moonlitsonata
New member
Hey guys,
Just wanted to share a story, hopefully some of you will find it motivating. I had a tonsillectomy on Thursday so I had to spend a couple of days in hospital (plus 1 month off training, not cool.). Anyway, just when I arrive in the morning a guy comes in saying it seems like we're gonna be roommates.
He was a fairly little guy, maybe around 175 cm (5'9") and 70 kg (154 lbs). I guessed he was a couple of years younger than my dad, maybe around 40-45. He said he was an electrician here at the hospital, I told him I'm an engineering student so we started talking and somehow ended up talking about how it sucks to be out of training for weeks. He said: 'Tell me about it, I'm used to training 2,5 hours a day every day for 40 years, I don't know how I'm gonna handle it'. I frowned: '40 years? How old are you exactly?'. He was freaking 61 years old! Not a single grey hair, no wrinkles whatsoever and when we had to change to hospital gowns my jaw dropped. He was freaking ripped. He wasn't big at all, but he was so damn muscular I almost covered myself haha. And he told me I looked good and asked what I train, it was ridiculous. Still, I told him about bodyweight training and gymnastics and turned out he was doing the exact same thing, except for 40+ years! He does (weighted) calisthenics, lifts for lower body and does bench presses and he is an avid boxer as well.Plus he walks, runs or rides his bicycle everywhere, he hasn't used an elevator in decades!
Although his routine was pretty interesting (very high volume and frequency, for instance he does about 70+ reps of weighted decline push-ups as part of his warm up) it seemed to have worked out for him quite well. So I tried to suck in as much wisdom as possible in those two days but it always came down to these three things: eat clean, proper mobility and flexibility and form above everything else.
Now, I'm sure most of us already know this, but it was great seeing the results in person. He didn't know a thing about nutrition or reps and sets when he started, he just figured he should eat natural and clean food and always keep his form in check. He told me he feels great, never had joint problems (or any health concerns for that matter except for his nose polyp now) and he just loves being alive. It was really inspiring when he told me never to train for girls or looks because those are short term goals. He told me to train to be able to enjoy this beautiful life as much as possible, and to never forget that movement is the most amazing medicine. This guy was truly inspiring, I want to be this happy and strong when I get 61.
Just wanted to share a story, hopefully some of you will find it motivating. I had a tonsillectomy on Thursday so I had to spend a couple of days in hospital (plus 1 month off training, not cool.). Anyway, just when I arrive in the morning a guy comes in saying it seems like we're gonna be roommates.
He was a fairly little guy, maybe around 175 cm (5'9") and 70 kg (154 lbs). I guessed he was a couple of years younger than my dad, maybe around 40-45. He said he was an electrician here at the hospital, I told him I'm an engineering student so we started talking and somehow ended up talking about how it sucks to be out of training for weeks. He said: 'Tell me about it, I'm used to training 2,5 hours a day every day for 40 years, I don't know how I'm gonna handle it'. I frowned: '40 years? How old are you exactly?'. He was freaking 61 years old! Not a single grey hair, no wrinkles whatsoever and when we had to change to hospital gowns my jaw dropped. He was freaking ripped. He wasn't big at all, but he was so damn muscular I almost covered myself haha. And he told me I looked good and asked what I train, it was ridiculous. Still, I told him about bodyweight training and gymnastics and turned out he was doing the exact same thing, except for 40+ years! He does (weighted) calisthenics, lifts for lower body and does bench presses and he is an avid boxer as well.Plus he walks, runs or rides his bicycle everywhere, he hasn't used an elevator in decades!
Although his routine was pretty interesting (very high volume and frequency, for instance he does about 70+ reps of weighted decline push-ups as part of his warm up) it seemed to have worked out for him quite well. So I tried to suck in as much wisdom as possible in those two days but it always came down to these three things: eat clean, proper mobility and flexibility and form above everything else.
Now, I'm sure most of us already know this, but it was great seeing the results in person. He didn't know a thing about nutrition or reps and sets when he started, he just figured he should eat natural and clean food and always keep his form in check. He told me he feels great, never had joint problems (or any health concerns for that matter except for his nose polyp now) and he just loves being alive. It was really inspiring when he told me never to train for girls or looks because those are short term goals. He told me to train to be able to enjoy this beautiful life as much as possible, and to never forget that movement is the most amazing medicine. This guy was truly inspiring, I want to be this happy and strong when I get 61.
