Iraq Veteran Wins Bodybuilding Competition
BY Herschel Smith
13 years, 11 months ago
In my younger years I competed on the power lifting team at the college level (squat, bench and dead lift). I still lift, but haven’t been able to keep that trim form I had when I was twenty. I can’t imagine why. Really.
So my gym and workout buddy Jim competed in the Mid-Atlantic Classic bodybuilding championship recently, and he is the one on the left part of the photograph (or facing us, the one on the right).
More photos at NCMuscle.com. Jim turns 60 years old in a couple of weeks. That’s right. Sixty. That’s six followed by a zero. No, I don’t quite look like my buddy Jim.
Jim competed here (in this specific division) with guys less than half his age. He placed second. Jim and I both decided that we were glad that he didn’t win.
Here is the extremely fit Jim again.
Here is the thing. Look at the guy in the middle, who placed first. Take careful note of his right deltoid. It isn’t there. It was shot off during a combat tour in Iraq. Let’s see. Combat tour serving country. Get right deltoid shot off. Continue bodybuilding. Win competitions.
So here is the Iraq veteran on the left.
What have you done lately?
On October 22, 2010 at 9:58 pm, PenGun said:
I’m 64, I’ve been lifting since I was 56. I’m not competition for those guys and I don’t pose but it’s nice to be strong and resilient. As men lose about one pound of muscle a year starting at around 50 you really have no choice unless you want to be weak. I can’t help getting old but I do not have to get old and feeble. I’m about 5 – 10 lbs off my peak, so holding pretty steady.
On October 26, 2010 at 1:12 pm, Warbucks said:
I’ve “worked out” five days a week staying “fit” just in case I’m ever needed again. All I’ve event achieved in the past 50 years since leaving active duty, is to move the weight around from upper body to lower body. Go figure.
On January 18, 2014 at 2:40 pm, Ted said:
What I’ve done lately is being humiliated for having a disability and not being able to do bodybuilding.