Fred Glass is 72 years old, stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs only 151 pounds. But he routinely hoists barbells twice as heavy—300 pounds, or, on a good day, 400 pounds or more—into the air.
His calves are spindly, but on his small frame are muscles of steel: the backs of his thighs look armor-plated, his triceps are spectacular and when he flexes, the muscles encircling his chest and back are peerless. Younger and taller men may have bulkier muscles, but Glass' strength is world class.
Last year, Glass set an International Powerlifting Association world record for his weight and age, squatting 400 pounds and dead lifting 380 pounds in a competition at the York Barbell Co. in York. In 1990, Glass was named best power lifter in the world at the World Powerlifting Congress Masters Championship in Italy. He's been competing for 35 years and has a wall of 200 trophies, including 16 world championships, in his garage to show for it.
To squat lift, he'll stoop to put his shoulders beneath a barbell, a long steel bar with several 45-pound round weight plates at each end, resting on a metal frame. As he slowly stands up, his face contorted with exertion, the barbell rises, too. Then, he squats to a seated position and comes up again.
To dead lift, Glass reaches down to grab a barbell resting on the floor. With a mighty effort, the laws of gravity are suspended and he pulls it upward for a brief moment. When he releases,
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heavy metal crashes down and Glass exhales. The back of his T-shirt says "Pain is temporary, pride is forever."
via The strongest 72-year-old you'll ever meet - Evening Sun.
I found no picture of Mr. Glass, but I did find another 72 year old weight lifter (left), Ralph Ryan.
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