Jane Fonda was in her 40s when she changed the way we exercise

It’s not hard to find somewhere or some way to exercise these days, with gyms, studios, free online videos and personal trainers generally easy to access.

But more than four decades ago, the fitness industry as we know it was just getting off the ground, becoming linked with celebrity as stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger started monetising everything from books to gyms to running shoes.

One of the key figures in this growth was Jane Fonda, who released her first aerobics video, titled Jane Fonda Workout, on April 24, 1982. 

It became the biggest selling VHS in history as people snapped up 850,000 copies in its first three years, helping to usher in the fitness culture we know today and, according to some, helping to launch the entire VHS industry.

Bill Hayes, the author of Sweat: A History of Exercise, said Fonda was one of the most important figures in the history of exercise because of her workout videos.

“What’s important about Jane Fonda is she democratised exercise, especially for women … all around the world,” he said.

“All you had to do was buy a videotape, which was quite inexpensive, at least compared to joining a gym.

“You could do it at home. You didn’t have to hire a babysitter. And they were fun, and they made exercise seem fun and sexy.

“She had a huge influence. I really don’t hesitate to say she was one of the most important figures in the whole history of exercise.”

Building a fitness empire

Fonda, who was in her 40s when the first video was released, went on to make more than 20 additional workout videos and write several books, all of which sold well.

They were embraced by young mothers who found it difficult to exercise outside the home, and by women who felt self-conscious about going to the gym or could not afford it.

“It really made a huge difference for women,” Fonda told the ABC in 2024.

“Up until then, women weren’t supposed to have muscles,” she said.

“I mean, it was a joke what a workout for women looked like back then, but they started doing my workout and people began to develop muscles … and they’ve never looked back.” 

Speaking to Ellen Degeneres in 2014, Fonda said that before her video, if a woman went to a health club, there would be a gym for men and nothing for women. 

“We were not supposed to be strong and fit,” she said.

How it all began

While Fonda’s workout videos were embraced by people keen to improve their fitness, there was a political reason behind the production of the first.

Fonda was, at the time, married to political activist Tom Hayden, who later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate. 

They were trying to find ways to make money outside of Fonda’s acting career to fund a political action committee and establish chapters across the state.

Fonda had started attending an early type of aerobics class in Beverly Hills and enjoyed it so much, she opened her own studio and taught classes.

Then someone approached her about making a video.

Fonda initially said no because she thought it might cheapen her acting career, but she was eventually talked into it.

According to Hayes, Fonda turned out to be a gifted teacher.

“She could explain the movements that you needed to make and why you were doing them and what muscles were affected,” he said.

“Anyone who’s taken a group fitness class, whether yoga or aerobics or other kinds of group fitness, you know when you have a good teacher. 

“Her videos were also kind of revolutionary in that they were very diverse. 

“The people in her videotapes, there were men and women, people of colour. It was a very mixed group, and I think that in itself was revolutionary too.”

Videos still relevant today

Hayes said Fonda’s workout videos were “very solid, very sensible, very well-structured, and she had done her research”.

“She incorporated using music and dance, which was part of her own background. She was trained in ballet,” he said.

“So it’s natural for her, I think, to bring in music and dance into her aerobic workouts.”

He said the videos had not dated — but that perhaps does not apply to the fitness wear at the time (think brightly coloured leotards, tights and leg warmers. It was, after all, the 80s).

Now aged 88, Fonda said her fitness routine had remained the same over the years, but she worked at a different pace.

She told People magazine earlier this year: “I essentially do everything I used to do, just slower.”

Fonda also is keeping up with the times in the exercise industry, having worked with a virtual reality fitness platform to produce four classes.

“We really bridged the past and future of fitness with this series. Aside from the technology, it felt as if no time had passed,” she told People.