The 1980s were a fun time in fitness – we didn’t have fancy, edited IG videos. Instead, the ’80s were filled with VHS tapes, fitness TV shows, and other cheesy blasts from the past. Still, they shaped the fitness industry into what it is today, and many of them will still hold sway in 2021. After all, for the real deal, fitness is a lifestyle, not a fad. Here are our favorite fitness celebrities from the most striking era in history.
1. Jane Fonda
The Grace and Frankie star was the quintessential trend girl of the 1980s. In 1982, she released Jane Fonda’s Workout, an exercise video that went absolutely viral. After selling millions of copies, he followed up with over 20 more exercise videos, making his series one of the best-selling hits of all time. Along with her activist work, this makes Jane one of our best models.
2.Arnold Schwarzenegger
No one can deny it: The Terminator is and always has been the face of fitness in the ’80s. Since the 1970s, the achievements of this burly bodybuilder are too long to list. His workout video, Shape Up With Arnold, propelled him to commercial success, and his book Arnold’s Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding remains a reference for bodybuilding today.
3. Heather Locklear
Heather, like some of the other girls on this list, got her start as an actress, but after she was approached about fitness videos, she produced her own and filmed Personal Training Sessions, which featured her in trend-setting leotards.
4. Suzanne Somers
Like Fonda, Suzanne discovered the world of fitness only after taking up acting. His claim to fame is not a series of videos, but a product. Somers coined the first ThighMaster, a product that he still stands behind and is still successful in modern times. Along with this accessory, he wrote numerous books on anti-aging, health and hormone replacement after cancer.
5. Denise Austin
Denise is still influential in fitness today and looks just as fabulous as she did in the ’80s. We first saw her as the co-host of The Jack LaLane Show in the early ’80s, before launching her own fitness program and creating your own videos. Today, he has over 100 videos and DVDs and has been an inspirational fitness icon through the decades.
