Bodybuilding over 60: Age is just a number

Age: 61

Family: Single

Occupation: High School Choral Music Teacher and part-time church musician

Current Residence: Havertown, PA

Years training (total): 35

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 155 (off-season), 140 (contest)

Favorite Bodybuilding Meal: Grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, veggies

What would you recommend to someone who has never used Beverly supplements before? Use UMP (especially chocolate or strawberry), Quadracarn, EFA Gold, Creatine Select – all are quality supplements

Books I read: Anything about US history and biography

Hobbies outside of bodybuilding: Playing classical music on the organ, piano, or harpsichord

Music preferences: Anything classical, especially Bach or Beethoven

Words to work out by: “Never, ever give up”; “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

I never thought I would become a bodybuilder or, for that matter, an athlete. Growing up in Western Massachusetts in a very rural setting with few kids my age around, I never had the opportunity to play sports. Instead, music was a big part of my family’s activities, and I began piano lessons. I enjoyed them and would practice for hours. In high school, I began organ lessons in addition to piano lessons. I excelled at both, and a music career seemed to be my path. Unfortunately, I led a very sedentary lifestyle, and as I entered college, I was overweight and inactive. By the time I reached graduate school, my weight had ballooned up to 232 lbs., which was way too much for my 5’8’ frame. Then in my second year of graduate school, I learned I had high blood pressure. Also, my mother, after a 5-year battle with cancer, died. This was the turning point for me. It seems we all need to hit a low point before we turn our lives around, and I’d reached my lowest point.

So, I began to think about what I was eating and my activity level. I was frequenting fast-food restaurants 4 or 5 times a week and rarely did any exercise. I slowly began to change my diet and incorporate more healthy foods, less sugary snacks, and high-carb meals. I also started to run. In the beginning, this meant a run/walk of a 1/2 mile. I built this up until I was running 2 miles without stopping and had lost 50 lbs. I joined the local YMCA in graduate school and ran on the indoor track. Finally, after nine months, I got my weight down to an acceptable 148lbs. At this point, I began using the circuit training machines at the Y and began to build muscle. I kept up this routine for 15 years – lots of running and weightlifting using machines.

By the late 1990s, I was living in a suburb of Detroit and was regularly using the local gym. I also joined a running club and began training for a marathon. In 2000, at age 41, I ran my first marathon in Detroit called the Detroit Free Press Marathon. It was a stunning route as we ran over the bridge into Canada and then under the Detroit river through the tunnel and back to the US side. I completed the race in 4 hours and 2 minutes, which was right on target as I set a goal of 4hours. My next goal was to learn how to use free weights and train more seriously. I hired a trainer at my gym, learned to love lifting, made great progress, and I became hooked!

In 2005, I had moved to Philadelphia and was in a different gym with a new trainer when one day he asked me if I was interested in competing in a bodybuilding contest. I had no idea what a bodybuilding contest was, but I said I would give it a try. I prepped for six months and then did a 14-week cut and competed in the OCB Charm City Classic in Baltimore. At age 46, I came in 3rd in the Men’s Masters class, and I was overjoyed.

I’m Introduced to UMP

I had been using protein powders which did not taste very good and had an adverse effect on my stomach. Then a friend introduced me to Beverly International supplements. The very first thing I noticed about
Beverly’s UMP protein was the taste. The chocolate flavor was so good, and there were no bad gastric effects. I tried the vanilla and then the strawberry when it was introduced into their line of products. To this day, chocolate and strawberry remain tied as my favorites!

By 2010, I had competed in about 25 shows and had done well as an amateur. At this time, I found a new coach and trainer, Joe Franco, from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I had a dream, which I shared
with him, that I would like to become a pro-all-natural bodybuilder someday. He listened and based my training and diet on this goal. I also incorporated more Beverly products into my diet, including Lean Out, 7-Keto MuscLean, and Quadracarn. Finally, in October of 2012, at the age of 53, I won my Masters bodybuilding pro card at the same show where I competed for the first time, the Charm City Classic in Baltimore. I won the 50+ division with ten competitors and then went on to take first place in the master’s class. I was beyond happy and grateful. It seemed that this moment was the culmination of a very long journey beginning with me as an overweight child and ending with me becoming a pro bodybuilder. There were lots of emotions in that win!

Since turning pro, I have competed in many shows throughout the country in several different organizations. I have traveled to Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Tennessee, and up and down the Northeast
coast and mid-Atlantic. My love of the sport keeps me striving for improvements and gives a special focus to my life. I firmly believe that exercise and intense physical activity keeps a person feeling young. At age 59, I competed in an OCB November show (Battle of the Godz) in Providence, Rhode Island. I took 2nd place in the Men’s Pro Master Bodybuilding division. I felt great about this placing, and I can say that age is only a number, and it is never too late to begin something new. I can honestly say that at age 61, I am the strongest I have ever been in my life. I feel I still can make improvements as long as I train smart.

Recently I have been working with Nick Peterson, who designs my workout programs. We switch up the workouts every 3 or 4 months, so my body does not get too used to the same exercises and rep schemes.

Over the last 15 years, I have competed in approximately 70 shows and gained a lot of experience in the competition world. I have also become a judge for the OCB and have judged dozens of shows.
My future plans include competing again in 2021 as I turn 62. This July, I will promote an OCB show in Harrisburg, PA. I intend to keep myself active in the sport in as many ways as possible.

Every day I rely on Beverly supplements. I have been using these products for 15 years, and I see and feel the results. I take Beverly UMP and Creatine Select with me on vacation! I will find a gym, work out, and drink my Beverly shake. My Beverly supplements have even gone as far as Athens, Greece, with me.

Training

I train six days a week, taking one day off for complete rest and a mental break from the gym. Each workout includes a 10-minute cardio session. I will vary my cardio using one of the following machines: the elliptical, bike, rower, or HIIT on the treadmill.

Currently, I am training in 3-week cycles. I do full-body workouts each day during weeks 1 and 2. Week 3 consists of a 3-way body part split using heavier weights for 5x5 on the core exercises. I increase the weight in small increments for each new 3-week cycle and will follow this program for three months before switching it up. Although at first glance this program might look easy, be careful! It may make you very sore by the end of the week!

Bodybuilding over 60: Age is just a number

No Nonsense Magazine Vol. 24 #2

I’m Introduced to UMP

Year-Round Diet

Training