by Don Peterson
(Eden Prairie, MN USA)
I've recently turned 60 and my body seems to be telling me I'm over the hill with the various aches and pains.
I used to exercise with free weights, but stopped about 10 years ago when I injured my shoulder and have since lost about 20 pounds, almost all of it being muscle.
My wife says I'm skinny. I used to not be able to find pants that would fit over my thighs; now it looks like I buy baggy clothes. I've probably lost about 2 inches on each arm (15.5 down to 13.5 inches). I am currently 5"10" and about 170 pounds.
I don't have the time I like I used to when I worked out heavy six times per week at a gym, but I was probably also over-training and that probably caused my shoulder injury.
In carrying stuff around, I know I'm a lot weaker than I used to but most people wouldn't consider me weak. I used to do 6 reps with 345 lbs for a full squat, but now I wouldn't want to put that much weight on a bar and take it off the rack.
I'm hoping to regain (or even improve upon) the strength I used to have. I'm hoping to spend much less time than when I was lifting free weights and likely overtraining. Everything I've read of yours is pretty impressive and the strength you exhibit in the things you do is also amazing.
I've also been an insulin-dependent diabetic for almost 49+ years and I know being fit and strong can only help delay complications.
An orthopedic doctor saw me 2+ years ago said my left knee needs to be replaced when the pain gets too great. I'm hoping to be able to build the muscle up, so the lack of cartilage in my knee is no longer a limiting factor. I also want to improve my cardio, which has gotten worse since I stopped running 5 years ago due to my knee issue.