[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Both my father and my grand father were big strong guys. Both played football in college. I remember the first time I realized how strong my dad was: I saw him put a cargo strap around a refrigerator, put the loop over his forehead, hoist the fridge onto his back and proceeded to walk up two flights of steps… We used to arm wrestle on my birthday every year - I finally beat him when I was 23 (I probably could have beaten him earlier, but I was in prison for a few years before that). He was PISSED! LOL
My father, RIP, swore he was lean, mean, strong and jacked like a greek god in his younger years. No photo evidence supports this claim, but I like to think he was being truthful. The man I remember was short and stocky, and I can’t say I’ve ever seen him do anything remotely athletic or physical impressive. Still, I loved and admired him.
My son, 2 1/2 years old, is utterly amazed by how strong I am. I train out of my garage and as soon as he hears the tell-tale sound of the door opening he’s hot on my tail and grabbing his workout toys. The faces he makes when I do a big lift and the cheering he gives me are incredibly motivating.
3 weeks ago after chainsawing down a tree in my yard, I was whittling down the stump below ground level with an ax and a busting maul.
My 81 year dad says “If you would do some real work like build fence and feeding cows instead of lifting weights and swimming, I wouldn’t have to stand here in the heat so long waiting for you to finish.”
He still pushes rolls of hay (maybe 1000#) off a trailer at about 195# bodyweight, but never lifted weights.
My dad bought a gym when I was in college; went to work there over the summers. It’s how both he & I got into lifting. He was about 220, but pretty soft. He got down to 210 or so and was looking pretty good.
My son, 2 1/2 years old, is utterly amazed by how strong I am. I train out of my garage and as soon as he hears the tell-tale sound of the door opening he’s hot on my tail and grabbing his workout toys. The faces he makes when I do a big lift and the cheering he gives me are incredibly motivating. [/quote]
Haha, that’s awesome. My 8 year old is working out with me now. He can do pull ups, push ups, curls and his clean and press is pretty solid. Deadlifts are a ways off though…I swear you could roll him down a hill when he bends over the way his back rounds.
I never thought about workout toys for my 2 year old (didn’t even know they made them). Going to pick some up for his birthday next month.
Nope. Never. He doesn’t understand the time and effort I put into it. While I was building the space for my home gym, he would come over and “suggest” where to put the cable outlet for the TV, what size couch I could fit in there and where to put the fridge. He just couldn’t believe I was building this space that was basically just for me and “wasting” it on something as silly as a gym. My brother, however, is starting to use it; he hasn’t fully drank the Kool-Aid, but he is sipping on it.
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Both my father and my grand father were big strong guys. Both played football in college. I remember the first time I realized how strong my dad was: I saw him put a cargo strap around a refrigerator, put the loop over his forehead, hoist the fridge onto his back and proceeded to walk up two flights of steps… We used to arm wrestle on my birthday every year - I finally beat him when I was 23 (I probably could have beaten him earlier, but I was in prison for a few years before that). He was PISSED! LOL
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Both my father and my grand father were big strong guys. Both played football in college. I remember the first time I realized how strong my dad was: I saw him put a cargo strap around a refrigerator, put the loop over his forehead, hoist the fridge onto his back and proceeded to walk up two flights of steps… We used to arm wrestle on my birthday every year - I finally beat him when I was 23 (I probably could have beaten him earlier, but I was in prison for a few years before that). He was PISSED! LOL
[/quote]
Wanna arm wrestle?[/quote]
I wouldn’t want to risk my undefeated record! LOL[/quote]
LOL Yeah I’ve beaten and matched people with 60-100lbs on me. No clue what it is as I doubt my technique is that good and I don’t want to be cocky and say strength. My wrists have been crapping on me the past several months though and are usually the first things to give, so I won’t claim an advantage.
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
Both my father and my grand father were big strong guys. Both played football in college. I remember the first time I realized how strong my dad was: I saw him put a cargo strap around a refrigerator, put the loop over his forehead, hoist the fridge onto his back and proceeded to walk up two flights of steps… We used to arm wrestle on my birthday every year - I finally beat him when I was 23 (I probably could have beaten him earlier, but I was in prison for a few years before that). He was PISSED! LOL
[/quote]
Wanna arm wrestle?[/quote]
I wouldn’t want to risk my undefeated record! LOL[/quote]
My father claims he used to lift back in the day. Not sure if I believe him. He once said he squatted 600 and benched 400 in his early 20’s. At around 190 pounds, and drug free that’s really pushing the limits of credulity.
Some of his other stories are straight up BS. He once claimed to have carried an 800 pound turbofan across the factory floor. So in conclusion, I really don’t know if my father was serious with any of these tales.
Nope, I don’t think bodybuilding caught on in 70’s Thailand. Nowadays, he just sits around watching the news, no interest in lifting weights or fitness whatsoever. My dad doesn’t care and my mom tease me about it. TBH, I’m the closes person in my whole family that remotely athletic.
Yup. My dad played for one of those no name feeder teams for the nfl after college, so he was a decent athlete. Also did some powerlifting when that shit the bed. According to him he has deadlifted 700, benched in the low 5’s. He doesn’t talk about it very much, but the one story I do remember is when one of his warm ups (i think 315) rolled out of his fingers and dropped on his chest.
My dad has always “gone to the gym” 3 days a week before work but never lifted and mostly just messed around on the machines and got a sweat going. As of two months ago, at 58 years old, he asked me to come over to his house and teach him how to squat, bench, and deadlift on the at-home weight set he stores in his basement. I did, but the only one he really seemed to gravitate towards was the squat, so now his thrice weekly workout consists solely of squats and some mobility movements I showed him how to do. Could be worse, I guess.
is that one of those machines that was supposed to jiggle the fat off? I was cleaning this old ladies house and found that and a box of vibrators last summer… I had nightmares for weeks
[quote]treco wrote:
3 weeks ago after chainsawing down a tree in my yard, I was whittling down the stump below ground level with an ax and a busting maul.
My 81 year dad says “If you would do some real work like build fence and feeding cows instead of lifting weights and swimming, I wouldn’t have to stand here in the heat so long waiting for you to finish.”
He still pushes rolls of hay (maybe 1000#) off a trailer at about 195# bodyweight, but never lifted weights.[/quote]
Ha! Sounds just like my dad. He’s 81 too.
My dad grew up on a farm but I’m a city boy. As I grew up dad would do things like buy 400lbs of soil and the truck would drop it off on our driveway then we’d spend a couple of hours shoveling it into a wheelbarrow and wheeling it around. I was 13 or 14 and hated it.
There were always jobs like that…a neighbor would pave his sidewalk and my dad would take the extra slabs off his hands and I was carrying them.
When i was 17 or 18 and started lifting then I got those same lines “Why you going to the stupid gym when we have all this shit to move?” So I’d help him but still go to the gym.
The thing I’m getting at is he’s too old for stuff like that now (he still goes for long bike rides) but I kind of miss it. Though now I’d have a beer after the work is done rather than Kool-Aid.
My dad never lifted, but always worked manual laboring jobs, so he his hands are twice the size of mine, and he can deadlift all sorts of strange objects. Old man’s strength is the correct term I believe.
He migrated to Australia when he was 19 by himself, and used to get to work by riding his push-bike until he could afford his first car about 2 years later. He is a little older now, but I remember at a young age my father used to have a pretty impressive physique.
[quote]Uncle Gabby wrote:
My dad lost both legs in Veitnam, but stayed around 240, without much of a gut. Never lifted, but built hundreds of yards stone walls around our properties, using some stones that weighed an estimated 1500+ pounds. Used nothing but his arms, a pry bar, and pieces of 4x4 for cribbing. I’ll try to remember to take a few pictures.
He’s 63, and I don’t know his stats but I’ve got 17 inch arms cold and they look girly next to his. He stills blitzes up and down the stairs on his arms a few times a day. [/quote]
I have to quote this because it’s so f’in amazing.
No, probably not. He was career military, infantry, platoon leader in the Korean Conflict, and was always very tall and lean.
The only time I ever saw him do anything in the gym was destroy a speed bag. You couldn’t see his hands move. They were a blur. He obviously had some boxing training but I never saw him fight. He was one of those very quiet and reserved people who had a look like they would kill you so fast you wouldn’t know what happened.