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Bruce Jenner Fitness as a Starting Block for Success
Ever dream of flying an airplane? Writing a book? Starting your own company? How about winning an Olympic gold medal? Bruce Jenner hasn't just dreamed these things -- he's done them all. You might think success comes easily to a man who has broken a world record and starred on a Wheaties box. But as a young boy with dyslexia, nothing was more difficult for Jenner than the simple act of opening up a book and reading out loud to the class. Through his struggles with dyslexia, Jenner learned early on that achieving success -- whether in the classroom, on the field, in his business career, or in his personal life -- takes a lot of hard work. Learn more about Jenner.
PRx Host :
Hello and welcome to PlanetRx.com's live events. Thank you for joining us. This evening's guest is gold-medal winner Bruce Jenner. Welcome, Bruce!
Bruce Jenner :
I am so excited to be here and have an opportunity to talk to all the people at PlanetRx.com.
PRx Host :
Let's begin with the event that most people know you best for: the 1976 Olympic decathlon. Can you tell us about that experience?
Bruce Jenner :
It took 12 years of my life. The last six years was six to eight hours a day of training, for 48 hours inside the Olympic Stadium -- those 48 hours were the most pressure-packed, scary moments of my life. The good news is, when it was all over, I came through big-time!
PRx Host :
What was your point total?
Bruce Jenner :
I scored 8,634 points. That was a new world record, a new Olympic record. I was the first person to score over 8,600 points in a competition, which was my last goal before I retired.
Scoring that well was the most satisfying thing of my career. When you go to the Olympics, you train so hard, work so hard, that when you get there, you want to be at your best!
That score signified the absolute best performance I could come up with, under very difficult circumstances. When I walked away with that score, I was tremendously satisfied.
It was also the last meet of my life. It was sad to leave, but at least I was satisfied with the performance.
PRx Host :
Can you tell the audience about your inspiration at the 1972 Olympics?
Bruce Jenner :
In 1972, it was my first Olympic games. I witnessed it happening right in front of me, for the first time in my life. I had seen it happen on TV, but never right in front of me -- an Olympic gold medal ceremony. There was a Soviet athlete, who had just won the event. I was back in 10th place. I watched him receive his gold medal, and I knew exactly what I wanted out of life for the next four years. I made the decision that I would go four more years, and give it my absolute best shot. I thought, "I will retire four years from now if I can pull this thing off, but that's what I want out of life!"
It became very clear to me, and I trained. I started that night. I trained every day with the intention of doing well in the games four years later.
PRx Host :
Were there any athletes in your family?
Bruce Jenner :
Really, no, there weren't. My sister seemed to always do well in gym class and the sports she went out for. My dad grew up during war-time. He competed in the Army Olympics after World War II was over. He was really a very good athlete, but he just never got the chance to compete. He went, at 19 years of age, to Europe to fight the war.
PRx Host :
Let's turn to some audience questions
dougl_usa :
I've been active but never very athletic. I want to run a marathon. How should I start and train?
Bruce Jenner :
Slowly! To run a marathon takes an enormous amount of dedication. My suggestion is you start slow and think of it more in terms of, as far as training, "I want to run a marathon a year from now." It's going to take you a year to get in shape just to survive it!
My suggestion is, yes, it's a great challenge to have in front of you. It helps with your workouts, it keeps you motivated because you know you have this big race ahead of you. It makes training more fun. You have a goal, that is to run a marathon and finish a marathon. Don't worry about your time. This is not about time, this is about finishing.
PRx Host :
Hi, Bruce -- what a role model you've been -- what has been your greatest personal accomplishment?
Bruce Jenner :
Finding my lovely wife Kris! Ten years ago, she came into my life and turned it around, showed me family, friends. She's not only my wife and lover, but my best buddy. The last 10 years of my life have been the best 10 years of my life.
dthomasc2000 :
Bruce, where do you keep your gold medal?
Bruce Jenner :
Actually, I hid it in my sock drawer for probably about 15 years! When my wife saw that 10 years ago, she said, "That's ridiculous." She had it framed and put in our office. Since then, it's been kind of moved around the house. Currently it's in a safe deposit box. I don't see it very often, but I know it's in my safe deposit box, not in some Russian athlete's safe deposit box!
PRx Host :
What is your workout schedule like these days?
Bruce Jenner :
I enjoy mountain biking. I live in a great area in L.A. where mountain biking is the best. I don't do any running. People expect me to run all the time, but I've been there, done that. Bike riding is easier on my knees and the rest of my body. I can work out really hard and not get sore the next day. I do a little bit of weight-lifting, but I have to admit, six months ago my wife bought me this fabulous membership at this wonderful country club near my house -- I have to say, I've been spending an awful lot of time hitting and chasing that little white ball! I also carpool a lot. I think that keeps you in shape, on the L.A. freeways!
ziggy_54986 :
Do you do anything for the Olympics anymore?
Bruce Jenner :
For many years, Visa was the corporate sponsor of the decathlon. For about eight years, they did a wonderful job in organizing our event, in bringing not only athletes who are competing now to try and win gold medals, but the guys in the past who have won gold medals together, all at the same time. It was a wonderful program, but unfortunately it stopped after the '96 games. It hasn't been as easy to help the young athletes coming up, because there's nobody there to organize it. It hurt our program when Visa moved on, but it was a great program for years.
chalie_2001 :
What was your toughest event?
Bruce Jenner :
The toughest thing about the decathlon is the event itself. People think it's 10 separate events, but really it's one event, one score.
The most technically difficult of the 10 elements of the event is the pole vault. The event itself is more difficult, because every element contradicts the next! You'll never see a great hundred-meter man run the mile. And great milers don't run the hundred meters. Different human beings, different training, different body styles.
For the decathlon, that's your biggest challenge: How do you become the best hundred-meter man on the same day you're the best 1,500-meter man? It's all about give and take. The trick is to learn how to train so you can be the best you can possibly be at both of those things at the same time.
chalie_2001 :
Who was your inspiration?
Bruce Jenner :
I was totally self-motivated. I had people around me who had a big impact in my career. One, a gentleman named L.D. Weldon, was the track coach at the small college in Iowa where I went to school. He was just a great human being, a great coach. Also my family, obviously, had an impact on what I was doing.
I have to admit, I was the one who was extremely motivated in testing myself and seeing how far I could go. I didn't have a coach the last four years. I trained by myself. I was highly motivated. My biggest problem was not motivating myself -- my biggest problem was overworking. You can train too much. Rest is very important.
dthomasc2000 :
Bruce, what is the hardest thing about writing a book?
Bruce Jenner :
The hardest thing about writing a book is getting it sold! Selling it to a publisher, this great idea that you have, that's the hardest part. My last book, Finding the Champion Within, was a labor of love. I enjoy motivating people. I enjoy taking my Olympic performance plus all the things I've learned since then and helping people become the best they can possibly be at any level.
The tough part was getting the book sold, getting the deal done. Writing it was a lot of fun. I worked with a guy who helped me do all the writing. I didn't have the time -- I'm very busy. I would sit down with him over a period of months -- we would get together once or twice a week to go over things. He would go back and write. He was faxing to me all over the U.S. We'd go over chapters, redo things -- things I needed to have researched, he would do the research. It was really a collaboration between the two of us, really working very hard to come up with the best product, but that book represents me, not anybody else. I had to make sure it was done the way I wanted it done. I was very pleased with the results.
schoolbus_23 :
When you saw the problems that broke out in 1972 did that bother you at all and make you think that even the Olympics weren't safe?
Bruce Jenner :
The Israeli tragedy happened in 1972 in Munich. I happened to be at the Games in '72 -- it was my first Olympics. It was a terrible tragedy. It happened just 100 yards from my room! I remember waking up that morning, and walking into the bathroom and Steve Prefontaine was in there, and said that somebody had been shot in the village. We didn't know what was going on outside even though we were right there. I went around, I went to breakfast, and I started to realize what was going on -- that the Israeli athletes had been taken hostage.
It really upset me -- it made me mad. Here I had worked my entire life to get to the Olympics, and some terrorists were taking it over. It just didn't seem right. The Olympics have such potential for good, and for somebody to use it for such evil. I never had to deal with that before in my life. I was 22 years old. I had never seen terrorists or anything like that. Then eventually the athletes were taken out of the village, and 11 of them lost their lives at the airport.
I was in shock that the Olympics were used for something like this. It was very difficult to deal with -- probably more difficult after the Games were over with. When I was at the Games, I had to compete and do my best, and I had worked for a long time to get there. Afterwards, I reflected, I'm coming home to my friends and family, but 11 athletes are coming home in caskets, and for what?
damia58 :
Not much is seen on TV of you lately, anything in the planning stages?
Bruce Jenner :
First of all, TV-wise, and media-wise, I made a conscious decision about 10 years ago to keep my finger in TV and things like that, but I'm not going to base my financial future on the TV industry.
I made a career switch, more into the business world, the entrepreneurial world. It has worked out much, much better than trying to hustle up the next TV show, although I still enjoy doing that on occasion. Next week, I think I have four days, I've got to shoot for this feature movie, where they need this country club guy. I'm going to do this for a low-budget comedy, about golf and the country club. I do that not for the money, but because it's fun. That's the way I like it.
I like the business world. I'm a partner in a telecom company and we're starting a telephone company which has had enormous success. I have my own software company, JennerNet software. I have a network marketing company called Longevity Network. I have an aircraft sales company if anybody out there needs a jet! It's Bruce Jenner Aviation.
I also do an enormous amount of speaking. Yesterday I was in Ft. Lauderdale, the day before that I was in Nashville. I stay busy doing my work, but most people don't see that. They see you if you're on TV. I keep my finger in that, but just for fun.
Linda Flower :
Do you think golf is a good workout or more of a social activity? My spouse and I are thinking of taking it up, and we value your opinion.
Bruce Jenner :
I sure hope golf is a good workout, because I'm out there every day! Let me tell you, it's not the greatest workout in the world, it's not like a great bike ride or run or going to the gym and lifting weights. But it's better than living a sedentary lifestyle. You're out there, you're swinging the golf club, staying active.
ambereno1 :
Mr. Jenner, have you tried kayaking or canoeing? It's a great workout. I do it here in Florida. Thanks, Mr. Jenner. You are a hero.
Bruce Jenner :
I have done very little kayaking. I've done some rowing just for fun. I don't do it for exercise every day, but let me tell you, if there is anything out there that's going to get you in shape and is good for you, it is kayaking or rowing. Out here in California we have these little kayaks you can take out in the ocean. It's a wonderful workout.
The most important thing about working out is that you find an activity that you love doing. It's not so much the activity, because anything is going to get you in shape and you're going to enjoy good health. If you find something you love doing, you do it because you love it. If kayaking is what you love doing -- and it's active, it makes you sweat, it works your muscles -- then great! Go for it!
chalie_2001 :
When you won the medal, your name became a household word. But prior to that no one knew of Bruce Jenner. Were you favored to win your event? And were you well-known in your circle?
Bruce Jenner :
I was favored to win the event in 1976. I was the world-record holder, ranked number one in the world when I went into the competition. Because the decathlon gets very little publicity, nobody in the general public really knew what I was doing. In the decathlon community, they all knew me. I was number one in the world for three years.
The Games in 1976 were really very unique. They were the highest rated Olympics of all time. Unbelievable numbers that they got on TV. Everybody watched. They really featured the decathlon, and I was just the guy that came up with the big performance. Then, yes, a week after the Games I couldn't walk down the street in New York without being mobbed by people! It shows you the power of TV. It brought my experience into millions of homes across America and around the world.
DaniBeth :
I've been running diligently every morning for the last two months and really improving my endurance. However, I just got sick with the flu and have been out of my running shoes and in my slippers for the past six days. The thought of getting back on track is a tough one because I feel like I'll be starting from scratch. This is not the first time I feel like I'm starting over. Any words of inspiration?
Bruce Jenner :
Do it because you enjoy it, not because you're trying to run the fastest mile in town. Getting sick is a part of life. The bad news is, it takes you longer to get in shape than it does to get out of shape. You can train for two months and get sick for a week and it'll set you back. As of right now, I don't think you're running to win Olympic medals, so do it because you enjoy it. Enjoy the experience!
chalie_2001 :
What celebs are your friends?
Bruce Jenner :
I've got a lot of them. Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford are the godparents to my wife, Kris's, and my two little children, who are 2 and 4. Kathie Lee and my wife have been friends for over 20 years -- way before I met my wife. We're going to go on vacation with them this summer, which will be a lot of fun. We hang out with them a lot.
Where I play golf there are all sorts of celebrities. Today I was on the driving range with Craig T. Nelson. We were talking and smacking golf balls and he was telling me about his new series. Wayne Gretzky's out there all the time. One of my best friends (we were just in Mexico last week for vacation and playing golf) is Sugar Ray Leonard, who was in the Games in '76.
oldiesnut :
Bruce, what do you tell young kids interested in being Olympians?
Bruce Jenner :
To first find a sport that they just LOVE doing, whether it's track and field, or swimming, gymnastics -- whatever it may be -- get into sports because you just love doing it, and you're having a lot of fun.
It's too difficult to think you're going to get in the sport because you want to go to the Olympics. The Olympics are so far away! Let's say you love swimming. Try to be the best swimmer you can be on your team, and then when you do that, you take it to the next step. Maybe you want to be the best swimmer in your town, and then you try to be the best swimmer in your state, and then the best swimmer in America, and eventually the best in the world. That process may take you 10, 15, sometimes even 20 years. Do it because you love it. The Olympics can stay out there and you can think about it, because that is the ultimate, but take it one step at a time and enjoy the experience.
You find out that you learn a lot in sports about yourself, about hard work and dedication, about winning and losing, about improving your performance. Those are all things that are going to help you throughout life, no matter what you do: whether you're in business or with your family, life takes a lot of work, and a great place to learn about hard work and dedication is in sports. Do it and enjoy it!
chalie_2001
:
Was your wife an athlete also?
Bruce Jenner :
No, Kris was never really heavily involved in athletics. But every time I take her out there, water-skiing or playing golf, she always does very well. So yeah, she's a pretty good athlete, she has just never pursued that. She's had six children, so over the last 20 years it's been birthing babies, and that's the most athletic thing you'll ever do!
sheggeby :
My friend Paul wants to know: Do you recommend running, biking, or swimming as the best aerobic exercise? He enjoys all three.
Bruce Jenner :
Then do all three. Swimming, running, and biking are three great aerobic exercises. Do the one you enjoy, because the one you enjoy is the one you are going to keep on doing. I don't care about what arena you're exercising or playing in. I just like people to do something, to stay active. Then the quality of life is better. I couldn't say that biking is better than swimming. The one you do is the best one.
chalie_2001 :
Have you ever owned race horses?
Bruce Jenner :
No, I have never owned a race horse, although I have 10 children, and I feel like I own race horses!
Charl-E :
I have been walking every day for about seven weeks with a friend, eating mostly salads. She's lost 12 pounds I haven't lost any. I'm getting discouraged. I walk 30 to 45 minutes at a time. Should I walk longer?
Bruce Jenner :
Try to increase the intensity of your workouts, not so much the length. If you are walking really slowly, and not getting your heart beating, your breathing rate up, then you're really not getting the benefits of the walk. Maybe you need a 30-minute walk that is faster and more active.
A good way to judge if you're getting a good workout is this: A lot of women like to walk with their friends, but most of the time they're talking. That's OK, but usually if you're talking, and you can still carry on a conversation, you're not training hard enough. Walk fast enough to where you cannot carry on a conversation with your friend -- then you know you're getting a good aerobic workout.
wendella_4 :
Hi Bruce, I have admired you for many years and I am hoping you can give me some advice. I recently began weight-training and I am wondering what aerobic exercise would be best to do along with the weight-training to kick my metabolism into high gear.
Bruce Jenner :
There are a lot of great aerobic exercises out there, from walking to being more intense with a running program, to a biking program, to a good aerobics class. I know my wife goes to a "taerobics" class, like Tae Bo. It is very difficult, very aerobic, and a great workout.
It's really the one that is most convenient for you, either running or biking or aerobics classes, that you can do consistently. The most important part of aerobic training is that you're consistent and you consistently do something over a long period of time -- then you will get the benefits.
chalie_2001 :
You look much thinner than you looked when you were competing, have your workouts changed since then?
Bruce Jenner :
Oh boy, have they! Back in those days, I had to get so strong that I could lift the side of a house. Now, I just have to pay for the house!
Of course my training has drastically changed from those days. Back when I was training, I did nothing but train every day. I was totally obsessed with what I was doing between my lifting program, my running, my technical work -- it was a full-time job.
Today I enjoy the benefits of good health through moderate exercise. I'm not trying to win Olympic medals anymore, so I certainly don't have to carry the same size I did before. To be honest, that's kind of like overkill, big-time. I do some light lifting, and I would say I'm down about eight or nine pounds from what I was when I was competing. I competed at 198 pounds, at just about 6'2".
marymvegh :
Have you had the pleasure of mountain biking in the Bay Area?
Bruce Jenner :
I've done a little bit of mountain biking in the Bay Area up in the Los Gatos Hills, but most of my mountain biking has been in the L.A. area. When I was training in San Jose for the Games, I used to do a lot of running in the Los Gatos Mountains. I used to run on the beach in Santa Cruz, and run in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Every Sunday in the off-season was my "dessert run." I'd pick a beautiful place and do my running. The Bay Area has great places to mountain bike and run and have a good time. Sundays were my "dessert runs" to congratulate me on a great week of training!
chalie_2001 :
Where did you go to college?
Bruce Jenner :
I went to a very tiny school, a place called Graceland College in Limoni, Iowa. It was very small, only about 1,000 students, in a cornfield in the middle of the state. It was a very small place, but for me a very good place to go. I met some very good people, and that's where I started running the decathlon.
honey_crash :
Do you watch the Olympics?
Bruce Jenner :
Yes I do. Over the years, I've been to just about every Olympics since I competed. I normally do the corporate side of the Olympics. I work for Coca-Cola and Visa, who are corporate sponsors. I go with them and meet their employees and really have a great, great time!
It's so fun to be at the Games and to look and see what you went through and what these people are going through now. I can really identify with them. I remember like it was yesterday, trying to pull off the Games. It's a very difficult thing to do, an enormous amount of pressure and fear, and to see these athletes come through with great performances is by far the most exciting thing I think you can witness.
oldiesnut :
What is your favorite place to travel?
Bruce Jenner :
Lately, I have gone to a place called Las Ventanas, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. To me, living in Los Angeles, it is so close, a little less than a two-hour flight. It's very romantic to be there with your wife, and get away from the kids for a couple of days. In fact, we were just there last week. We needed a break from kids. We went down there and had a wonderful time. It's so quiet and nice, beautiful beaches, great golf courses -- it doesn't get much better than that.
PRx Host :
We're running short on time. Are there any last words of inspiration you'd like to share with the audience?
Bruce Jenner :
I would like to have people believe in themselves. I grew up as a dyslexic kid suffering from low self-esteem, but eventually I found what I call my arena to play in, and it happened to be sports. That became very important to me. It helped out my self-esteem. Eventually I just kept pushing myself to where I was standing on top of a platform in the middle of the Olympic Stadium, the best in the world at something.
That is such a process to go through, and I try to inspire people to find their niche in life. The secret to life is ... remember the Billy Crystal movie City Slickers, where Billy Crystal asks Jack Palance, "What is the secret to life?" Jack Palance says, "One thing." And the conversation continues. Finally Billy Crystal asks, "What is that one thing?" Palance says, "That's for you to find out."
I really love that line, because it is so true. It's about finding that one thing in life that really gets you excited, that you become passionate about, whether it's in sports, art, music, business … reading, if you love to read. Find something you love doing -- that is the key to success!
PRx Host :
Thank you so much for joining us, Bruce!
M O R E A B O U T B R U C E J E N N E R
Bruce Jenner was born in Mount Kisco, N.Y., and grew up in Westchester County. Throughout his youth he excelled in several sports, but his track career sprang into action at Graceland College in Iowa, where his coach, L.D. Weldon (a world-class javelin thrower himself), nudged Bruce toward training for the Olympic decathlon. Not satisfied with finishing tenth at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Jenner immersed himself anew in his training -- hurdling, jumping, throwing, and running for eight or more hours a day. His hard work earned him the right to wave the American flag as he took his victory lap at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.
Jenner has continued to share his passion for fitness and sports by authoring four books: Decathlon Challenge: Bruce Jenner's Story, Bruce Jenner's Viewer's Guide to the Olympics, The Teenage Guide to Fitness, and his latest, Finding the Champion Within. He has hosted his own 26-segment show called "Healthy Lifestyles," produced the infomercial series "SuperFit with Bruce and Kris Jenner," and appeared in the video series "Let's Play Sports," as well as in the video he and his wife produced entitled "Women's Defense and Fitness Program."
Jenner is involved with several charities, including the California Special Olympics, the National Dyslexia Research Foundation, the National Council for Recording for the Blind, the Children's Hope Foundation, and The Dream Foundation. He also promoted physical fitness as a board member of Governor Pete Wilson's Council for Physical Fitness and Sports.
Jenner now lives in Hidden Hills, Calif., with his wife, Kris, and their 10 children.
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