Below is a video that I came across on Facebook last week (see here). What you’ll see within is an 84 year old man repping out chin-ups like a champ. I had not seen the video on Youtube until today and thought it was worthy of a share.

If you haven’t seen it yet, it will take just a minute to rid yourself of any age-related training excuse. This elderly man is more capable on a pull-up bar than the majority of our population. Just watching him makes me want to knock off a few sets.

Enjoy!

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Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Below is an inspiring video of a 71 year old man with the strength and athleticism to trump many half his age.

Those familiar with this blog may recognize this individual from a previous entry in 2010. It is great to see that he has obviously continued to train hard with no apparent signs of slowing down.

Additional videos from him can be found within the following Youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/FritsMB/videos

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I’m pissed off for greatness. Because if you ain’t pissed off for greatness, that means you’re OK with being mediocre. – Ray Lewis

Below are two videos of a 60 year old man who clearly illustrates that age is just a number. His strength and athleticism would be impressive at any age. The fact that he’s 60 years old makes his work beyond incredible.

Don’t let age define who you are or what you can do. Regardless of age, we all have the ability to defy the odds and attempt what many consider to be impossible.

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In order to attain the impossible one must attempt the absurd. – Miguel de Cervantes

Below is a video of 86 year old Johanna Quaas performing a gymnastic routine in Germany.

A related article with additional footage can also be found at the link below:

Super Gran: World’s Oldest Gymnast

I’m not easily impressed but Johanna’s ability is absolutely incredible. When I first saw a video of her online, I questioned whether it was real. Fortunately, she is in fact legit. This 86 year old woman is more capable than most men and women a fraction of her age.

She is a true testament to the body’s remarkable ability to retain functionality when treated properly throughout life.

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The impossible is often the untried. – Jim Goodwin

Below is a video of a 64 year old man who is more physically capable than most people half his age.

As he works through a series of exercises, you will see that he does not need fancy equipment to showcase his strength. Such a display not only highlights the body’s ability to maintain strength, but also that one can do very well with minimal tools.

I have seen plenty of young athletes and trainers with access to much more equipment who cannot perform a fraction of what this man does with ease.

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Age to me means nothing. I can’t get old; I’m working. I was old when I was twenty-one and out of work. As long as you’re working, you stay young. When I’m in front of an audience, all that love and vitality sweeps over me and I forget my age. – George Burns

Below is a video of a man doing 60 rollouts on his 60th birthday. And while I’ve already seen a few Youtube comments questioning the man’s form, there is no denying that rolling the wheel out continuously for five minutes from the standing position requires a tremendous amount of strength and endurance. This man is capable of more at age 60 than plenty of men half his age.

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For those interested in progressing from a kneeling to standing rollout, take a look at the link below for one useful option:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vfTLXQUZeI

Below is a video of Dr. William Bell pole vaulting at the ripe age of 90 years old. His ability to run and vault at such an age is beyond incredible.

If there was ever a case to be made for continued movement over the years, Dr. Bell is as good an example as any. He’s currently the world record holder for the pole vault in his age group. Surely, he doesn’t have many competitors but that isn’t his fault. In my eyes, it only makes his accomplishments even more impressive. Dr. Bell has clearly lived a healthy life as his body and mind continue to perform with the ability of one much younger in age.

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Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. – Samuel Ullman

Following yesterday’s entry, I received several emails about female gymnast Oksana Chusovitina. Up until last night, I had never heard of her, as I don’t follow the sport of gymnastics. It didn’t take long however to realize that she is quite similar to Bulgaria’s Jordan Jovtchev. Like Jovtchev, Oksana is also competing in her 6th Olympic games. The 37 year old mother enters the games as a viable contender for a medal.

At 37, gymnast Chusovitina still a medal contender

A brief highlight of her can be seen below.

A documentary about Oksana (from 2011) can be found next.

Lastly, a related article about Jordan Jovtchev and Oksana Chusovitna can be seen at the following link.

Failing to Act Their Age, Two Gymnasts Break the Mold

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Conventional wisdom is no wisdom at all.  Conventional wisdom is taking somebody else’s word for the way things are… It’s the followers of this world who rely on assumption.  Not the leaders. – Richard Marcinko

I’ll start today’s entry with a trivia question. What do the following years have in common?

1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012

Sure, they are all years that the Olympic games took place, but they are also years that Jordan Jovtchev has competed as an Olympian. This 39 year old husband, father, and coach is currently competing in his 6th straight Olympic games. On Saturday, he qualified for the rings finals.

His qualifying performance can be seen below.

As for his motivations, one is to keep gymnastics alive in his country. Jovtchev is the president of Bulgarian’s gymnastics federation. In his own words,

“If we didn’t have a male going to the Olympics, it would’ve been tough for the Bulgarian gymnastics federation to survive.”

In other words, Jovtchev is the Bulgarian Olympic team. He’s doing all that he can to ensure the sport’s survival and future growth in Bulgaria.This means competing at an almost unheard of age for world class gymnasts. It also means competing with nagging injuries that would have sidelined many others. He’s currently dealing with a partially torn bicep and a partially broken wrist.

More about this incredibly inspiring man can be seen below. The video is well worth a look…

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We are always the same age inside. – Gertrude Stein

Below is one of the best videos I’ve come across on Youtube. Take a look as 71 year old Stephen Jepson shares several unique ways to delay the aging process. He’s essentially built a homemade playground to improve balance, stability, and coordination.

Regardless of your age, you can surely find a few useful and enjoyable ideas to add to your regular routine.

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We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. – George Bernard Shaw