I'm having a great day, I get to the gym and for once it's not packed due to all the new Year's resolutions crowd that get in my way and slow me down. Today I decide it's my heavy day and I go heavy on the bench, I don't have a spotter so I keep the reps low 1-3. After completing a 405LBS bench, I come up for air. These two young twenty something girls come up to me and start with the small talk. WOW, your pretty strong, how much weight was that , how long did it take you to get to that weight, do you train often etc.... Then one asks how old are you? I tell her 42, her repsonse, your really strong for a middle aged guy!!!!! I think WTF? middle aged...... that took the wind out of my sails, ruined my day. I don't feel old or look old, granted my hair has thinned a bit but middle aged, come on. Fast forward my wife comes home from work, she can tell I'm down, I tell her the story and of course she laughs and says don't worry about it, but still I don't feel much better. When do you guys think middle age starts? I still feel like a kid, despite having two of my own. Jim
men live to be about 80, you are 42, sounds 'middle-aged' mathematically. I'm 57, that's 'old'.............
Next thing you know, you'll hit a mid-life crisis and buy a fast car. Oh, wait. When I was 21 I had a friend that was almost 30. I remember feeling bad for him because that seemed so old. Now I'm 43.
405# I would blow out my rectum and still wouldn't have moved it!!!! I don't lift weights, they are too heavy. I did get on the treadmill the other day for about an hour but I had to get off because the bearing started squealing on my right skate. I hope you feel better now!
Look kid, If you want to feel young again, go help out at an old folks home for a day. When you get home, you'll be feeling very young and grateful. One other tip. Dont EVER take a sleeping pill and a laxitive at the same time. On a side note. You still look pretty young in your avatar. Mike Barnard
Yeah, you'd find out what's up real quick if you were single though. My ex-wife and my girlfriend before that were at least 10 years younger than me and I can't even bench 250!
Man your doing pretty good, I bench a little over 300 and I am 28. Started lifting again last june but its tough I have a bone spur in each elbow. Big thumbs up to you Jim
You're only as old as you feel. I'm 43, and in the best shape of my life. I don't feel middle aged at all, but the growing forehead and graying hair tells otherwise.
That's something that gets me. I've got friends that're 10-15 years younger and they've got grey hair and at 48 this year the only thing going grey is my moustache. And I still don't have a receding hairline. If I dressed a little more like the kids and got rid of the glasses I could probibly get someone younger but it really doesn't matter much to me these days.
1-I really don't think that I would give serious consideration to what ANY young 20 year old says, especially of the female persuasion. 2-It sounds like you are in good shape, can kick some a$$, have a great wife, 2 kids and one of the baddest musclecars ever made. What more do you want in life ? 3-You shouldn't be talking to girls half your age at the gym anyway, you should be working out, old man I know plenty of people that act twice their age and some who act half of it. Act appropriately!
You guys make me laugh. A couple years ago I was at a kinda upscale bigbox checkout, feeling pretty good about myself, had gotten a lot done earlier, I was clean, in relatively good shape and buying new shirts and shoes. You could say I was feeling good about my genetic good luck. Well I smiled at the similarly fortunate young woman keying me up. She SMILED back like she meant it ... not like a trained seal, and then said, " It's Wednesday, you're probably not old enough, but if you happen to have an AARP card or some other ID, you could get a senior discount today. " I think I laughed ...... and then mumbled something about my daughter recommending the place and "Yea I'll have to apply for one - Thanks." In the parking lot, the rear view mirror didn't show any gray on my head but on the other hand the beard would look good on Santa. Middle age? I remember the days.
You should join a dating site for more perspective,seriously there are 30yr olds that look 60 and vise versa. Its all over the place. Getting a reply from someone your own age-in my case 43-and they look like what you thought a fat aunt looked like when you were 12...
I am a maintenance director in a nursing home for my day job. I feel young every day even though I am coming up quick on 56. Can I lift 400 lbs? Hell no, but I do manage to lift 210 lbs out of bed every morning. If I wanted to lift something that heavy I will break out the engine hoist. I still get people swearing I am not that old and have to show them my driver's license to prove it.
I'm 43 too and consider myself middle age. So what? I always thought 40s and 50s are middle age. The guys and gals starting their new career at work right out of college look like "kids." Seeing fellow coworkers after not being around them for 10-15 years really puts time in perspective. Age is simply various stages of life. Every stage has unique, great things about it. Simply enjoy every day likes it's your last, live in the moment and appreciate all your blessings. This is what really matters.
