Wallen weighs 220 lbs and pulled this weight at age 60 at the Senior Games and he made it look somewhat easy! Old man tested, old man strong!

Hat tip: Ross Enamait

Tommy Kono is a legend in the weighlifting world. Born in 1930 in Sacramento, CA, Kono was the only lifter to set world records in four weightlifting classes. He was also a gold medalist in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics in Helsinki and Melbourne respectively. Tommy earned a silver medal four years later in Rome. He was world champion from 1953-1959, garnishing 21 world records along the way. He won three Pan-American Games championships during his illustrious career. In 1976, Kono was the US Olympic coach for the games in Montreal.

In addition to his highly successful Olympic weightlifting career, Kono also won the Mr. Universe bodybuilding competitions in 1957 and 1959.

His book, “Weightlifting, Olympic Style” is a bible of Olympic lifting.

Mr. Kono penned a piece titled “If I Had My Way”. It should be on the wall in every gym as it contains his philosophy on how things should be in the gym and it is based on respect and responsibility. It is reproduced here.

Read the rest of this entry

It is all about speed for wide receivers in the NFL and Donald Driver has that and much more which has helped propel him to being the Green Bay Packers most prolific pass receiver in the long and storied history of the franchise and one of the best, if not under-rated wideouts in the NFL.

Here is how a premier pass receiver trains, specifically, #80. The 40 Minute Workout.

On March 15, the offseason strength and conditioning program for the Green Bay Packers will begin with long-time assistant Mark Lovat taking the reigns as the S & C Coordinator, taking over from Dave Redding who was the Coodinator last season. Redding will remain as Lovat’s assistant in a reversal of roles. Head Coach Mike McCarthy said this was part of the plan when he brought in Redding in the offseason a year ago.

Lovat is in his 12th year and third stint with the Packers.

I have a fair number of posts involving athletes and training over the age of 40 so it makes good sense to add a new category to MFBB especially seeing how cut up former NFL star, 47 year old Herschel Walker looks in his MMA debut. Since this is a new category for this blog, Mr. Walker keeps the bar pretty high.

Read the rest of this entry

I could only dream of doing a 300 lb clean on a standard Olympic bar, let alone a 2″ axle. Here Sean Demarinis makes look almost within the realm of possibility.

Joe Rollino at 103rd birthday party-NYT photo

Famous Coney Island strongman, Joe Rollino died unexpectedly at 104, At that age, not too many people die unexpectedly but Joe was hit by a minivan in Brooklyn and died from his injuries. This confirms what I have already suspected; that minivans are detrimental to your health. To get to 104, Mighty Joe eschewed meat, cigarettes and booze, illustrating that life is full of trade-offs.

At 5′5″ and between 125 and 150 lbs at the height of his career he wasn’t the strongest guy around, but he sure might have been the strongest pound for pound.

RIP, Mighty Joe.

Hat Tip: Mike Covert

I have run across the article “Iron and the Soul” by Henry Rollins a couple of times, most recently today. Originally published in Details Magazine in 1994, it has appeared in various fitness sites and if you haven’t read it yet, it never gets old.

Henry Rollins, was the former front man for the 80’s Hermosa Beach, punk band, Black Flag and many projects and work since then. As a kid, Rollins suffered from low esteem and by 18 was filled with rage, something you have to have to lead a successful punk band! In the article, Rollins talks about his relationship with the Iron.

Read the article. I think you will enjoy it.

Read the rest of this entry

To bring in the new year, Sean Demarinis loaded up the yoke and went for a walk.

Many things change as we age, including how we train. Does that mean we have to make concessions to age? Not necessarily. “Dinosaur” Brooks Kubik shows us how to get strong and stay strong, regardless of age.

One of my favorite business and life books is “Thick Face, Black Heart” by Chin-Ning Chu. Another new favorite is the just-published, “Gray Hair, Black Iron” by “Dinosaur Training” author, Brooks Kubik. Kubik addresses the training issues of the older lifter; those over 40. Until now, I haven’t seen anyone write an entire book on the topic, but here it is and it is very good, even if you are not an “older” lifter. (Hopefully, you will be one day)!

Read the rest of this entry