Exercise science a lifelong passion of Abbot '62

Perhaps students can take inspiration from Abbott as Nassau Hall continues to encourage students to remember its unofficial motto of “Princeton in the Nation’s Service, and in the Service of All Nations” as well as to explore alternate career paths through its “Major Choices” initiative.

Abbott is the founder and current President of Fitness Institute International, the fulfillment of his desire to create a world-famous school for physicians to learn about exercise science. Exercise science studies how to maximize health and fitness.

“Coaches don’t always understand the science of exercise,” Abbott said. “They understand perfecting the sport but not the exercise.”

Recently, Abbott traveled to Beijing to train 25 physicians and 30 coaches from the Chinese Olympic teams in exercise science and personal training.

From his experiences training for optimal fitness in the Army, coupled with the solid study habits and critical thinking skills he developed at Princeton, he created the fitness programs used by NASA and several police and fire departments. A pioneer of personal training, Abbott developed a school where he could train others in fitness education. Physicians of all ages and backgrounds go through the program at Fitness Institute International.

“If the average physician doesn’t understand it, how can you expect the average American to?” Abbott said in regard to the importance of lifelong fitness.

Throughout his time at Princeton and later with the military, Abbott constantly challenged himself to explore new frontiers. At optimal fitness — both physical and mental — Abbott worked with the Special Forces units in training that included over 1,000 parachute jumps from over 30,000 feet.

Entering Princeton, Abbott believed he would pursue a career in medicine. After graduation, however, he decided to pursue additional military training.

“I never had the same kind of responsibility and challenge as I had in the military,” Abbott said.

Learning and working in the Army allowed for immediate practical application of the principles and skills he learned in the classroom. In the military, he could see the direct benefit of his training and continued to challenge himself.

Though he credits Princeton with helping him develop his abilities to express himself and think analytically, he was critical of Princeton’s lack of substantial programs and courses in health and fitness.

“To look at the long-term health and productivity of graduates, you have to set the stage for developing health and fitness,” Abbott said.

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Though he remarks that some have health without fitness, if they do not coexist, students’ general lifestyle suffers. He firmly believes that Princeton students, though active during their time at Princeton, should be required to take a course introducing them to the challenging area of exercise science.

“Too many students are athletes in school and think of themselves as being athletes when they come out,” Abbott said. “They need to think about how to plan for an active lifetime.”

Abbott has served as an expert witness in many trial cases in which death and injury have resulted from inadequate personal training instruction. He recognizes that the area of exercise science is an area of constant growth that is currently highly unregulated. Often at local gyms and fitness facilities, trainers are self-appointed and do not fully understand the science of exercise. Meanwhile, unhealthy and unfit lifestyles are more prevalent in America than in anywhere else in the world.

“This is the one point in history where [scholars] think that today’s generation will not outlive its parents,” Abbott said.

Bad eating habits and a lack of physical activity will do much to confirm the dire prediction. Through his constant exploration and contribution to the field of fitness physiology, Abbott urges Princeton students to partake in physical activity during and after their time here, maintaining an active lifestyle for years to come.

“Life really isn’t multiple choice, and that’s the beauty of Princeton,” Abbott said. “Dig deep in your own knowledge base to deal effectively with life. That’s something a lot of people don’t appreciate until they are out of Princeton for a while.”