazing fitness example.In appreciation for all you do for fitness! Regards Always, Bob Kennedy.”“I’m so totally blown away,” Jami told me, “doyou think you could explain to our readers whothis man is and maybe find out why he’s beenso thoughtful to me over the past few years?”ing look” is passe, that only functional fitness matters, and because they canspout clinical gobbledygook, they’re the only ones qualified to train clients. Uh,ok --- are those other 99% of folks jamming all the health clubs really in pursuitof “functional” fitness too? What a waste of mirrors!Okay, Jami: he’s an ornery old goat, always surroundedin Hefneresque fashion by a stable ofspectacular fitness beauties and cartoon-likemuscle-studs, his Canada-based enterprisechurning out fitness books and magazines likesome vending-machine run amok. And ofcourse he’d be interested in you because alongwith your brains and great accomplishments,you’re a sexy, very fit blonde, and like any normalguy…Alright, the truth is that Bob is married to a fit,brainy blonde of his own, Tosca Reno, author ofThe Eat Clean Diet series (NY Times bestseller)and between them they have five children. Butthose who aren’t into bodybuilding, fitness --- orfor that matter, caring how they look --- probablycouldn’t care less about publishing magnateRobert Kennedy. Or, if they do know about him,they resent him as a matter of principle. Amongthe latter are likely a few of those inevitablepencil-necks with a bunch of Cs and Ss aftertheir names, whose nostrils flare at the word“bodybuilding,” and who console themselvesabout their own unremarkable appearance bytouting their high-school 40-yard dash stats andinsisting, somewhat noisily, that the “bodybuild-38 I PhillyFITA helluva lot of people do know who Robert Kennedy is: heir-apparent in hisway to whatever’s left of the media side of Joe Weider-style muscle imperialism.That includes several top international physique magazines (MUSCLE-MAG INTERNATIONAL, OXYGEN, REPS, MAXIMUM FITNESS, andCLEAN EATING), a website (emusclemag.com),fitness product-lines (one of which, a top-sellingsupplement brand, he coyly disavows) andmore books on muscle-building and nutritionthan anyone can count. Add to that the sculptedeye-candy of both genders who jam hismagazines and booths at the Arnold andOlympia weekends (many, like WWF diva TrishStratus, owe much of their media glory to his“discovery”), and you’ve got a hugely successfulman whom a lot of losers will takeshots at.I’ve taken my own shots at Sir Robert: Itease him about his screamingly gaudyneckties. I do a reckless pastiche of hisBritish accent. I take him to task foroverindulging in T&A in his photo layoutsat the expense of more physicallydevelopedwomen. I might even teasinglyrefer to the “Weider Pre-ExhaustPrinciple,” knowing that Bob claims tohave introduced this training techniqueMarch/April I 215-396-0268 I www.phillyfit.com

in 1968. But I feel entitled tothis liberty, having knownhim personally for the betterpart of two decades; RobertKennedy’s the one who gaveme my first breakin writing whenno one elsewould. And evenas I lambastedhim and other dignitariesin my articles,he was unfailinglyencouraging,even leaving phonemessages at myhome waxing rhapsodicover pieces I’ddone for him:“Chawwwles, youare indeed awrrritah.” His praisecarries freight, as hedoesn’t dispense it easily. In the manner of many Brits, he canbe outright blunt. But rarely.Of course I’m a fan of Robert Kennedy… why wouldn’t I be?And I’m in good company, because his admirer list’s been aWho’s-Who of bodybuilding, going back to legends like JohnGrimek, Steve Reeves, that big Austrian guy(whom Bob hadknown since 1967 and touted as Presidential material a decadebefore the Governator took over the Left Coast) and nearly anyoneelse who ever appeared in a bodybuilding or fitness magazine.He’s lived the life he espouses, having missed no more thana handful of workouts in the past 55 years. A serious scholar of“Iron Game” history he’s assembled what amounts to a museumdevoted to feats of strength and physical accomplishment. It hasn’talways been an easy ride either; born in Europe and living inEngland until he was 27, Bob started MUSCLEMAG INTER-NATIONAL in 1974, hocking most of his possessions (includinghis prized Jaguar) to get the first issues out. And this was at atime when bodybuilding (and Arnold) hadn’t yet registered on thepublic mind; as the book PUMPING IRON noted, muscles werecheaper than dirt --- you couldn’t give them away. Out of nothing,Bob created something. Much like bodybuilding itself, which tomany has no tangible justification compared to the pragmaticdrills of strength-training for football or track, his whole enterprisedepended on his being a conjurer of sorts, expanding thatimagination and excitement which comes of seeing and beingsomething beyond mind-blowing, drawing in no small way on thesensation Arnold created. The acolytes of bodybuilding may bedismissed as living in a quasi-comic-book world, a perpetual,self-indulgent adolescence replete with its own virtues andextremes (who could ever take those hysterically disingenuoussupplement ads seriously?), but in harming no one, enjoying theirversion of the “runner’s high” (aka “the pump”), and generallysetting an admirable example of nutrition and exercise-discipline,who’s qualified to fault them?kin0309Close Spaces • Straighten Crooked TeethBond Chipped Teeth • Whiten TeethKING of PRUSSIA DENTAL ASSOCIATESBrad G. Jacobson, D.D.S., P.C.491 Allendale Rd., Suite 306Call for FREE CONSULTATION - 610.337.2989 or 610.265.4142March/April I 215-396-0268 I www.phillyfit.com PhillyFIT I 39

Hand & stoneto comeVOTED BEST OF PHILLYSPRAY TAN 2008215.545.5010209 S. 20th St, Philadelphiasunmyst@verizon.netwww.sunmysttanningstudios.com✹ Stand-up & Lay down Units ✹ No Contract✹ Mystic Spray Tan ✹ Unsurpassed Prices✹ Customized Airbrushing1 Free Tan ✹ 50% off Customized Airbrush TanWith MMI, Bob catered to their excitement, offering hard-coretraining instruction and photos mixed with personalities, gossip,over-the-top inspiration and a willingness to dig in places (likedrug issues) his staid competitors wouldn’t. He received deaththreats for featuring a blonde female bodybuilder with a blackmale one on an early 90s cover. Ditto for Bob Paris and RodJackson, two bodybuilding Adonises who’d recently unclosetedthemselves. Through relentless effort, showmanship (hype?),bluff and personal charisma, Bob Kennedy grew his dream intosomething big. And he carried many others along with him.Which brings us back to Jami. You can’t miss the parallels: thedreams, the struggles, cheerleading in a sometimes cold, emptyroom, waking others to a sense of happening through the sheerforce of will, creating something out of nothing. Bob certainlyrecognized those parallels right away, looking beyond the sexycharismatic blonde (of whom he’s seen so many!) to a daring,imaginative entrepreneur who’s really got her head together. He’sa PHILLYFIT reader and a Jami-fan like the rest of us. It feelsgood to be in such company, because when you get down to it,they’re both pumping us up about our own amazing possibilities.NOT YOUR USUAL MEDIA MOGUL OR MUSCLEHEADSomething few know about Bob Kennedy: An art college graduate, he’s been oilpainting for 50 years. He paints under his father’s name, Wolfgang Kals, to avoidconfusion with his role as a publisher. Currently he’s being encouraged by NorthAmerican gallery owners to agree to a one-man exhibition, something he’s onlydone in Europe until now. “It’s funny that all of a sudden there is an interest in my(Wolfgang’s) work. Maybe collectors are figuring that I might die soon and mypaintings would quadruple in value. I could have done with this attention when Iwas trying to make a living as a starving artist in England 45 years ago.” Enquiringminds can visit www.wolfgangkals.com.Charles Peeples, NSCA-PT, NCTMB, whose articles have appeared innumerous fitness and bodybuilding magazines, is a regular columnist forPHILLYFIT and a well-known activist for female strength training and physicaladvancement. (www.teamvalkyries.org). A graduate of thePennsylvania School of Muscle Therapy, Charles is nationally-certifiedboth as massage therapist and a personal trainer (www.chesterspringsmassage.com).Contact Charles at charles@phillyfitmagazine.comTAKE CHARGE OFYOUR PAIN RELIEFWITH THIS SUPERIORSTRETCHING METHODUNDER THE WEIGHT OFTHE COACH'S FOOT!40 I PhillyFITPAIN RELIEF IS MINUTES (Not Weeks) AWAY!MAXIMUM EFFORT YIELDS MAXIMUM RELIEF!Rossiter System Stretches Are Quick, Powerful AndEffective In Relieving All Types Of Chronic Pain -Headaches, Neck, Shoulders, Upper And Lower Back,Herniated Discs, Sciatica, Tendinitis, Carpal TunnelSyndrome, Knee Pain, Plantar fasciitis, And More.GUARANTEED TO LEAVE YOUFEELING LOOSER IN JUST 1 SESSION!SAVE $10ON A ROSSITER SYSTEM WORKOUT!EXPIRES 4/15/09March/April I 215-396-0268 I www.phillyfit.comben309BENSALEMMUSCLETHERAPYJANICE E. MALLOY,RN, MS, CMTMUSCLE AND SOFT TISSUEPAIN SPECIALIST1950 Street Road, Suite 318Bensalem, PA 19020215-244-1999bensalemmuscletherapy.qpg.com