Incredible.
What I want you all to focus on, aside from how awesome the old guy was in the video, is that he apparently is in his 50’s (maybe 60’s, I can’t tell because the words are lost in his beard). I mean, he looks like he’s at least 72, but that’s not the point. He lifted that fridge overhead like a man should, much to the approval of his wife. And he didn’t need the tailgate down.
Wouldn’t it be nice to do that at 50 years old? I don’t know about any of you, but I’d like to still compete in weightlifting at that age. My friend, Lon Kilgore, started competing when he was 11 and still competes into his early 50’s. That’s awesome. If that’s gonna happen, then we need to address a few things.
The only person that has been on this site that is in danger of doing something spectacular as a world class athlete is Kendrick Farris. The rest of us lift because it is a glorified hobby. Some readers may do it because it helps them do their job as a law enforcement officer or military personnel, but for those of us that will compete in things that probably won’t get us killed, we are simply hobbyists.
We have goals and should train hard, but we need to be mindful of not completely breaking down in the process. Strength is incredibly important for longevity and overall health, so let’s not let our pursuit of it turn everything into an unhealthy endeavor. Keep in mind I’m not saying that Skinny Guy needs to have a pristine diet. No, that little bastard needs to eat everything so that we don’t have to call him Skinny Guy anymore. Eventually he won’t be skinny, and he’ll learn how to eat correctly for the maintenance of lean body mass, and we’ll have a delightfully productive human male among us.
But make sure you’re doing all of the little things correctly, like warming up properly, handling injuries and set backs correctly, and taking rest when you need it. And next time you make an AC Jump on your weight, remember Bill Starr’s old adage:
Patience + Persistence = Strength
A Request For Experienced Lifters
I’d like to ask any experienced lifters and competitors to share what they have learned they need to do in order to keep training, whether it be training for competition or maintenance, as well as anything they wish they would have done differently when they were younger. I shouldn’t have to say this, but “experienced lifter” would probably mean you’re at least in your thirties if you’ve been training consistently, and I’d like to hear from much older guys. I’m gonna send this link around to pull in some good feedback, and you should do the same.
Outstanding.
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There is a 70’s big guy that went to my old gym. His goal was to bench 450 and was knocking on its door last time I saw him. The joke was we were in competition with each other of who could hit 450 first, him with bench press or me with the deadlift.
With that aside he told me “the best advice I can give you if you want to lift heavy is take glucosamine for joint health”.
I recently started taking a supplement called “All Flex, by Allmax”. Its like glucosamine on steroids! I had been expereincing some slight pain in my left shoulder and elbow when doing cleans and this stuff cleared it up in about 2 weeks.
Do any of you 70s big guys use any supplements for joint care?
Here is another older geezer lifting. A 55 y/o Finnish lumberjack messing around with what looks like a fairly heavy piece of lumber (estimated to be 240kg by the man himself).
Well, I’m 47 and started lifting at 41 so I guess I qualify as an older lifter. I started because I quit smoking and got fat.
One thing led to another and I started competing in powerlifting. I’ve won a few master’s titles and even an open national title in 2009.
My best raw gym lifts are 175kg squat (386#), 130kg bench (286#) and 235kg deadlift (518#). I usually weigh around 94kg (207#).
In competition my best lifts are 200kg squat (441#), 140kg bench (309#) and 235kg deadlift (518#) at the same weight in the 100kg (220#) division.
I really enjoy being bigger (I spent most of my adult life at about 70kg (154#)) and stronger than most people and I hope to keep on lifting for a long, long time.
http://www.athletebio.com/isl1962m1
What an absolute badass.
I’m loving this blog, man. Tons of incredible and useful info. I’m new into this powerlifting thing, but I’m absolutely loving it so far.
I don’t quite fit the bill, but I talked to a 60 year old powerlifter over the weekend where he was competing and planned on attempting a 705 deadlift @ 220.
He was a multiple time IPF world champion and was the #2 deadlifter of all time at 220 (838 raw) and one thing that he was very adament about was to stay healthy even if it requires surgery because you will come back stronger. He basically said don’t be afraid of losing strength to get yourself to where your body works properly because in the long run that’s what is best for it.
I’m only 24, but with nearly 7 years of experience under my belt in powerlifting I’d say to take the time to learn to do the lifts correctly as a beginner because I did not and I paid for it in the future. You don’t want to be leading up to a national meet and have to completely re-work your squat form.
I want to be him.
I’m 44 and have been lifting seriously since I was 16. Competed in a few high school meets, winning a couple and actually winning best lifter in one (that one got my name in the paper). Best bench – 365, Best Squat – 505, Best Deadlift – 450, all raw, all drug free. Things I wish I new when I was younger, definitely the novice effect and how your body adapts to what ever you are doing. I stalled so many times when I was younger, just doing the same workouts over and over again, thinking if I just raised the intensity, I would break through plateaus. Also the value of rest and how you get stronger during rest, not from the workout itself.
On a side note, you definitely can improve even after long breaks in training when you are older. I set my best ever 2 mile run time, power clean, incline bench 2rm, and front squat 5 rm this week. I feel like I’m not getting older, I’m getting better, but I also have to be smarter in how I train.
I’m 41, but I only started doing proper squats and deadlifts a year ago. If I could go back in time and talk to younger me, I’d fix that above all things. My career as an infantryman would have been enhanced by better posterior-chain strength.
For now, glucosamine and chondroitin to keep the joints workin’ right. I’ve got an ancient, arthritic pug, and we take the same supplements. Hell, if it is good for the dog, it’ll be fine for me.
Yesterday I had to move quite a sizable L-shaped desk for an ex-girlfriend. Two other guys were supposed to show up and help. I got there a little early and didn’t want to wait for the skinny guys. I was able to maneuver the desk outside and stand it on one end. From there I got under it and did a sort of 1/4 overhead squat. In the overhead position I walked it 30 or 40 yards and slid it in the back of the truck.
I’d say the desk weighed at least 200lbs and everyone was impressed with my feat of strength. All I could do was grin.
It may have been easier to back the truck up, but that wouldn’t make a worthy video. That dude is carrying the stinkin’ refrigerator across the yard because he can. That’s a man right there.
Badasses all around. Great video, too. Wish I knew more older lifters.
Also, on an unrelated note; does anyone in Wichita Falls have a couch I could sleep on during the July 9-11 seminar at WFAC? I would be more than willing to pay for groceries and/or chop wood, carry water etc. I realize most people who visit 70sBig aren’t anywhere near WF, but I just thought I’d ask.
Yours in 70sbigness,
Jake
Ive been in the game for a number of years and from the age of 7 faced serious injury. A few things I have learned follow.
Never stop learning. The minute you think you know it all your done. every single person everywhere has something to teach you be it what not to do or something new to do.
Injuries. I am lucky in ways that I faced bad shit from an early age. It taught me to put a positive spin on injuries. They are not a set back but my next chance to get better and stronger and learn something. If you take injuries in the right mind you can and will come out the other end bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter for what you faced. If your training with any intensity its not if it is when.
I don’t know any high level athlete that is not injured 100% of the time. we always have something bothering us as a default of the training. Its just the truth. Accept and get secure in the fact that shit is going to ache and hurt if your pushing yourself enough and learn to manage it. Also love the fact that even injured we can still do a shit load more than the average person when they are 100% healthy.
maybe the largest thing I have learned that has added to my success of late as I age and get stronger. It’s to back the hell off. train less. Most of my injuries from the past with exception of the shit that had nothing to do with training like getting crushed by a truck was not from not training enough or not being strong enough it was from over doing it. The I always have one more set, one more rep, a few more lbs attitude. Learn to go balls out and train like a gorilla hyped up on PCP and crack but at the same time Know when to walk away. Most elite athletes I have found in myself and clients can actually benefit most from being made to throttle back. We have a tendency to over do it.
When you decided to take a lift, a set, a rep an activity DO it. Dont half assing it, commit 100% no doubts, and DO IT give it your all from a 50% load to a 100% load treat them all with the same respect. Ive seen more injuries in sports, lifting etc from people going for a lift or a tackle etc not 100% serious taking the lift or activity light. then they get fucked up. Practice perfection and confidence. If yiou have doubts likely your going to miss, if on the other hand you know nothing but making it, and come in to even a 110% effort with nothign in your mind but success most likely you will make it.
if your walking to a new squat PR afraid and doubting step the fuck back get your head right as your just going to hurt yourself or instill more doubt. Step back get your head right and come back to the lift confident and fired up. if you cant get in that mind set have the maturity to back off or just leave and come to fight another day, or stop being a pussy. Walking away by they way, if your a balls out guy, one that knows how to give it ALL, is not being a pussy its being smart.
last. this shit isnt rocket science. There is a TON to learn and always more but at the same time its basic and primal. keep it simple stupid dont overwhelm yourself all the time. choose your battles. Practice perfection in the gym and risk injury the most when it matters. on the platform.
You got to walk that razors edge and that take as time to learn.
Last learn to have fun each and every training day and every day for that matter. This shit should be a blast. If your not having fun each and every day in the gym find some other shit to do, another sport etc,.
Wow Great post. As always, thank you for your insight, Phil.
-Derek Says:
-June 30th, 2010 at 1:46 am
-Do any of you 70s big guys use any supplements for joint care?
My father is a veterinarian, so I get free Cosequin (same as glcosamine, except there’s a dog on the bottle) and take it everyday. Like him I have pretty bad tendonitis in my knees from playing too much basketball and it helps tremendously. I’m sure my wrists / elbows would be having problems without it. I highly recommend it.
Jack Squat-
Thats a sweet video, the high school by my parents house has a bunch of telephone poles cut into different lengths sitting out on the football field, and its pretty fun to go play around with them…anyway, nice find
Thanks to all the more seasoned men for the great advice
BTW, I don’t think I’ve carried a refrigerator that far by myself, but I play bass in a punk band and my bass cabinet is a 400W Fender PA cab that is the size of that fridge. The other guys in the band just hate it when it’s time to set up for a gig. Many a time I’ve carried that sucker to and from gigs by myself, up and down hundreds of stairs. I hate doing it but I love being able to.
Off topic sorry but wanted some feedback…I recently went through the crossfit burnout and have switched around to a strength based training following the Starr programming and other metcon stuff I can’t help but do on off days. I’ve been thinking about entering an olympic lifting meeting sometime next year. In theory should that give me enough training time to not look like a complete clown?
I’ve gotten several people ready for a meet in six weeks. Don’t be scared, the water’s fine.
–Justin
Getting over the fear of looking like a clown is one of the biggest reasons to go.
I really want to try this but my instincts tell me not to… yet. Props to the man in the video. Cool post.
He lifts fridges about as well as Kobe jumps over speeding Aston Martins. I smell a Youtube fake.
Potentially, but it takes the fun out of it. LAY OFF THE OLD MAN!
–Justin
That old man knows how to pick up a fridge; this guy knows how to pick up chicks: