The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
We explore thriving as an athlete after 40. Each episode, we’ll dive into tips, hacks, and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes and our personal experience. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong, and motivated
The Masters Athlete Survival Guide
Finding Strength and Community in Masters Athletics Beyond 40
What does it take to thrive as a masters athlete, especially when you're past 40? Join us in a lively conversation with our special guests, Marc and Dominic, also known as Gimli, who uncover the secrets behind a fulfilling athletic life beyond the prime years. Dominic shares his unique transition from martial arts to the Highland Games, narrating the unexpected thrill of his first caber turn, thanks to the mentorship of John Katalinas. Their stories are a testament to the camaraderie and community spirit that propel us to overcome personal hurdles and achieve our fitness dreams.
The vibrant world of the Highland Games comes alive as we explore the balance between competition and celebration. Laughter and support go hand in hand as we recount amusing anecdotes like the Hercules Hold at Oktoberfest, illustrating how a supportive community can transform even the toughest challenges into joyous memories. Marc shares the unforgettable experience of completing a grueling task with the encouragement of his peers, highlighting the unique bonds that form through shared trials, lighthearted teasing, and mutual growth.
As we touch on health considerations for older athletes, from medication use to muscle maintenance, we emphasize the power of resilience. The journey of restarting fitness routines after setbacks is filled with insights, including small steps like post-dinner walks. We also dive into the ambitious goals within our community, like lifting the legendary Husafell stone in Iceland. With a nod to the illustrious achievements of older athletes like Odd Haugen, we celebrate the strength of community, the excitement of setting personal milestones, and the joy of pursuing physical challenges, all while staying active and inspired.
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New episodes come out every other Thursday!
Welcome to the Master's Athlete Survival Guide, where we explore the secrets to thriving in sports after 40. I'm John Catalinas and, along with Scott Fyke, we'll dive into training tips, nutrition hacks and inspiring stories from seasoned athletes who defy age limits. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a competitive pro, this podcast is your playbook for staying fit, strong and motivated. Let's get started.
Speaker 2:And we're back. Hi, this is Scott. I'm still John, and we've got a special surprise for you tonight. We're not quite sure why, but for some reason we decided to invite the rest of the group that we have been working out with for a few years now, so I'm going to kick it over to let them introduce themselves. I'm Mark.
Speaker 3:And I'm Dominic.
Speaker 1:Better known as Gimli Really, yeah, really Right off the bat, right off the bat.
Speaker 2:Well, he's only 4'3".
Speaker 1:Leave him alone.
Speaker 2:Okay, fair enough so one of the things that we wanted to talk about tonight. We've talked quite often about goals that we've set. We've talked a lot about sort of that community that we use to help each other meet our goals or to overcome some of the issues that we deal with in our lives. Because it really does once you get older and that whole thing about men being loners it does take a community to get past some of those mental health issues that we deal with. So we wanted to bring in two of the guys that are in our group that really are a backbone to what john and I try to accomplish all the time. So I think one of the things we'd like to do before we get too far into it is let them tell us a little bit about themselves and really how they've sort of gotten into becoming a master's athlete. What led them to those directions?
Speaker 1:no, no, no no, no, no, no. Come on, this is us. What we're going to do first is we're going to take these lovely little scottish snifters that I never remember the name of these.
Speaker 3:Do they remember the?
Speaker 1:name of these glycine. What I name of these.
Speaker 4:Glycine what I think it's glycine or something I thought glycine was an explosive.
Speaker 2:I have no idea. It's glycerin.
Speaker 1:Glass. Let's go with this. We have a a wee, a wee dram of a very vintage stuff, very, very good stuff. So to you and yours. And while swallowing isn't great on an audio podcast, let me tell you that's some grape bourbon that is nice. I'm sorry, scott, continue then.
Speaker 2:Well, as I was so rudely interrupted, Was that rudely?
Speaker 1:That didn't feel rudely, that felt like a really great reason.
Speaker 2:No, I think it was a very good reason. Let's punt it over to Dominic first. Dom, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself Nothing more than about 13 and a half seconds and why you sort of got into being a Masters athlete? What qualifies you? What's your sort of journey, right?
Speaker 3:now.
Speaker 2:What qualifies you?
Speaker 3:I'm not qualified qualifies you. What's your sort of journey right? What qualifies you? I'm not qualified. I know I like that. Oh god, we know that. Uh, probably when I was, oh well, let's say, in the 2000s. I don't, I'm not gonna go over my age we're in the 2000s now the zeros decade. Is that what we're calling?
Speaker 2:what is? I have no idea what I call. Those are called the odds, the odds.
Speaker 3:Okay, while we were in the odds, I started training martial arts uh, combative martial arts particularly, and when my kids got old enough, they wanted to train martial arts also. So I ended up training combative martial arts three days a week and martial arts with my children the other three days a week, and then moving to New York.
Speaker 2:There's seven days in a week. You're missing one.
Speaker 3:I took a day off.
Speaker 1:I'm a master's athlete, even God, one I took a day off.
Speaker 3:I'm a master's athlete, even so rested. So then it's a metric week better than the freedom units, then we, we, when we moved to new york. I could not find the martial arts style that I liked and traveled to scotland on vacation one year and went to a highlands games in scotland and immediately said I need do that.
Speaker 1:I didn't know this story.
Speaker 3:And then, when we came back, I happened to work with a guy who locally runs a Highland Games and started talking to him about it and he said let me take you out and teach you. And that's where I met John, yay God bless Paul Crest. God bless Paul Crest and my very first day meeting John, I turned to caber.
Speaker 1:He did. Bless paul crest. God bless paul. And my very first day meeting john, I turned a caber, he did, he did and it was a big moment because it was not, it was huge, it was not a simple caber and someone else was there a friend of mine who immediately threw out his arm yeah, and yeah, I was gonna say immediately hurt himself yes, immediately hurt himself.
Speaker 2:Yeah for those of you that are unfamiliar with a caber, a caber is that tall telephone looking thing that you're supposed to pick up telephone pole looking thing telephone pole telephone tomato details, matter, details, matter. I can throw it, I can throw an iphone a mile can you, though gonna doubt that I kind of want to try that telephone pole looking thing as I stand corrected as you should and the idea and we've talked about it in previous podcasts is to pick it up, up, run with it and then flip it over end over end.
Speaker 3:Correct. So I jumped into that and met John, which led me to meeting Mark and Scott, and then basically that's where my story with you guys began.
Speaker 1:I don't remember your first games.
Speaker 3:My first games was the Niagara Celtic.
Speaker 1:Oh, really, that year was my very first games, when it was still yes, okay, okay, I don't know. You know, those are the days.
Speaker 3:That was when it was still up in Alcott.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's the day when those festivals Like I probably don't remember you, because there were so, so many athletes.
Speaker 3:I actually believe the photograph with all of us that was in the Buffalo Spree was that game? Yes, I'm in there, and you were in that same photo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So to Dom's point. The very first games I met. Dom was the first games that I met Mark Dom says to me you don't look like you're trying with throwing sheaf. He wasn't trying at all. I'm trying very hard.
Speaker 3:I'm trying very hard.
Speaker 2:I'm trying very hard and I gave it all the oomph could followed out on my third throw went running, came back to him, said I was trying, I was trying not to soil myself no, oh, that's what you get for eating festival haggis, oh, festival haggis I saw a discussion today about from a famous podcaster football famous podcaster talking about the number of football players that poop themselves.
Speaker 3:Yes. Because, it's ridiculous effort and time.
Speaker 1:And I get it because I've certainly, I've certainly made the beeline for the awful porta potty stuck way over in a corner somewhere. So I get that.
Speaker 3:But that was that. That was ultimately the beginning of my journey with you guys, and then that has evolved since then, because I don't think any of us are still throwing actively yeah, no, I think, and then. We've moved on to other things since then and gone through the gamut of things that we can do and still maintain competitiveness with our age and walk the next day and walk the next day.
Speaker 2:Walking the next day is yeah, and highland is fine.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, part of the reason I mean without highland we wouldn't have met right well no, what I'm saying is that highland was great for me and, and, but you know, losing weight and not being great was hard, and then covid was hard, and then just the fact and it's probably the same reason I'm not super into golf. It's a day, it is sun up to sundown a day, 10 hours in how many events we got left.
Speaker 3:Oh damn, we still gotta throw yet two more oh yeah, and the the one. The second year I did the niagara felt festival was when my son was also in marching band and they had a competition in Jamestown. So I finished throwing, jumped in my car, drove the two and a half hours to Jamestown, got out of my car and ended up helping push the marching band onto the field in my kilt, because I didn't have time to change because the marching band refused to yield.
Speaker 2:Oh nice, I like that.
Speaker 1:That was a good segue.
Speaker 2:That was a good segue.
Speaker 3:That was a good segue.
Speaker 2:I remember a game once, and we'll punch it over to Mark in a second. I remember a game once we were at the Niagara Heritage Museum.
Speaker 1:Oh, Amherst, I think this is the latter. Yeah, it's the.
Speaker 3:Amherst game. Yeah, you're going to talk about my hammer throw, aren't you?
Speaker 2:And we, we're out in the field and it's just a bunch of old guys standing out in the field waiting for hammer. We're talking to each other and as the hammer goes into the air by the person who was throwing it doesn't matter who was throwing, because I don't remember All you hear is hammer up and so this 22 pound ball of steel with a PVC pole sticking out of it is flying towards us. Dom turns, looks to see where it's coming and he's got his mouth open because he's talking. The fielder standing is an ox pen. Yeah, dom, let's just say swallowed some fertilizer I got some.
Speaker 3:I got some mud in the mouth on that one. I thought you were gonna at that same games. While I was throwing the hammer there was a five-year-old on stage singing twinkle twinkle little star yes, that was not the most.
Speaker 1:That's pretty motivated, that is not the most motivating music when you're trying to. I like metallica's cover. Yeah, metallica's covers better, but I get it. Man, you must have been fired.
Speaker 3:These guys were all laughing at me because they're like this is perfect for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, you can throw like four feet, okay, I mean, but compared to your height that's that's a huge amount, it's a four by four. God, all right, let's uh.
Speaker 4:Mark has been very patiently sitting over here laughing at us and crying and just reliving the memories okay but let's, uh, let's punt it over to our good friend mark uh, about 0405 went to the central new york scottish festival just as a person watching spectator.
Speaker 1:Thank you english is my second language.
Speaker 4:Translations by dumb just as a spectator um enjoyed, loved watching it signed up for their amateur caber and sheath toss immediately got hooked up with Paul Crest after that and from there it's been a almost 20-year history of me making a jack wagon of myself on the field. You can say ass.
Speaker 1:Okay. No, he's got to say jack wagon, because you say it every now and then Because he got it from me.
Speaker 2:I say it only because he said it. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 4:Actually, I chose to throw my last game this year in the fall at the niagara caltech and uh, it's fallen into, have fallen into thanks to these guys, the strong man and arm lifting. So that's pretty much my history. With that, my wife and kids all took a turn at the highland games for a while. My wife still does throw in them.
Speaker 2:Well, shout out to Tracy, because we have to have some tailor that can actually win a trophy at a.
Speaker 4:Highland Games. Wow, usually it's only said at a Highland Game. Thank you, oh no.
Speaker 3:Well you retired, so yeah, I guess it's fair now.
Speaker 2:And I think we've known each other now for what? Four or five years, something like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, five and a half, five and a half six. Yeah, something like that.
Speaker 2:And I think what it does is it's it really was Highland games that brought us together, and we've all got our stories from Highland games, because Highland games is one of those interesting things that while you are actually competing, at some points there is a lot of lubrication that goes on in terms of drinking. So I think one of the stories that we need to think about is how can you actively participate safely while drinking, and the crowd is sort of part of this. Is this a topic?
Speaker 3:yeah, I don't think this is a topic how to get how to get drunk on bourbon while you yeah, I don't throw a telephone pole.
Speaker 1:This is literally not a great idea. Don't, don't do this, don't listen to scott no don't, and I think it's overstated. I don't know that there's a lot of drinking. I think there's a lot of after drinking. I certainly I remember uh one games where they had uh, and I think I've got four of the pints.
Speaker 3:They were giving away glass, pint glasses with beers, you know I'd like to point out that, while you're the one that's stating this, you're also the first person to ever give me a drink during a highland games. Well, you know, I'm an enabler, I guess well, you and your cohort that we've talked about many
Speaker 2:times you know. I think, though, that yeah, we're getting a little off topic and that sort of speaks to the camaraderie we have with each other, but I think that's the biggest thing that wanted us to sort of hold this thing tonight. This, this podcast, was this idea that really it is that sort of village mentality, it's the pushing each other, it's the, you know, like we were working on today, I said to mark, stop doing this, start doing this, and it's just because I happen to be at the right spot at the right time to see something.
Speaker 1:So, let's, let's take that step and sort of talk about what your goals are and what you want to sort of move into yeah, I agree because, like you can scroll through instagram at least my instagram, and it's nothing but like you, showing off guys with gravelly voices talking about like most men are alone and they got nobody and they're just gonna dig deep and get her done and that was the cross between mater and james earl jones you're welcome, but the reality is that, like you guys are my superpower.
Speaker 1:Like you, like you guys lift me up when I don't want to. You guys make me do the extra rep, the extra set.
Speaker 3:Um, you know they're you're not gonna cry, are you?
Speaker 1:I might. This is, you know, this is very emotional, but no, it is something that a lot of people don't have. I mean, I think that's why, when we go to like master's competitions, people tend to gravitate towards our group, because we already have people with us and a lot of people are working alone in their garage.
Speaker 2:I don't know that, it's just master's competitions. I can remember the first time that you and I competed together at the october fest with sean urquhart and chad clark. One of the events was the Hercules Hold, so it sort of fit into exactly what our thing, is because it's a grip thing.
Speaker 2:So if you're not familiar with it, it's basically they stretch you out, kind of like an axe, and in each hand you're holding a certain weight that's trying to pull your arms out of their sockets. So John, who went kind of early in the rotation, after a certain amount of time, we're looking at him up on the stage and, without exaggeration, there's probably 500, 600 people out in the audience at this point and all I hear is in heaven, there is no beer and John is singing while he's holding what amounts to about 400 or 500 pounds in each hand, trying to rip his arms out of his sockets.
Speaker 1:And it was at that point that the crowd just erupted well, the thing I mean nominal, although my brain is pretty random, um no, kidding, I never noticed you know, it's also the fact that, uh, it was an october fest and therefore that's what the oompa loompa band was playing off in the distance. So I just I you know you're trying not to focus on stuff, but that's completely what I focused on.
Speaker 1:That was just a that to me when I'm an older man is one of the moments that's her older, oh, you mean older than now, like when I'm an older man, like you're an older man, I mean unfortunately, I'm the second oldest one sitting here right now, but that's one of those moments and when I look back, that's one of those moments that it's going to be.
Speaker 2:I can't believe he's on the stage singing a polka while he's getting his arms ripped out of his sock. Is that a?
Speaker 1:polka. It's a good transition, though. So, mark, what do you like? What's your takeaway as a master's athlete? What's, what's the memory that pops in your head when you think in my master's athletic life? This, because I think we all have that moment, whether and it doesn't have to be like it's not winning the olympics, but some things just stick for me, honestly, it was those sundays where we were all at the compound together training.
Speaker 4:That's the highlight of all of this for me. I mean, I love competing, but the training with you guys, like you said, lifts me up my mental health. It helps entirely to be harassed by jack wagons.
Speaker 1:It's weird that it works that way, but I agree.
Speaker 4:It does jack wagons.
Speaker 1:yeah, it's weird that it works that way, but I agree it does. Yeah, I I cherish the time that we actually get to train together, just because we all have random different schedules. Um, every time we can pull it off it's, it's a good thing.
Speaker 4:Um, I don't know I mean, I truly I wish I still had sundays off. Unfortunately, my work doesn't allow that anymore, because I do miss those days with everybody there.
Speaker 3:What about at a competition?
Speaker 4:My favorite competition was what year was it? 21?.
Speaker 1:Don't ask me, I'm horrible with years. No in August.
Speaker 4:Oh, that's for sure and not to leave you out, don, but Scott, john and I all went to Ohio and that was my first strongman as a master Stipe, milošević, milošević. But that was. We had a great time, we had a blast, we worked our butts off and it was just sadly, the three of us and I still came in third.
Speaker 2:But in that time Tracy was there, your wife no, karen was at that one. Oh time, tracy was there. Uh, your wife, no, karen was at that one. Yeah, oh, that's right, that was tracy didn't go with us. She couldn't for some reason. That was karen that was there and she took a picture, and I wish you know what. Why do I? Think I know what you're gonna ask john to put this picture up on the instagram post because there's a picture.
Speaker 2:One of the events is you had to pull. You had to flip a tire twice in each direction, you had to pull or push a wheelbarrow, pull it back and then you had to carry the. Uh, the who's a felt the the fake steel one, the fake steel one at one point mark is going purely on from wwe, the intestinal fortitude of what he's got in his body. It was truly just his heart that kept him going. Brother, brother, all we hear is John go, my God, that's when his soul left his body.
Speaker 2:Left his body. But they had somebody there that was like our own hype man, that was in our face you got this, you got this, you're not quitting. Now You're going to go. And he, he didn't, and he finished it and that was the thing I mean. That was just such a.
Speaker 1:That's another one of those memories that's, that's why you guys are superpower, because I'm sure it would have been harder to channel like pushing yourself that hard alone well, that's one of the big things with the masters athlete.
Speaker 3:You guys and most of the people that I've run into, we harass each other endlessly, but at the same time, we also push each other endlessly. You know, I can walk into every competition and say I'm going to suck, I'm going to lose and I don't care. That's true, it is true. And wait, I have.
Speaker 2:Feelings. No, you don't, no, you don't.
Speaker 3:No, I don't, I have. I think I have one. Once, I think at least I came in second or third a couple of times when there was two or three people. Right, exactly, but that's that's where it comes down to. Yeah, you know, if you don't harass your friends, who can you harass? Yeah?
Speaker 4:The best part of what Scott was talking about is I remember distinctly that I could not see my eyes. My vision was shadowed and pinpointed and I just see a shadow walking up to me. After I finished, I thought to give me a congratulatory hug. No, it was to keep me on my feet because I was about to drop.
Speaker 3:It was deaf.
Speaker 4:It was deaf. All of a sudden I hear John's voice you did it.
Speaker 1:Now get off me. Did he have a black hood and a scythe? Because I think it was tough but but mark that was.
Speaker 2:We just came back from pennsylvania a couple weeks ago and a strong man we did so you can get your cue for nationals, and one of the events was we had to push, which was a phenomenally large wrecker. I mean, this thing could pull tractor trailers if they just say we're Nearly killed him.
Speaker 2:They nearly killed him. So Mark pushes it, gets it to rock and gets it to go. Now, at this point there were people open, athletes who had not moved this thing. So I mean, here you've got a Masters athlete who pushed it Not only pushed it, but got one hell of a good time doing so. He gets to the end, he stands up, he sort of wobbles a little bit and the woman who is the ADU, who is the owner of the gym and she's a phenomenal person she goes over to grab him. Mark goes no, just move away move away.
Speaker 4:Let me fall. It was a safety concern.
Speaker 1:I had if I dropped. I didn't want to hurt her. I thought you were going to throw up.
Speaker 4:I was wobbling and taking funny steps like after that, who's a felt?
Speaker 2:There was a lot more steps. There was a lot more wobbling. You looked like a weeble wobble from when we were little kids.
Speaker 1:They don't fall down.
Speaker 2:Mark didn't, yeah Dom you got a moment like that.
Speaker 3:Not a weeble wobble. I'm going to die moment. There was a time my head turned purple while we were doing the finger.
Speaker 2:Fingal finger. Fingal's finger.
Speaker 4:Fingal's finger, yes, the Fingal's finger.
Speaker 3:I think I did it seven or eight times and Scott told me you need to stop when I was going for another one, because your head just turned purple. Honestly my favorite as a Masters athlete is when I got the gold medal at the Tung Soo Do Federation World Tournament in 2012 for board breaking.
Speaker 3:But that was way pre you, guys so that counts that's a that was that was a really cool moment because I was competing in the competition with my son, who was six at the time, and also got a gold medal. That's fun and we have our you know gold medals together, but with you guys it's probably there's several, because it's when I met you guys, was was was the really good times and since then, honestly, it was probably, if I look back, some of the times at the compound, like when we were working out in the original compound 1.0, 1.0.
Speaker 3:we had like heaters pointed at the at the barbells because it was so cold in the winter.
Speaker 4:Yeah yeah, no, some people needed gloves. They couldn't handle the pain delicate. I will say it over and over.
Speaker 1:I am delicate when you stick to the barbell. Yeah, it's, but you know what dom something that you bring up often, that I take equal measure in, is when you tell these stories to the quote-unquote normal people in your life, the people who don't train of similar age, and you just casually say something like oh yeah, me and the guys were doing this and we're dead lifting 550 and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 3:And then you stop and they uh they look at you like you're on fire. Yeah you forget that, oh yeah you're normal, yeah yeah, sorry, you don't train you know, hey, look what I did yesterday. And they look at something. They're like like how much is that weight?
Speaker 1:Right, right. But you know, part of the message throughout a lot of these episodes has been we're not special, we're not, we're not, we're not that talented. There's nothing amazing about us that John Q Public couldn't accomplish if they tried. You know, it's just's just. Yeah, maybe you don't get world class or, like you know, finish second in at a nationals like scott, but you could go a long way.
Speaker 1:No, it's amazing it is, but it you know what. This is the point where I say the first step is getting off the couch and stop eating the cheetos.
Speaker 3:Still not a sponsor so I emailed cheetos, did you?
Speaker 1:no, actually I didn't oh, you can, you can start a campaign, don't mention the masters athletes survival do you like the crunchy ones or the the puffy ones? See in my mind the puffy ones are crunchy jalapeno ones. Yeah the puffy ones should be jack's the crunchy jalapeno ones and in.
Speaker 2:I like them all, jacks what I remember I don't know if they still exist honestly, one of the things that you've mentioned that we you went over it quickly and we've said it probably a dozen times in the podcast that we've done the idea of a superpower and really, you know, you can say I trained here, I did that. You know one of the things you say about me I've got a deep gas tank, those type of things but honestly, it's not the only thing you've got.
Speaker 3:That's deep.
Speaker 1:Your thoughts. You have deep thoughts. I do have deep thoughts.
Speaker 2:One of the things that.
Speaker 2:I think really does set a master's athlete apart and really and this might be a little bit of hubris, that was a love word, by the way is this idea of the camaraderie, like Dom said, you know, busting on each other or pushing each other or whatever. You know, if you're sitting there in the middle of the grind and it's you're putting that down. No bullshit, you're not putting that down. Pick it up and do it again. Don't stop. You know, you're this, you're that, you're the other thing, you're whatever. But it's the idea that that, that belief that we have in each other, even if it's more so than the belief we have in ourselves. So really surround yourself with that tribe, get your. You know the people that are just as weird and psychotic, and whatever your choices, then you, if it's pickleball did he just call us weird and psychotic?
Speaker 1:He's not wrong. I said that in a loving way.
Speaker 2:You know if it's pickleball, if it's bowling, if it's um, god bless pickleball, if it's running or if it's track like um when we talked with. Charles not too long ago you know, whatever it is, or if it's CrossFit with Natalie, you know I mean that psycho chick that's just pushing all her masters athletes. Find the right tribe, find the people that believe in you.
Speaker 3:The interesting thing is I've had people tell me they've listened to us have conversations and you would absolutely think we hated one another. And that surprises me when I hear other men say it, because I assume that all guys are constantly breaking their friends balls yeah, but you know, here's the thing, because I was thinking as scott was talking, because there's a transition surprise.
Speaker 1:I know right, it's surprised. I was listening, he was thinking no, it's just that he was listening, I was listening like bros in their 20s in the gym are competing against each other, and if they're talking shit, it's because I hope I lose to you guys every day they're trying to elevate don't worry when we're in the gym talking similar shit. It's because, like mark soul, left his body because we pushed him harder than he thought he could do, that we knew he could do. It's because you know his wife's available if he dies I was I think it's more the fact that
Speaker 1:I'm playing this one for her and alicia I think it's because he put me in his will um I get what? Yeah, I get all his old t-shirts you're swimming them.
Speaker 3:We're gonna have a quilt made.
Speaker 2:You're gonna make a blanket but you know it is that. It's that, like I said, it's a belief that we believe in each other more so than we believe in ourselves at times. Yeah, because we know that you can do it. There's no doubt in my mind. I mean mark, I'm so proud of him and I mean that seriously, because he just got his qualification for nationals. One of his bucket list things is to go to strongman nationals next year. He got his qualification, so now it's. We're pushing him every damn time he walks into the gym or he's at home, because we know that he's going to be able to do something there. That's the biggest part of what our friendship is, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I know I'm on a podcast to motivate other Masters athletes, but I'm jealous of Mark because I don't have a bucket list for 2025. I don't have a thing right now and it's freaking me out a little, You're going to the Arnold.
Speaker 3:You're competing. That's my bucket list for 2025. I haven't, I've never done it, I've never been there.
Speaker 1:I'm going to suck. You're a world record holder, I'm a former world record holder.
Speaker 2:Then you can reset that. He's good, who's good?
Speaker 1:Adam, no, not you. You're moderately okay, mr 15. No, but I guess this transitions into like, like dom is going to the arnold and uh, that's amazing and it was I was, I could go and spectate or I could just go and suck on stage in front of a million people.
Speaker 3:Let's go and suck on stage it only costs 150 to be horrible yep, and it.
Speaker 1:It's an amazing, it's an amazing event. Uh, shout out to ricardo magni um. It is a great event in front of a jillion people, like our entire tribe, from 15 to 205 years old. Are there? Right, it's, it's astounding, it's, it's great. I don't, I don't know that there's a fest. I mean, having gone to some other larger things, I don't think there's anything that compares with it.
Speaker 3:Can I dress up like Gimli for this?
Speaker 2:Yes, you can dress up however you want to. I want the beard splayed out, but the thing is like, the real Gimli is something like 6'4". The guy who played Gimli. The guy that played Gimli is like 6'4" Wait what?
Speaker 1:oh yeah, he's tall, they use camera angles that might be the whole purpose this whole podcast may have just come down to the most important reason I'm huge yeah, that's not even in your own mind, brother in your own marginally an insult. Is that really true?
Speaker 2:yes, yes, that is a fact just as much as love. The godski is a 14th century lithuanian podcast, polish or latvian latvian, latvian I'm sorry, yeah, yeah yeah, but no, that is a true statement he is. He is well over six feet tall. When I saw that once, I was completely shocked. I'm like he looks like he's about three foot two, oh yeah well, yeah, movies, all right.
Speaker 1:So, since I brought it up and we'll start with mark what did?
Speaker 2:you bring up goals, goals.
Speaker 1:Goals in 2025.
Speaker 4:My well, 24 was my goal to qualify for nationals for us. Strong man, Hold on. I'm going to interrupt you for half a second here.
Speaker 2:I want you because he had a goal a couple of years ago when he turned 50. And I want you to talk about that goal.
Speaker 3:I want you to bring that goal up because that's that's when we and I want you to tell the people not only how easily you hit it, but that you hit it.
Speaker 4:You say it was easily. I was going to say I had fun training two years, two plus years later, my body still says it wasn't easy, but it was.
Speaker 4:I think it was off Tik TOK or some real. On Facebook I saw a guy 50 on his 50th or 500 on his 50th, I'm sorry and I got it in my 500 pounds in a deadlift and I got in my head that's what I wanted to do. I had not pulled that much ever in my younger years or as my master's years, I'm sorry. Were you 49 when you?
Speaker 1:set this goal I was 49 when I set the goal, so you gave yourself a year-ish.
Speaker 4:Uh, actually, I think it was right about my 49th birthday I said next in one year. This is what I want to do and dom was there a lot with me pushing scott, you all pushing me to make sure I could do it, and that night on my birthday we threw it at. We were at the compound, tons of people there, surprisingly I just wanted a little quiet.
Speaker 4:Let's do this, but no no, no, my jack wagon friends. Yes, there's quotes in the air and that wanted to make it a bigger deal, which turned out to be really wild and crazy and fun. And pulling that with all my supporters teammates yes, I consider you guys teammates, sorry, family I was worried.
Speaker 1:It was great, I loved athletic supporters.
Speaker 2:But you can't be an athlete be an athletic supporter.
Speaker 4:No, that's why I use teammates, so I was avoiding the joke that had to come out.
Speaker 1:Thanks, john for setting him up I forced it, I had to I.
Speaker 3:I enjoyed doing that with you because I had never pulled that much either, and though I think there was a couple times it was just you and I in there alone and that was a um, we were marking it on the board. And there was the one time I pulled more than you and you got pissed off and the next week came back and pulled more than me.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that was um a a little down on myself after that because I was like I've been busting my hump. He comes in and today and decides to pull, and boy, I think he had 50 pounds on me that day. I couldn't get something to that 20, 30 to 50 pounds and next week I came back angry. So it worked.
Speaker 2:But you see the community, you got pushed by your friend Right.
Speaker 4:And you said said screw, that he's not pulling more than me that midget. And in john's words, even though we compete, we're a tribe in a really dysfunctional family. I think it have of it as yeah, also sidebar.
Speaker 1:That's a. That's a concrete piece of evidence that one day in the gym does not equate your career, your goal, your path. Uh, some days are going to suck.
Speaker 4:No, but I think that suck day contributed because it gave me the fire to push harder the next week and not after that. Because it wasn't that much before my birthday. I think that day Was it Don, if I remember right A month or so, I think it was about a month out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you have any 2025 goals?
Speaker 3:My 2025 goal is actually just to go and compete at the arnold. I don't. I I'm gonna walk into it like I do everything, I'm gonna suck.
Speaker 1:I've been training, doing what I'm doing but what are you going to compete in in the arnold? I don't think we are lifting. Okay, I was gonna say I don't think we actually said that out loud.
Speaker 3:So I'm going to. You know I'm training, but you can only train arm, so you know hand grip. So much, yeah. So I'm doing what I can and I'm going to as long as I don't zero anything which is not going to happen.
Speaker 1:You're going to be hanging out with a bunch of cool guys.
Speaker 3:Yep, I'm going to have fun.
Speaker 1:You're going to see a lot of things.
Speaker 3:It's an adventure, it's something and I've never been there, and I can't think of a better group of people to go there with, because you guys have always gone and I've always had other commitments that exact same weekend, so I'm going I appreciate that dom just shared his goal and you know what his sort of bucket list thing was.
Speaker 2:But I'm gonna go back to mark because john so rudely cut him off when I did. Mark talked about his 500 pound deadlift, which was an absolutely beautiful moment that night, but he didn't let him tell what his bucket list was this year I guess I don't care about your goal.
Speaker 1:You just went right over to. Dom that was so epic, I just blew right past it. Sorry, he's not wrong.
Speaker 4:It's pretty simple Not to suck at nationals.
Speaker 1:What does that mean to you, like, seriously? What does that mean Because? What does that mean to you, like, seriously?
Speaker 4:what does that mean Because I get it, I would love to podium, but I don't see that as a realistic goal, although it is one that will be in my mind as I work. Okay, my bigger goal is not honestly not to finish last place. Okay, I'd like one person between behind me and nobody Need me to sign up.
Speaker 3:Let's just say Dom will be there. Well, is there. When you get to nationals for what you're doing, is there a 40 and up and a 50 and up, or is it, once you hit, what's the age?
Speaker 4:It's 50 plus heavyweight and I think that heavyweight is 110 kilo plus if I remember right. Is that right, scott?
Speaker 1:No, it's got to be heavier than that. No, it's 220. Oh, is it 220?
Speaker 4:It is a surprisingly low Wow. It's a huge difference 220 pounds, 220 pounds.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 220 kilos would be a monstrous number, so wait, so if I went, I compete with you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, that's the other thing I look at is Mr Second Place.
Speaker 1:Strongman off of my bucket list right there but no, you're right it is.
Speaker 2:When it comes to the Masters, it's 50 to 59, because there's a 60-plus category. Actually, those guys were super, super cool and there's a 60 plus category. So those guys were, those guys were super, super cool and there's two groups in it. It's two 20 and below, two 20.1 and above.
Speaker 3:Oh, so I mean and we know what happens when you cut. Oh, I'm not cutting like that. Oh, no, no, no, no you don't think the only one in here who could and I'm not going to say I could do it.
Speaker 2:Who could conceivably get under 220 would be me. But it's not going to happen. Yeah, now let john stop cutting little debbie's out of business. Yeah, let's go to that. What one of the things we talked about. John has competed at a high level in a number of different sports, because he's awesome. Because he is awesome, and I mean that with. With all respect, humble, I'm not quite sure you can't even come up with sarcasm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice try.
Speaker 2:Thank you, that's kind I think one of the things you know, john, we really push him at the end because when he starts to cut he has to get down to like 220 or 240 pounds, 200, yeah, 241 pounds, 241 pounds. So he'll go in there to a competition at 244, something like that, and we'll be driving from here to columbus, ohio, and here is buffalo, new york, you know. So it's about a six hour drive, so we'll drive, we'll stop, get something to eat. We stop at the mecca of processed food, better known as grandpa's cheese barn.
Speaker 2:Oh, I love grandpa's cheese I can't wait and oh you can't wait. No, you have no idea. So as we're driving down there, we go out. The next night before john gets to weigh in. He will send us text messages as the rest of us are out gloriously stuffing our faces.
Speaker 4:I'm cowering in a corner because I have to make weight, I was so the next day we go in to weigh in at the very first possible time.
Speaker 2:I step on the scale. I've got all my clothes and I've got stuff in my pockets because it doesn't really matter for me. John steps on the scale. He's behind a curtain so he can take a shirt off, he can take shorts off and whatnot. He steps on the scale. He has to be 241. He weighs in at like 230. He's like 11 pounds.
Speaker 3:He then comes walking out.
Speaker 2:I hate all of you Opens up his gym bag, which is like two feet wide by three and a half feet long and, without exaggeration, there is probably what 10 to 25,000 calories worth of sugar and food.
Speaker 3:An entire box of Nutty Bars. There was a case of One box.
Speaker 4:There was more than one box.
Speaker 1:I brought a case of nutty bars.
Speaker 2:I bought six of the nastiest looking cinnamon rolls cinnamon rolls that were the size of yeah picture citibon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, like those little w things you buy, but you know this transitions to something that we will do, um, in the future. But, uh, in an attempt to control my blood sugar, the doctor put me on manjaro and, yeah, we will talk about my manjaro dude. Yeah, journey, because I was 250 walking around. Um, put me on that. I am probably 240, which I'm that's fine. It's not a I don't need to be super great, heavyweight, strong man.
Speaker 1:But the problem with manjaro sneak preview to the time we talk about it you lose fat and you also lose muscle, and everything I've ever read or research says that, like skeletal muscle as we age, is deeply critical. It's just the thing that keeps you from breaking a hip, falling down the stairs. It just there's so much data on it, so, um, I think I'm gonna come off it. It hasn't really impacted my blood sugar the way I wish. Uh, I think. I think the people that they put on it for for sugar maintenance, it's because they are significantly overweight. It works, it absolutely works. No desire to eat Even when I ate, it would be like meh, whatever. It's a very weird feeling. It's one of the few drugs that seem to really work, but it's kind of killing me. Again, I don't want to spoil anything, I know you said you were at one point.
Speaker 3:You said you were forcing yourself to eat chicken.
Speaker 1:Forcing myself to yes, forcing myself to eat, just for your protein and the elimination side of things are incredibly slow and of a significant diameter. Does that work? Is that a thing?
Speaker 4:I think we get the point Okay good.
Speaker 2:Oh God, really, let's get away from the debate from the great caca, okay.
Speaker 4:But what he did say is what's huge, I think, for all master athletes is health Not that part, scott, stop laughing but health. Why do we do this? John had it once. Great that he just wants to live longer. That's why he does a lot of what we do at the gym. Two great friends yep, pulled me aside a little over a year ago and I am not a small man, I am one of the biggest guys I've seen, even in strongman masters amateurs, um, but not the greatest athlete and they pulled me aside when I was having trouble walking around a festival or an expo but and straight up told me it had to be the hardest conversation they had with a friend in their life. I'm guessing they're close pretty much.
Speaker 2:it probably saved me yeah, but and I know I speak for john when I say this the difference now from when we first met you like when memories will come up from compound 1.0, to now when we see those pictures, there's a marked difference. No pun intended oh, absolutely of where's a pun oh marked.
Speaker 1:Sorry, oh lord, I was wanting to. I didn't get it. That's not what I brought it up for. I brought it up because of the point of health, which john has talked on you guys brought.
Speaker 4:It's always my thing no one's going to remember our careers, it's not like no, absolutely for yourself yeah, no one.
Speaker 1:No one's gonna be like oh my, do you remember back in the aughts?
Speaker 3:Well, a good example of that. Actually, my wife is probably the one who sees you the least.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as far as you know, right, we don't tell.
Speaker 3:Maybe she says this just for that reason. But she said hey, mark, looks really good.
Speaker 1:Markedly different.
Speaker 3:Yeah, markedly different than he did last time. Did she really Thank?
Speaker 4:you Tell her thank you yeah.
Speaker 3:You know. But and that's my thing my, my, my, my, my reason for doing this is because I have a horrible family history, Health wise. Everybody in my family is diabetic, which I just, thankfully, am working my way trying I just thankfully am working my way trying to get back out of it. I found out recently that I am too, and my father passed away at 68 years old. His father passed away at 49 years old. His brother passed away at 36 years old. I am not looking at this going. I have 15 years left right now. Right, you know, or something like that. We're not doing the math.
Speaker 3:But, my goal is to you know, be around as long as possible and try to stay as healthy as possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's it. I mean how we choose. I mean that's the tenet of the podcast. Right, all roads lead to Rome. I don't care if you play pickleball, golf and away from cheetos, away from cheetos, but I mean get off the couch, right, we just happen to choose something where we're all together. I mean, I think I would happily, um, play pickleball, do some other sport, but I still would want to weight train with you guys, even if weight training wasn't a key factor in getting better in that sport. Um, it's just like I think mark touched a little bit on sort of the undercurrent of mental health that's underserved and that'll that'll definitely be a gritty, uncomfortable episode in the future. Talking about mental health, oh, that's.
Speaker 3:That's set us all back. I, yeah, had a problem with it this year. I think mark had a problem with it this year. I think mark had a problem with it this year. You've had, a couple years ago, a problem with it every other week basically I'm delicate yeah you know, scott's got his stuff going on all the time. Yeah, you know, we all have something overriding.
Speaker 1:I, you know, kids life yeah, whatever, if dom, if you don't mind talking about it, since we're sort of touching on health, the episode on vertigo you had recently. Do you mind talking about that? Not at all, because I I think like through you I found that it's more common than I realized and it's a lot like it's one of those things that they're still scratching their head a little bit about it.
Speaker 3:So my my thing was not the actual crystals in the ear style of vertigo that people get. That can be caused by dehydration and your all kinds of weird things.
Speaker 1:What are crystals in the?
Speaker 2:ear so the inside. I think we went like all indiana jones I was thinking it was something not the crystals of doom.
Speaker 1:No, oh, I was thinking it was something kind of woo. You know the super tiny, the whole.
Speaker 3:Remember the inside of your ear that looks like a little seashell in there.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:There's crystals that shoot through there that tell your head, that tell your brain whether you're moving. It's your equilibrium cell. Oh, really, my problem was called vestibular ocular reflex hyperfunction. Mine was not the ear brain alignment, mine was the eye brain alignment. Oh, mine was not the ear brain alignment, mine was the eye brain alignment. And when, basically, the occupational therapist because I went in there thinking I had vertigo, she was the one that figured out that I had vestibular ocular reflex hyperfunction and it was the relationship from my eyeballs to my brain and she said we need to hit the master, reset on you, basically that connection, because I couldn't function. I had never been a person who gets motion sickness. I ride a motor I will use. Well, until this year I rode a motorcycle regularly. I have not ridden this year because of that. Um, I've never had a problem looking around and getting nauseous or getting dizzy in any way, shape or form, and I couldn't walk a straight line.
Speaker 3:It was like being super drunk looking at a doorway and saying I'm going through that, but then walking off at 45 degree angles and that, just that that came out of nowhere it came out of nowhere. I woke up one, actually one evening. I felt lightheaded and I told my wife I feel off something's weird. I'm gonna go to bed. She was like you're not dying, are you? And I said no, it's not like that, it's up here she was just worried that she was hoping she was.
Speaker 1:You know, that's what she said. Can I crank the insurance up? She called mark and said don't come over tonight yeah, so he was in bed early.
Speaker 3:She said come over tonight, then the very next night it was a little bit worse. I was okay during the day. Yeah, you know, maybe I'm dehydrated, that's. That's one of the main things in life. Now, right, did I drink enough water today? Yep. And then the next morning I woke up and could not function. And the really horrible thing for when that happened to me, I woke up and literally could not function. I had two appointments in Rochester If you're not familiar, that's an hour and a half drive for us that were for the VA and those appointments had been made seven months earlier and I could not miss them because then it would mess up my whole va structure.
Speaker 3:So I told my wife you need to call off work and you need to take me to these appointments. So she drove me and one of the nurses, when my wife held my elbow to get me into the room, was like what's going on with you?
Speaker 3:and I explained it to her, she did some quick stuff and said you have vertigo. That day, when we got home from the appointments, I was exhausted. I couldn't function. I had to keep my eyes closed all the time. It's insane, and now that I've occupational therapy my way through it, I still get little senses of it from time and time. It seems to be when I'm at work and I work in an industrial machining facility and there's a lot of robotics and there's a lot of robotics we call them flying robots running around on rails up in the air, 10 feet in the air, and when they go zipping by if I look at them while I'm walking.
Speaker 3:So oh, so my eyes and watch the robot right right, and then I'll get a little blah, you know is that a technical term?
Speaker 2:yes, yes it is.
Speaker 3:Blah is a technical term if you've ever experienced vertigo I'm not a real doctor, so I have to answer those questions and then when I started talking to other people about this, I've just it's one of apparently people don't talk about it. It's you know, it's like low testosterone or something. People have it but don't want to talk about it, right? So I'm running into people all over the place that have dealt with this now and the ways they got around it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you're not. I mean You're not cured, really right? I mean, does it never go like? Are you susceptible to vertigo forever?
Speaker 3:now that's one of the actually pluses, according to the occupational therapist, because I know all of the therapy movements to help myself with it. I can do that regularly. Yeah, but she said the style that I have, the vestibular ocular reflex doesn't repeat as often as regular vertigo where the crystals in your ear thing yeah she said, the people who have the regular, the true vertigo as compared to what I had.
Speaker 1:Um, that is very common for reoccurrence oh, okay, well, and this is also the moment where I can pat scott and I on the back and say we had mike safel on doing posterology and some of the movements he described in that episode you were doing for Vertigo.
Speaker 3:Yes, I think I might have texted you about that. I said, hey, that's some of the stuff I did for Vertigo. That's pretty cool. Part of it was when I got almost done, because every step of it set you back.
Speaker 1:What do you mean?
Speaker 3:First, it's basically sit arms length. Sit arms length away from a wall, put a post-it note with a capital B on it, stare at it with your eyes and move your head back and forth without moving your eyes and be able to do that for about a minute without throwing up. Oh right, and you don't have to do it real fast, you just have to do it and then move your head up and down while keeping your eyes solid. Then you do it while standing. So now, now you do it, and now you've got to focus on standing at the same time. Then, once you get good at that, then we'll put you in. You know, if you've ever been to a physical therapy place, there's always. Or a gym, there's always one wall.
Speaker 3:That's a mirror yeah so, instead of staring at a blank wall, now you're in front of a mirror, so you can see everything moving behind you. Oh so is that?
Speaker 1:the deal with the visual cues. Like the visual cues are doing one thing and your body's doing other stuff exactly so.
Speaker 3:Then, once you get past the sitting and standing in front of the mirror so everything in the background is also moving then you actually put on a youtube video and anybody could. It's called the busy streets of london. It is literally a guy walking around busy london with a gopro on his head oh on his forehead and looking at things and looking up and there's people walking right in front of them and 18 million people make it right give or take give or take making noise and there's street vendors and hucksters and everything going on.
Speaker 3:Well, the first time I turned that on I threw up up. And I thought I'm doing good, this is great, I got it right. Well, a minute and a half in, I'm throwing up in the trash can in my own living room? Yes, so it's an interesting process. I'm glad it's mostly behind you.
Speaker 1:Let's call it mostly, mostly.
Speaker 3:Because I'm getting little things, but I can function. Yeah, that's good. So again in the litany of things that old men suffer from, there's a lot. And that stopped my training for this for the majority of this year, because when I bent over, as soon as my you know pulse went up and my blood pressure raised.
Speaker 1:Yep, I immediately got sick, but to your credit, and again, another reason why we started this is you're back at it. Yes, that's, that's. That's the hard part. That, that's the hard part.
Speaker 3:The restarting, always restarting, is so much and you guys bugging me about restarting. Well, it really did.
Speaker 2:It's mostly scott, because he's like that but you know, I think one of the things that we don't spend enough time talking about across all of our podcasts is that restart, because too often when life happens like Don just described with his episode with Vertigo, or Mark had an episode where he took a stone to the ankle in a Highland Games or all these different things that happened with us we have to hit that pause and that restart. We need to give more credit to the ability to restart, because we always hear those new year's resolutions where it's I'm gonna go to the gym and then you watch and then by february the gym is back, so the gym is always busy in january january it's standing room, only february you can get to machines or to free weights and by march you're seeing tumbleweeds going through the aisles of these things.
Speaker 2:But it's that restart, it's that ability and that determination, that mental fortitude to restart that really does help us a great deal Right.
Speaker 1:And if you need to hear this, let me say it to you If you start in January and it gets burdensome and you skip two workouts in a row at the end of January, restart in February. Yep.
Speaker 3:You don't have to wait restart in February. Yep, it's. You don't have to wait till Monday to start. Yeah, you don't have to wait till any Monday to start. No, you don't. You don't. You start today.
Speaker 1:And it doesn't have to be some Herculean effort, because typically the under-trained go into a gym, overdo it hurt, can't get themselves to put themselves through that pain again.
Speaker 3:And then it just falls off the radar. Go for a walk after dinner. Yep, there's a lot of studies right now that are showing, especially for people that are getting older, a 10 to 15 minute walk after dinner brings great health benefits wow, does that sound familiar, john, does it?
Speaker 2:I think you've said that a time or two maybe, maybe.
Speaker 1:Let me think uh, yes, um, so mark what. All right, we have this goal of nationals. Yes, I applaud you because I wouldn't.
Speaker 3:I'm not sure it's a good idea but yeah, it's a goal. Yeah, but you had to qualify to get there. Yeah, you had to qualify. You're already there. Yeah, you're there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's an amazing idea, but what do you see? Since we're all here to support you, what's?
Speaker 4:block number one. What concerns you about coming in last? It's nothing really. I just need a goal, walking into it so I can train.
Speaker 1:No, no no, what I'm saying is that I think, given what you said. It sounds like yeah, it sounds like you think you may come in last.
Speaker 4:I have a horrible overhead press which Scott witnessed today at the compound before coming here.
Speaker 3:However, can't press anything. Were you pressing the green log? I started there and then I got switched to the scott's, not afraid of anything.
Speaker 4:Scott actually switched me over to a landmine, single-handed landmine press. I'm afraid of snakes, okay, continue. I'm afraid of heights, are you so? Ask me why? I volunteer firefight and get up on chimney fires on the roof. So is Dom. So I switched to that and that actually helped a lot. Gave me a little, put the leg, drive in with a push with the arm feel. So I'm hoping that'll extend and most of my time between now and the end of June is going to be working on that Cool.
Speaker 1:I was going to say when is Nationals? The end of.
Speaker 4:June, june 28th, I believe, is the date off the top of my head. Where is?
Speaker 2:it Somewhere on the Concord, north Carolina. Yeah, that's cool. We are just praying that it is indoors. Is outdoors a possibility, north Carolina in June.
Speaker 3:Where's Concord? How north is it or how south is it?
Speaker 4:I don't know, but it's in North Carolina, so it's north of South Carolina, all I can tell you it's about a four-hour drive from Georgia, because I looked that up because I was curious Are you going to Georgia? I got family down there. I was thinking of going down afterwards just to visit.
Speaker 1:I was going to go with and Mark went down to Georgia.
Speaker 4:He was looking for a soul steal. He was in a bind. He's once he's done. No, I've got to find my own soul still. Yeah, no, that's, it's in Ohio.
Speaker 3:That's North Carolina.
Speaker 2:As opposed to South North Carolina. I said it was North of South Carolina.
Speaker 4:Yes, but Western New York is still going to be cooler.
Speaker 3:by the time of year, it'll only probably be about 100 degrees and 100% humidity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's what I'm worried about, because it's five events and the Masters weights this year are about 100 pounds across the board heavier than last year's Nationals. It's going to be an epic event, but I have so much confidence in what Mark's going to be able to do with this event.
Speaker 3:Just remember second place is first loser, and that's the law.
Speaker 4:Oh, kiss my ass.
Speaker 2:So where was last year? Year was in denver colorado and it was indoors it was indoors.
Speaker 3:Oh, the height though.
Speaker 2:The altitude was miserable, the mile, you know they say the mile high city. I gotta tell you I did some uh vo2 training to try to increase, you know, my ability to deal with it and so many jokes difference between when we were there and when john you and I were in the. Uh, the rocky park, rocky mountain national park, denver was okay. When we went into the rocky mountain national park we were at what? 10, 11 and then 12 000.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think we got. I think that the alpine visitor centers might be near 13.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was funny because there was probably what about a hundred yard walk we did one time, so he got gets in these just phenomenal pictures. And I'm looking at john and I'm like I'm you know, yeah, I'm an old, fat guy but I'm pretty good in terms of cardio but it's like holy hell, we walked 50 yards. We had another 50 yards to go and I'm breathing like I'm just ran a marathon. No, I can't run a marathon you could run a marathon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if it was downhill, we should challenge him, he could walk a marathon.
Speaker 4:I mean, if you want, I did do a half if I wasn't a master at the time but I did do a half marathon once and, yes, it sucked just saying I did a 10k and it was horrible I did a 5k and I kind of wanted to die.
Speaker 2:I've done a 5k before, yeah and I, I'm gonna agree with you. You know my size, no I've a 5k.
Speaker 3:Ended my running career, did it? Yes, we, my wife and I, used to run a 5k for chair for a charity every month right and when I ran one the the martian marathon actually it was a 5k all the way up through marathon in ann arbor, michigan I got martian marathon yes, it was.
Speaker 3:It was sponsored by a brewery in ann arbor, michigan, and I did this in like 2000 I think it was 11 or 12 and I ended up. It was in the rain and I ended up with a lung infection that took six months to get rid of oh, wow, so, wow.
Speaker 2:So you were in your 20s at that point?
Speaker 3:No, no, I was, I think, 38 or 39.
Speaker 2:In 2000,. You were 38 or 39?
Speaker 3:When did I say 2000?.
Speaker 2:You just did.
Speaker 3:He said 2000s, 2000s. It was when I still lived in Michigan. Oh, we're back in the aughts. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're back in the aught.
Speaker 3:I swear it tried to kill me because I was on steroids and antibiotics for six months. After that it tried to kill me. Running tried to kill me. There's no reason for anyone in the world to run.
Speaker 2:Well, that was John. When we were in the car, cardi no, john says let's go up here. This little hill it's not that steep. Let's go up here and look, I think there's some elk over there. Let's go, look at these elk walking up this.
Speaker 1:I'm like don't pet the furry, I'm dying and this guy's like let's keep going. No, let's not keep going. But to put it in perspective and I don't know the whole story, but here's my best guess at what I saw there was a truck with an old man and an old lady and the old lady would pull off because it's such a narrow mountain road. There were pull-offs every I don't know thousand yards. The lady would pull off into one, they would come out of the truck, they would take the man's bicycle out, he would bike to the next pull-off good for him.
Speaker 1:Yes, he probably was 70, 75, I mean.
Speaker 3:Oh, really good for him.
Speaker 1:Yes, everything you think about when you think old man, Small frail, didn't look like a lifelong cyclist although I saw plenty of them there in nut jobs and then she would pick him up after 1,000 yards. They would skip one and go to the next one and repeat the process of him riding, and I'm sure it was some goal of I want to ride to the top of Blah Mountain or something. It was just quietly over in a corner and I'm thinking that might be one of the most badass athletes I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:It was on criminally insane and amazing at the same time yeah that compared with a woman who stood on the other side of the wall and said here, take my picture. Oh don't breathe because, lady, you're taking a tumble that's not going to stop for a while, let's go past the safety barrier.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, she was. You know they've got those sort of handmade probably by the Civilian Construction Corps in the 40s, and she was on the other side of it and it was unlike a drop we have here in the east by you know a mile, yeah, it was crazy.
Speaker 1:And she's just standing like, oh my god, take my picture. And like, yep, that's gonna be the last picture, but it makes me. That makes me like, follow people like that post things from yellowstone, like the people that want to, like walk up on a grizzly or something.
Speaker 4:Oh, let's pet a bison.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:Real brilliant.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Um.
Speaker 2:I got to tell you, though you have to tell me what you have to tell me. I got to tell you a lot of things.
Speaker 4:He's got a lot to say, he just doesn't know what it is.
Speaker 2:Things that you don't know. Oh, that's true.
Speaker 4:I hate it. Listen to him. I'm a doctor, he's not a doctor. I'm a real doctor. He's a real fake doctor. I'm a real boy. But when you think, about it.
Speaker 3:Take your clothes off, he'll prove it.
Speaker 4:What huh, where the hell did that come from?
Speaker 3:ladies and gentlemen, do you have a like delay button on this? The inappropriate veteran has entered the chat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, go ahead.
Speaker 2:But you know we've talked about the differences and we talked about mark, you know, competing down in north carolina at nationals, which we're all going to be there to cheer him on and to push him harder and harder, and harder. But the altitude thing, you know the people, and there were many times when we got to the very top and I think it was the, the alpine visitor center that you were talking about, there was, I think they called, what was the stairway to heaven or something like that. There was another 130 stairs you could go up and john and I are looking at each other and we're like not a chance in hell, and there's these people just trucking up these stairs. Whatever your thing is, do it, get off the couch, take those first steps, put the cheetos down.
Speaker 1:wow, look at that. Not sponsored by Cheetos Never will be after that one. All right, so here we go Five years from now. Where are you athletically five years from now?
Speaker 2:Mark.
Speaker 4:With my knees, probably trying to get those fixed at that point, replaced, and then not necessarily coming back to compete, but coming back to compete, but coming back to train with you guys. Stay as young as I can, live as long as I can.
Speaker 1:Okay. Why wouldn't you come back to compete? What?
Speaker 4:Don't know enough about the knee replacements to know how well they'll last. They're awesome, they're amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it seems like knees and hips these days are. I don't know. I'm sure at one point they were career ending.
Speaker 2:No, it's the new Steve Austin man, it's the bionic man. They're there.
Speaker 4:Wow, flashback, let's just talk about the Masters.
Speaker 1:How old are?
Speaker 3:we again.
Speaker 4:We all know about the six million dollar man.
Speaker 1:Did you have the action figure where you could look through the?
Speaker 4:back of his head through his bionic eyes.
Speaker 1:Oh, I didn't have that one, god, you guys. Oh, absolutely, through his bionic eyes. Oh, I didn't have that one, oh.
Speaker 2:God, you missed out. You guys playing with dolls.
Speaker 3:Gimli, hopefully still doing something. The last.
Speaker 2:Define something.
Speaker 3:Well then, that's literally what I don't know. The last six years it has evolved through several different things. So where I'm looking right now, still doing exactly what we're doing uh, weird, you know, looking at things going can I lift that? And trying and then also the grip thing, um, I would. I need to get back into more power lifting, because I really enjoyed that, but I need to blend that with flexibility because, once again, going from a martial artist who used to be able to kick somebody that was six feet tall in the head with while my feet were still on the floor, and now I'm as flexible as a concrete block, yeah, so I need to get back into some flexibility or yoga.
Speaker 1:Yeah, power lifting. Doesn't power lifting as much as I love?
Speaker 3:the platform I follow. Yeah, shout out to the Juggernaut platform. I love it. It's great for strength building.
Speaker 1:But unless you really stretch a lot with it, it is not conducive to flexibility. Right, because it's all strength in a single plane, yep. But you know what?
Speaker 3:I still want to be doing something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, To jump in on that, we've talked a lot about grip over all of our podcasts and we brought it up a couple times because as a group, we've done a lot of it in different venues. Former world record holder.
Speaker 1:Former world record holder Okay, go ahead. Yeah, whatever, okay, let it go.
Speaker 2:I love the word former in that statement.
Speaker 4:I don't but thank you. We heard enough of.
Speaker 2:I am the world record holder, so former feels good for us, us but you've got people like ode haugen who are in their 70s, who are still I think there was the very first year for grip, I came in second to him yeah and he's 20 years older than me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh, it's in the 70s, I mean the fact that the guy goes by the nickname the vice grip viking. Okay, that's something serious. You've got ode. Who's there? You've got. You know, in the strongman competitions. When I was in Denver, we had four people competing in the Masters National Strongman competition two people tied for first, two people tied for second. They had to do a sixth event that day, which was pick up a sandbag and go as far as you can in one minute After they had done five monstrous events. Our age, because we're all in our 50s, right, the people sitting around the table. John's closing in on 60 really fast yeah.
Speaker 3:John's really closing in on 60.
Speaker 2:There are so many years left in what we have the ability yet to do, and grip is one of those things that doesn't fail you as you get older.
Speaker 1:But like Tom tom, do you have any, because I've pivoted a few times new sport many times. Do you have any desire to go back to martial arts?
Speaker 3:yeah, I would. I, I really uh, my wife probably has more desire for me to do it because she liked the fact that I got beat up a lot, um, but I, I really enjoy martial arts. I, I enjoy training with it. I enjoy the fighting aspect of it. Um, I just haven't been able to find, find what I had.
Speaker 3:The people that I trained with were amazing. They were all uh law enforcement and federal, uh law enforcement agents and, and they were a wonderful tribe. Like you guys, we were constantly on top of one another, breaking each other down and building each other up, and it was just and it was all, for the most part, guys, my RH, that were had been doing it their whole lives. So when I stepped in in my late thirties actually probably mid thirties by then and started doing it with them, they were, I was, I was way outmatched, I mean, by decades of training, but all they did was lift me up and help, yeah, and. But I've never been able to find that aspect of training here where, where we live, where I live now, I uh, I have a friend who does or is proficient in Krav Maga.
Speaker 3:I love Krav I am deeply interested in that, it is that we actually trained a lot like that. Where I trained A lot of, we would actually train in Master Goddard's garage on times or behind the dojo in the alley, and he would say, hey, saturday wear winter shoes, jeans and a coat, because you don't always have time to slip off your shoes and put on your flexi pants. And we actually more than a couple times had the police called on us because people thought there was a brawl because we were fighting in the parking lot behind the place right, or we were in the garage and he said everything that is laying out and about is on the table to use as a weapon.
Speaker 3:Oh, so I've actually seen someone pull a ladder off the wall and throw it at somebody, which is problem, my God. It's basically use everything in your within your reach.
Speaker 1:I thought that was WrestleMania four. It was a lot. I mean it was like that. I mean it was whatever. Whatever you can grab. You're making me more interested. I love.
Speaker 3:That was like the first Bourne movie right. Where he's using books and pencils and everything and anything, and that was the aspect of the training that we did. It was everything that's cool. You know, pick up a person, you get a small child, throw it at him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we do not. Here at the Masters Athlete Survival Guide strongly recommend that you do not pick up a small child and throw them at people.
Speaker 3:Unless they're yours. Unless they're yours, I've thrown my kids at many people. Trick or treat.
Speaker 2:I think one of the things that Dom's hitting at here is that idea that it doesn't matter, just do something. Just do something, because you've got to keep active. John, we've quizzed them, our friends, a lot tonight. What do you?
Speaker 4:want to do in five years.
Speaker 2:I have no idea.
Speaker 1:Not acceptable no, I know, start collecting social security.
Speaker 4:Yeah wait, wait, wait he's not not.
Speaker 1:Wow, wow, no, I don't know. I, I think I've reached out to most of you privately.
Speaker 3:I, I, I don't have a goal side note, john is probably the lightest one here but he's also probably um most beautiful I wasn't going there, let's try again as of when we're considering the guests. Mark and I, yeah, more physically able to do probably just about anything more than mark and I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:I do appreciate that we're gonna bring you guys back. Don't worry about it. I mean you don't have to suck up to john this is why I started with scott wants his turn to be sucked up too when we come back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is why it's all right, but you know, we joke about that. We joke about that a lot in that, you know, set a goal and that's one of the things that, for whatever reason, because of these guys that are sitting here with us and a few other people, I've been very lucky because I have definitive goals in what I want to do, you know, and I set sort of those yearly goals. John's one of those people and I mean this with sincerity who is very good at a lot of the things that we do, and because we do so many different things, in many senses has to set a goal. So we've had some pretty serious conversations as to what is your goal. I mean, one of the things we've talked about is that, uh, there's a strongman in october up in vermont.
Speaker 4:That uh it's at a brewery.
Speaker 2:They do basically everything with kegs along right and they assist veterans, if I'm remembering correctly.
Speaker 4:No, that was another one I did. This one was Green.
Speaker 2:Mountain Strongman, green Mountain Strongman, and they do that.
Speaker 1:So I mean, I think that's the first one, that the three of us. That's on the radar.
Speaker 2:If Dom jumps in with us, the four of us have done and it would only be actually the second one that we've all done in some sense. I mean John, some sense. I mean john and I have done a couple with uh, with some of the october fests, but it's it's something that that conversation has to be had, because it is an internal conversation in many senses absolutely, and why I'm floundering with it again to bring it back a little bit.
Speaker 1:It the manjaro, like I lost muscle, I lost strength, I lost grip, I lost some things. So like goal 0.5 is to kind of get back to where I was and then, but but I don't want to play that game of well, when I get strong enough I'll do it, because you'll never do it so let me ask you this did you did you?
Speaker 3:did anything else change? Did you train less, did you? I mean, is it? Is it solely?
Speaker 4:the no, because this is something you would ask me, right? No, you'd be like, did you? And I know you the tilt of the head and the eye and you go. Was it really?
Speaker 3:though no, that's really though, yeah, because it's, and with me I know it's a legitimate question. No, it is I?
Speaker 1:I am under trained, for sure. I think that my athletic endeavors have have actually moved, like I will play three hours of pickleball, so your cardio is probably better. Right, my cardio is great, but it doesn't serve lifting a keg and carrying it for 1,000 yards or pushing a truck so yeah.
Speaker 3:So that's kind of why Shout out to Karen. But the old single ladies at the pickleball court don't care if you can throw a keg and it's hard and it's hard in its own way and uh we're gonna cut that part out, sweetheart no, we're not but the uh no.
Speaker 1:That's why I'm at a little bit of a dilemma, because there has been the loss in body weight, the increase in cardio, which you know, like it or not, strong men need to carry a little extra bulk. It's just a thing, um, but I want to find that balance for sure. So, yes, I guess the the penciled in goal is that strong man in October. But you enjoy pickleball.
Speaker 3:I love it, you love it. So, first of all, it's right there.
Speaker 1:It's four minutes away. Um, I'm now. As of Monday, I'm going to join the what do they call themselves the Elks? But there's a name the benevolent group, the oil water. Oh like literally like the Elks Lodge, because it's at the Elks Lodge, so I get to be an elk. I don't know what that means, but I hope it's got some charity aspects, because I'm a big fan of that.
Speaker 4:I do believe, alxar. Yes, they're charitable, so that'll be good.
Speaker 1:You know, one of the things and these guys hate me for it is everything your face, your body, the way you. There's a list.
Speaker 2:He won't wear a mask you wouldn't believe how much he snores.
Speaker 2:That one I'll buy you've shared a room with him when you're traveling for a car it's the worst same it's the worst, that's why, john, you don't have to share a room by as long as you're in the same zip code, you can tell one of the things that I uh, I've gotten to because of the different uh parts of my life that have sort of pushed my mental status is I've gotten to this point where I start sharing memes a lot and, for whatever reason, over the last um, I don't know maybe a couple of weeks, this one guy and I don't remember his name, but he hits on these things and the one thing he said and I think this is where john's sort of sitting right now is you'll put up with who you are until the bullshit of what you are right now outweighs the bullshit of where you want to be.
Speaker 1:Oh, Wow, that was deep bullshit, except he probably said it like and you put up with the bullshit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in my head he has the voice of the guy who talks about you can be anything in life, but don't eat your steak while done. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Duh Duh. I'm not going to ask this question to Mark just so we don't think we're skipping over him, because you have a path and we're not letting you wander from it. You've got goals, you've got a thing. I'm not going to ask you if there's something else you want to do, because you're not allowed to do anything else.
Speaker 2:No, you got to hit that goal.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So sorry, wow, I'm not sorry, okay.
Speaker 4:Next, scott, yours. The three of us have all said something, even if it wasn't productive, from John.
Speaker 2:It's rarely productive in these conversations with John Hurtful.
Speaker 3:See the way he cut that mic Very gently it sucks, one of the things I mean.
Speaker 2:I have two goals for this year, and it's I want to go back to nationals, which I was blessed to qualify for very early, and I want to podium again. So I've got some work to do.
Speaker 3:Did you hear that little dig then again? Yeah, I want to.
Speaker 4:And early.
Speaker 2:And early. I want to load a 400-pound pound stone, which sort of sets me up for my goal, and this is really the goal that's probably going to take a couple of years. For folks who have heard about it, there is a stone in iceland. It's called oh, I do have a goal, yeah, the husafelt stone. The husafelt stone. The story behind the husafelt stone is it's uh, approximately, I mean, it's kind of triangular ish. It's not perfect triangle. It weighs what about 410?
Speaker 3:410, something like that. I've heard just over 400 pounds.
Speaker 2:the story is that a farmer's daughter on the farm who owned it picked it up and walked around the sheep's pen twice with it, so it is considered one of the Scottish man or, sorry, the Icelandic manhood stones. So one of the goals I have is I want to go to Iceland in a couple of years and I want to pick that thing up and I want to walk with it. I want to make sure that I can do a lap, but it's picking the stone up is is going to be a real challenge. So I mean, I I rely a lot on you know, the three men that are sitting here were to keep pushing me for it and a baby and a baby three men and a baby. While it's an old movie, I rely on my trainer, and one of the people who we've talked about, who I hope to have on our podcast very soon, is sean urquhart.
Speaker 2:Sean is, without a doubt, one of the undersung but incredibly talented uh, natural stone lifters in the world. Sean's lifted the who's a felt. He he's lifted the Denny's, he's gone through Iceland and in all over Europe. It's one of the things that I want to do, because I'm getting to the point where I can't press my arms over my head as much as I used to because of shoulder issues and shout out to Mike Safel for the posturology because it's helped me a lot, but I'm looking at those types of goals. So I think within my long-term goal Mark to answer your question within the next three to five is to walk at least one lap with the husafel that's and that's daunting, and to have my friends do the same thing with me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm in.
Speaker 3:I'll go to iceland with you. Absolutely, I live, we'll do it I mean yeah, I mean first of all I.
Speaker 1:I've always heard that like iceland's cheap to get to it's an amazing country.
Speaker 3:I've seen so, so many.
Speaker 1:It's the first. I regret it, but I chose not to go to Highland.
Speaker 3:Worlds, there. Oh, the Highland Worlds there.
Speaker 1:I mean, I chose my bank account, helped me choose.
Speaker 4:Reality set in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I chose, but you know, I see every video of every waterfall.
Speaker 3:I was stationed there in the military. Were you really, yeah, 18 months it?
Speaker 4:is a lovely country.
Speaker 3:The people, military, yeah, 18 months. It is a lovely country. The people are fantastic. It is a. It is a beautiful place it really is.
Speaker 1:It was. It was phenomenal every every minute of it was phenomenal, yeah, so that I think I yelled at you to set, because your original goal my original goal was the denny's, yeah, but I mean, we whatever we've picked up that type of weight before in hand.
Speaker 2:This is, this is a manhood stone. This is one of those ones that you know if you're a historian. This is where it was at. You wanted to be on a ship. This would judge when that you could be on the ship. This would judge how much money you might get on a ship. Those manhood stones are legit. I love that concept.
Speaker 1:We need to look more into the thing, like sean does, of the random stones, the rites of passage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those kind of stones he does two vacations a year, because I talk to sean quite often. Yeah, he does one with the family and then he does one like with his dad or with a friend, and that's what they do. They go to iceland or they go to scotland, or you know, they pick up stones and put them on plinths and, yes, uh, speak out or shout out to our friend josh in ohio who has the ohio manhood stone yeah, no, I think that's cool.
Speaker 1:All right, I, I respect and, uh, ret, and I will allow your goal. That's good, because it's going to be your goal as well. Damn it, all right, we're all gonna hurt, oh yeah yes, you are. What do you think scottness is this time to wrap it up?
Speaker 1:I think it's time to wrap it up so for the podcast, my name is john and I'm still scott, I'm dominic, I'm mark. It was great to have you guys and we'll do it again sometime and, uh, call ourselves on our bullshit that we just recorded. Have a good day, people. Bye. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support the podcast, please share it with others, post it on your social media or leave a review. To catch all the latest from us, you can follow us on Instagram at Masters Athlete Survival Guide. Thanks again. Now get off our lawn, you damn kids.