Anthony
was born in the small town of Westerly, Rhode Island. Because of his father's military service,
their family had moved seven times before Anthony was ten. Each move, which took them to bases across
the country from Hawaii to Connecticut, meant that Anthony had to make new
friends in a hurry. Despite a speech
impediment and a somewhat low attention span, he became pretty good at it,
gaining confidence and a sense of humor that would serve him well in life.
While
his father excelled at sports and set numerous high school athletic records,
Anthony wasn't much of an athlete. In
his high school physical fitness test, he barely managed fifteen push-ups, and
couldn't complete a single dip. He was a
decent student and had imagination and drive, but was often the last picked for
physical activities. And when he did try
to participate in high school football, he was more of a tackling dummy than a
true team member, sitting on the bench and tracking the stats for the actual
players. It was humbling and often
embarrassing.
At
the University of Rhode Island, Anthony took a class in weightlifting and
enjoyed it, thanks in part to his coach’s sense of humor. After graduation, he moved to Hollywood with
only $400 to his name. His dream was to
become an actor, but a talent agent made it clear that Anthony’s body and
physical health were impediments to his success. Working as a handy man,
gardener, waiter, and stand-up comedian, Anthony got by, but the long hours
made it difficult to spend time getting the body he wanted. Proper exercise and nutrition eluded him, but
he knew that if he was going to make it in showbiz, he needed to do something.
Fit
people were everywhere in Hollywood, and Anthony decided to emulate one of the
most obvious: Arnold
Schwarzenegger. He joined the World Gym
in Venice, California, where Arnold and other famous bodybuilders worked
out. Anthony took notes on their
workouts and nutrition programs. He
decided that their physiques were too big and bulky for his goals, and began
developing a fitness routine that focused on increasing his speed, flexibility
and balance. Over time, he assembled a
cardiovascular and resistance training approach based on the programs of
world-class tri-athletes.
Anthony’s
now-fit body affected every area of his life.
His mental clarity improved, and his renewed energy levels allowed him
to be more productive. With new
possibilities opening up, he explored activities like rock-climbing, inline
skating, yoga, and Pilates. He expanded
his fitness regimen to include circuit, cross, and interval training, weight
and resistance training, aerobic training, advanced stretching, yoga, and
kickboxing.
People
around Anthony began to take notice, blown away by his physical transformation. He continued to refine techniques for
maximizing his workouts, and started training co-workers and friends. This led to increasingly high-profile
introductions. Hollywood studio
executives sought Anthony out for his workout guidance, and after meeting
musician Tom Petty, Anthony used his newly developed system to help Petty get
into the best shape of his life. Soon,
his rock 'n roll friends were banging on Anthony's door and demanding his
expertise. Anthony realized that his
passion was to bring fitness to everyone who wanted it and was willing to
accept the challenge.
Anthony
rapidly built a successful personal training career. His acclaimed exercise techniques appeared in
Men’s Fitness Magazine and got him in front of the camera as the spokesperson
for Nordic Track. Celebrities and recording artists alike sought out his unique
fitness system and motivational abilities.
He realized that working with public figures brought high expectations,
and figured out quickly that the best approach was to try to motivate them
without letting them get frustrated.
Anthony
“Tony” Horton is the workout guru responsible for developing P90X, the most
popular home workout in history.
Succeeding where many other fitness infomercials failed, P90X earned
nearly half a billion dollars in its first seven years and spawned three
follow-up programs. In December 2010,
Horton published his first book, Bring It!
Tony
Horton’s method for motivation focuses on unbridled optimism, encouragement,
and understanding. When pursuing your
dreams and undertaking something new and difficult in life, Horton offers this
advice: “Do not say, ‘I can’t.’ You can say, 'I don’t want to.' You can say, 'I’m not willing to put forth
the effort.' But never, ‘I can’t!’ Just do your best and forget the rest!"
Until next week...
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