I Worked Out With Richard Simmons And It Changed The Way I Look At Fitness Forever

Courtesy of author; Aaron Cobbett / Getty Images

Richard Simmons has received a lot of press lately—and none of it’s great. Most recently he made headlines for strange behavior signaling severe dehydration. Before that he had to make a public statement that, no, as a matter of fact he was not transitioning to a woman. And before that he shut down rumors that he was being held captive in his home.

Well, this is not the Richard Simmons I know—the flamboyant fitness legend who changed people’s lives. I’m a child of the eighties, when aerobics thrived and Simmons, who is now 68 years old, was the ruler. His wildly popular Sweatin’ to the Oldies line of videos was a staple in many American homes—including my own, where I’d prance alongside my mother to the animated and eccentric television personality. Sure, he caught a lot of guff in those days, too, but he always hiked up his tiny little shorts and laughed it off because what he was doing was showy, silly, and amazingly powerful.

That’s why, when a few years ago I was lucky enough to attend a class he taught at Slimmons, his gloriously named exercise studio in Beverly Hills, I was utterly giddy. I was in town with my best friend as part of an L.A. girls’ weekend, flying in from NYC. When I inquired about the class by leaving a message at the studio, Richard personally returned my call with a voicemail that sang-shouted, “Anne, I cannot wait to SWEAT WITH YOU!”

Simmons made a name for himself when he made working out accessible to everyone, no matter what they looked like in a leotard. And that sense of inclusivity is alive and well at his studio to this day.

A 75-minute class at Slimmons will set you back $12 and you’re asked to bring an exercise mat or beach towel. Reservations aren’t taken, and up to an hour prior to class, a handful of devoted fans gather around the lobby of the concrete squatty building waiting to sweat with the fitness legend. 

Regulars relax at a smattering of tables that look as if they’ve been there since the studio’s inception in 1974, while newbies peruse the VHS tapes and a T-shirt collection. Swept up in the frenzy, I bought a hot pink shirt, stamped with our hero’s face, proclaiming, “I Sweat With Richard Simmons.” By the time class was ready to start, 80-plus people of all shapes, sizes, and ages filed into the no-frills fitness studio—flanked with floor-to-ceiling mirrors and adorned with a disco ball spinning overhead. I felt like I’d stepped into my own surprise birthday party—a newbie giddy with excitement. A fit-looking young man named David tells me that Richard had helped him to lose over 150 pounds and keep it off.

When The Weight Saint (as he’s referred to on social media) enters the room—in his signature shorty shorts, sheer tights, and bedazzled neon tank top—he registers as petite, but larger than life; a god in spandex. It could have been Beyoncé and we were his hive. The entire lot of us begin to clap like a herd of possessed sea lions. Simmons reciprocates this love to his fans with hugs and tears.

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