He will never reach this state again, i'd be depressed too if i couldnt return to former glory!
Falcon is 300+ pounds these days.
I didn't pay him much attention, but I remember him doing the Mr. Getbig contest. I did not realize he was so fucking tall...what is he like 6'5"? If he's 300 in that bottom pic it has more to do with his height than being severely out of shape IMO.
I'm mid 40's, and I'm making progress lifting like a bitch, and just now starting to add cardio regularly. If my repaired bicep tendon holds up, and I hit my goal at the end of this 12 week phase (started on 4/7), I will have gained over 17lbs of muscle back, and lost at least 30lbs of fat since Dec. 29th....I say at least, bcuz it took me til the 12th of Jan. to work up the nerve to get my bf% tested....or more aptly put endure the shame
,and I lost about 7 lbs during that time so who knows what I was when I started?
Keep in mind, I was so terrified to start again that I started with 5 and 10lb dbells ON EVERYTHING for the first two weeks, and I only did 2 weight workouts and 2 cardio sessions from 2-9 thru 3-10.....and 1 of each of those were done the same day. I also ate like complete shit starting the weekend before during the Super Bowl.
Today, I met a brother who was doing deads a few feet away from the cable station I was on. He was talking to a young bigger black dude each time I noticed in between supersets w/low pec dips. I noticed him, because of two things. I thought he was holding up the big guy from doing his deadlifts, which at the time there was 315 on the bar. The other reason was he had on a Vietnam Vet hat, and seemed like he could barely walk or was in great pain. As I was finishing up, I noticed the big dude was gone, and I see the old man who can "barely walk" going to grab another 45lb plate. We don't have bar jacks at the gym I go to, so I look over and noticed one side is rolled up onto a 10 lb plate to allow loading......that's an old school trick
, and suddenly it clicked that HE was the one deadlifting and the other guy had been talking to him and slowing him down.
A really long story could go with all of this, but we talked three times for about 15 minutes each. Very cool dude, and very candid and interesting conversation.....even political. When I went to leave I noticed he was still doing deads, and thought "what the hell; I'll go say goodbye, and find out when he usually trains." He tells me that I inspired him to do 455 today, and he was only going up to 405 before we talked the first time. I don't really know what I said that inspired him other than complimenting him, but I just looked at him funny, laughed, and said "Ronnie, you gotta be fucking kidding me. You're 72, a Vet, black and don't believe in reparations, and can barely walk but your deadlifting what I did for my heavy rep sets in my 20's and early 30's. I'm just getting started again, and I'm inspired just seeing you go at it!"
He gave me a funny look, and asked what I meant? I said "I noticed you're like taking little steps when you walk, I didn't mean to offend you.....did you have some bad injury or something? I've just never seen anyone walk that slow, and then lift that kind of weight....you're an animal dude" He looks at me, and says "no brother, I'm fine. Even when I was young my dad used to say "boy what the hellz wrong with you walking like that?".. I guess I never learned how to walk like John Wayne"
I was cracking up, and asked "didn't you watch Richard Pryor.....he taught every black guy how to walk in the 70's?", and he goes "yeah, but that dude's fucking crazy....I just take my time" LOL!
Only in a gym, and with two old school iron gym rats of different races have the conversation that we had. My workout wasn't that great, but my day sure was because of my new friend Ronnie!
