Lafayette Journal & Courier

Raising the bar

West Lafayette man, at 68, pumps iron, trains others to sculpt physique

By KEVIN CULLEN
October 31, 2006

Barry Newton owns Lafayette's Newtone Health & Fitness. He knows lots of weightlifters, swimmers and runners.

But he's never seen a 68-year-old quite like Sidney Pellissier of West Lafayette. The retired Purdue University French professor is a certified personal trainer who also teaches Body Pump, Pilates and yoga.

"He just has an amazing physique," Newton says. "In Body Pump classes, few 30-year-olds can do what he does. He looks like a body builder, with arms the size of a horse. He shows people what's possible when they commit themselves."

Pellissier modestly says he enjoys being fit and helping others get there.

"This is a neat transition for me. It's an extension of my teaching," he says with a smile after completing a 55-minute Body Pump class that combines music, weightlifting, pushups and platform work.

The students range in age from about 20 to 60. Some are fit; some have a long way to go.

Wearing a red baseball cap, gym trunks and sleeveless shirt, Pellissier lifts 58 pounds while leading a five-minute squat routine, then shifts to lunges and bench presses. As "Simply Irresistible" plays, he yells, "Pump it! ... Come on! ... Whoo! ... You can do it!"

He started working out when he was in his 30s to slim down and avoid the diabetes and heart attacks that plagued his family. As retirement neared, he earned the certifications he needed to teach.

He joined Newton's staff three years ago, teaches Pilates at Purdue and is a substitute yoga teacher at SIA. He also teaches yoga at McCutcheon High School.

"He's incredible. I can't keep up with him," says Yolanda Reyes, 43, of Lafayette, a Body Pump student. "The first time I saw him, I thought, 'He can't possibly be the teacher.' I expected some buff little 30-year-old guy or girl."

Pellissier, she says, is a great role model and a knowledgeable, encouraging teacher.

"If you saw him from behind, you'd never know that was the body of a man his age," Reyes says.

Pellissier works out from seven to 10 hours a week. He says it lowers blood pressure, energizes, "and clears my head like crazy. It clears my vision, too. When I play (piano) I can see the notes more clearly.

"Some people think they don't have the time to do it," he says, "but I say you more than get back what you give in increased efficiency and how you perform everything."

Lafayette's Hilary McDaniel-Douglas is a Body Pump student and friend.

"It's just another phase for
Sidney," she says. "He excels at all he does ... It's great to see him reinvent himself."

Bobby Lee, 54, of Rossville calls Pellissier an "awesome instructor, with a lot of good advice on diet and exercise. He can use a lot of weight effortlessly -- a lot more than I can use."