The Workout Challenge

WAS THE JANE FONDA WORKOUT RESPONSIBLE FOR MY KNEE REPLACEMENT?

Jun 22.09

A recent article in the Daily Mail reports that my knee replacement surgery was the result of years of repetitive pounding from doing my Jane Fonda Workout programs. Wrong! It is a result of osteoarthritis which my father, Henry Fonda, also suffered from, as does my brother, Peter, who may need hip replacement soon. You never saw them doing the Jane Fonda Workouts. My family’s osteoarthritis (the gradual disappearance of joint cartilage) is a matter of genes, not working out. I am sure that my 25 years of eating disorders didn’t help the condition, and perhaps my decade of running made it worse. But sooner or later I would have needed joint replacement even if I had been totally sedentary.

The fact is that my Workout programs were initially not aerobic at all. Only one of them, “The Workout Challenge,” had an aerobic component and because it was so challenging, not many people purchased it. When I actually got into producing aerobic videos they were of the low-impact variety and were supervised by sports physiologists. As for my exhortation to ”Go for The Burn,” that came with strength building-working the particular muscle group long enough to feel the burn that results from the build up of lactic acid. This has nothing to do with aerobic activity which is where the “pounding” comes in.

Genes, my friends, are the culprits, not my workouts,

55 Responses to “WAS THE JANE FONDA WORKOUT RESPONSIBLE FOR MY KNEE REPLACEMENT?”

michele says:

January 30, 2010 at 2:11 am

Hi Jane, I am having my left knee replaced in 3 wks and can’t wait! Will be looking forward to your new exercise programs coming out and hope to incorporate them into my rehab. Thanks for your inspiration through the years!

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ROO.BOOKAROO says:

February 18, 2010 at 9:28 am

Well said!

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Linda says:

June 12, 2010 at 2:51 am

Jane Fonda’s Workout, which I attended for at least 5 years on Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles, was VERY SAFE and designed (as I recall) with input from dancers and a doctor. It is a fallacy that Jane Fonda’s Workout offered injurious exercises. Knee replacements and the like often come with age, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with vigorous exercise.

I LOVED JANE FONDA’S WORKOUT: Marianne, Audrey, Carol, Leslie and Stacey Lilien, Doreen, M’Liss.
WONDERFUL TEACHERS, WONDERFUL PLACE, WONDERFUL MEMORIES.

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