Anna Benson

Amy Steppe

Amy Steppe

Cathlete
I had no idea that Anna Benson had died until last night.

She was only 59 years old. I figured with her health habits she would be around forever.

It really affected me because her Classics introduced me into the world of weight training. Meeting her on two road trips was interesting to say the least. She came across as a very eccentric person and was not the most personable person I've ever met.

However I know she was a pioneer in the world of video fitness and I hope her work lives on. There is no doubt that the Firm Classics are works of a genius. Anna poured her heart and soul into those workouts and it shows.

The Firm Classics and the Firm lovers whom I met on Firm Roadtrips were how I heard of and purchased my first Cathe video "Maximum Intensity Strength". Some fellow Firm roadtrippers were raving about Cathe.

So I have Anna to thank for indirectly leading me to Cathe. I doubt if I would have known about Cathe if if were not for Anna. If I had found Cathe it would have been a lot longer than the 10 plus years I've worked out with her. It scares me to think I might have stayed with the Firm as it is today. All the spirit of Anna was reduced to cheesy videos with poor equipment.

I found Tracie Long's Forum Notice about Anna's death to be very heartfelt and touching.

I am sorry if my post is redundant, but I am just shocked beyond belief. Again, I hope that her work lives on and she is appreciated for what she accomplished in the world of fitness from the mid to late eighties to early ninties.
 
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My first workout video... the Firm Vol. 1, back when it was first released. I was a Firm Believer until the company changed hands and I found Cathe's workouts instead.

Thanks for the info -- I didn't know. :(
 
Kathryn~ My first workout video was also The Firm Vol.1 back in 1986? I had all of the Firm vhs tapes until they changed hands and also found Cathe and then never looked back. But, I still have soft spot in my heart for all of those earlier Firm workouts.
 
TXGin said:
Kathryn~ My first workout video was also The Firm Vol.1 back in 1986? I had all of the Firm vhs tapes until they changed hands and also found Cathe and then never looked back. But, I still have soft spot in my heart for all of those earlier Firm workouts.
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Yes, it came out in 1986... and I had all of them on VHS, then replaced with DVD (the ones that I could). But when the "new" Firm appeared, I was so disappointed that I started looking... and found Cathe's workouts. I can't remember the last time I did a Firm video. I wonder if I would still find it challenging?
 
That is very sad news. I credit Anna's vision for The Firm for my exercise habits. Volume 1 was my intro to The Firm and eventually to Cathe. It's been 15 years, but I can still recall how sore I was from doing Vol. 1. I believe the first 6 volumes were some of their best products. At one time I had a book written by Anna that explained her philosophy behind the exercises. One thing that always stuck with me was her stressing that women also need to use weights.

May Anna rest in peace knowing the impact she has had on so many lives.

Lisa
 
I began with Vol 1. I was doing Kathy Smith, Jane Fonda and Charlene Prickett.

I rented Vol 1 from Blockbuster and after I saw and did the video, I bought it.

Remember how much a VHS cost back in 1986? $50! I used to do presales when Anna offered them.

But it was worth it. Sometimes I still do Vol. 3 and 6. I gave my brother the DVD of Vol 2 because it has always been his favorite workout DVD.

Anna died so young! And her dietary habits were clean. She still worked out. She was one of those people I thought would live to be 90!

You can still see her Fitprime videos (which are pretty darn good) at You Tube and she had the original Classics (except Vol 5) remastered and they are now on DVD. She even did some DVDs herself between 2002 and 2003. Her videos are interesting and for beginners.

I did not even know Anna had 2 sons during her marriage to Mark Henrickson. She never mentioned having children. One of her sons is taking over fitnessfavorites.com, so hopefully she won't be forgotten and he will carry on her legacy.

What is sad is the FIRM name went to such bad workouts and low quality equipment. I loved the Firm Classics and I also like some of the Fitprime workouts.

But the FIRM name is nothing like Anna could have envisioned when she came out with Vol 1.

Some very poor business decisions lead to the ultimate downfall of videos like the Firm Classics.

One DVD from Anna that I stongly recommend and is killer is Tough Tape with Tracie Long. It is taken from The Tortoise and the Hare -- all weights without the ballroom dance.

I am a pretty advanced exerciser and Tough Tape still brings me to my knees every time I do it. I honestly think it is hard as Cathe's Core Cardio Circuit, although the two workouts are totally different.

Tough Tape along with Cardio Core Circuit are the hardest workouts I've ever done. And both are less than one hour.

Tough Tape is well edited and I strongly recommend it for an advanced exerciser.

Here is a link to Anna's DVDs that have been remastered to DVD status. www.fitnessfavorites.com.

A few of the Forum posts are from Anna and the details of her life and legacy are there.
 
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Pearlstrand said:
Yes, it came out in 1986... and I had all of them on VHS, then replaced with DVD (the ones that I could). But when the "new" Firm appeared, I was so disappointed that I started looking... and found Cathe's workouts. I can't remember the last time I did a Firm video. I wonder if I would still find it challenging?
Click to expand...

Actually Vol 2 and 3 are pretty challenging. They are so different from Cathe's workouts.

But IMO they have stood the test of time.

When I met Anna she was not Ms. Personality. Her ego was huge and she was just peculiar.

It was like meeting The Stepford Wives.

I understand that she mellowed during the last years of her short life although she and Tracie Long were estranged when Anna died. Tracie did a post in her forum that says that although she and Anna had been estranged for the last 5 years, she will always credit Anna as being her mentor.
 
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I'm glad you posted this. I didn't know Anna had died either. My first exercise video was Jane Fonda, but honestly I never got serious until The Firm Volume 1. I have it on DVD and I still do it from time to time. I am really sorry to hear this.
 
I found some mention of Anna's death at this forum under the Check Ins and Challenges, but I could not find a post elsewhere, so I decided to begin this thread.

I figured there were others like me who were not aware of her premature death.

Her death has depressed me all week. Anna tried so hard to live a healthy lifestyle and it is like a cruel stoke of fate. Why her?

It just saddens me so much - mostly since Vol 1 was my serious beginning into the world of video fitness.

I am glad that her best work is now available on DVD.
 
Thank you Amy. I mean, it's very sad news but I appreciate your post and those that followed. Like you and others, her videos were a starting point for me. I still have a big pile of Firm workouts (all VCR). I don't really use them, but don't really want to part with them either. Nice memories. I hope your spirits lift soon. It's striking how close we can feel to people who have really touched our lives, even if we don't really "know" them in a one on one sort of way. It's still a loss. And loss is so hard.

Take Care, Lori
 
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