I’m not entirely sure, but most guys I see competing under 175 aren’t all that close to 6 feet tall. I’d argue most under 231 guys are just under or right at 6 feet.
Sure height is an advantage, but it’s also weight. You can only put on so much lean mass before you max out the weight class, and if you’re shorter, you can put on more lean mass and make weight. Just the height alone of 71” is a lot of weight, so I would imagine he can’t carry too much lean mass unless he just has a narrow frame
His strategy seems to be to stay absolutely peeled so all 175lbs of him is muscle and bones 
I’ve competed as a middleweight as well. I have moved my weight up at times, but a) it’s really hard for me to hold onto a lot more weight, and b) injuries, setbacks, and most recently a global pandemic have kept me from making that jump more permanent over the last few years.
I do indeed intend to add considerable bodyweight if I don’t qualify for the OSG.
Meanwhile, I set the new axle deadlift record for Texas LW this weekend. So that was cool.
Congrats on the record!
I have the opposite problem, it is a lot of work and effort for me not to just put on a ton of weight and go to HW. I have had a handful of injuries… but I didn’t lose any weight haha, just muscle and strength.
I think you could become an insanely good U90 guy as well.
I train with a U90 guy (who was also a U80 for awhile) who is stupidly good. I was stronger than him for a long time, but he’s definitely passed me on most lifts now. He’s in the low 300’s on log and axle pressing, approaching 700 lbs deadlift, and he’s much faster than me. He actually owns the gym I train at. I’m hoping to start giving him a run for his money in shows again soon. He’s actually never beaten me in one before, and I’d like to keep my perfect record.
Thanks for posting this! I’m not on social media at all so I hadn’t seen this. That’s awesome, that’s a lot of time to get this done.
When it popped up on my feed I thought about ya. I was thinking it may give you some more time. Good luck!
I’ll be making an attempt for masters 40+. I have no idea what the sandbag will be for me, but deadlift is gonna be trash (because my deadlift is always trash), and log will be probably mid 200’s.
Don’t think I’ll be competitive to actually get in, but I’ll be doing it either way.
