Old Man Strength!

[gtrfinder]

My grandfather is 82 years old. Air Force vet.
He comes from a different generation. His family didn't have any money growin when he was growing up, so you either worked or you starved.
He never went to the gym or followed an exercise regimen a day in his life until his doctor made him a few years ago, and even then he just went to drink coffee and socialize.
His hands are like iron. When you shake his hand it feels like he could crush yours. My brother is 19 years old and probably at his peak physical condition, but I have no doubt my grandfather could beat him at arm wrestling.

What is it about old man strength?

[gpro34]

Originally Posted by gtrfinder

My grandfather is 82 years old. Air Force vet.
He comes from a different generation. His family didn't have any money growin when he was growing up, so you either worked or you starved.
He never went to the gym or followed an exercise regimen a day in his life until his doctor made him a few years ago, and even then he just went to drink coffee and socialize.
His hands are like iron. When you shake his hand it feels like he could crush yours. My brother is 19 years old and probably at his peak physical condition, but I have no doubt my grandfather could beat him at arm wrestling.

What is it about old man strength?

I would say he's an exception and not the rule. It is a fact that after 35 years of age a man's testosterone begins to drop and only continues as he ages, so most older men will be weaker and not stronger. Maybe he was just stronger than average to begin with.

[TommyGuitar]

My father and my grandfather both have huge forearms and could crush your hand with their grip. I think it's their Slavic genetics.

[Mike9]

I know a lot of old timers who are strong as oxes and I'm 57 and maybe strong as a bull. I have shoulder issues and tendon issues now, but I can still out pull, out lift and out work just about any 20 year old I've met. The majority of young people today have strong thumbs . . . from texting all day, but they're pretty week at everything from there up . . . including what's between their ears. My message to young folks is:

BLOW UP YOUR VIDEO 'FER CHRIST'S SAKE

[Matt_C]

Originally Posted by gtrfinder

My grandfather is 82 years old. Air Force vet.
He comes from a different generation. His family didn't have any money growin when he was growing up, so you either worked or you starved.
He never went to the gym or followed an exercise regimen a day in his life until his doctor made him a few years ago, and even then he just went to drink coffee and socialize.
His hands are like iron. When you shake his hand it feels like he could crush yours. My brother is 19 years old and probably at his peak physical condition, but I have no doubt my grandfather could beat him at arm wrestling.

What is it about old man strength?

I don't know. My father built skyscrapers and was D-day +3 on Iwo Jima. Today, at 85, he bowls in 4 leagues in the winter and mows lawn with a push mower for extra money in the summer.

My father was strong than me until he hit his mid 60's. Today, as I enter my own "old man strength" I could take him, maybe.

[mrbungel]

Reminds me of what my dad taught me when I was a lad. When you shake hands, use a firm grip, squeeze hard. Nothing worse than meeting a young guy as he shakes my hand with a limp girlie touch.

Get off my lawn or I'll crush you with my hands, you wimps!

[XKnight]

Genetics and a bit of luck. Firm handshake is definitely a learned habit.

[JetBlue]

My 72yr old father-in-law can out-work me most days. A few years ago it wasn't even a contest, he'd just leave me in the dust. He was here over the weekend and climbed about 20 feet up one of my pines, with a chainsaw, to cut off a broken limb. I need to get in shape.

[phoenix 7]

Originally Posted by XKnight

Genetics and a bit of luck. Firm handshake is definitely a learned habit.

Yup. And it secretly means, "Don't mess with me or I'll crush you!"

[megatonic]

My Dad worked on the docks of a Dairy for years, pulling 6 foot high stacks of full milk crates & loading them into trucks. He's got a grip that could do damage.

Not related but my best friend's dad owned a dairy farm when we were growing up and he was a tall wirey guy with big hands and alot of strength.

Seems like the country/farming/cowboy life will do that for you.

I had to grapple a couple cowboy dudes in a Jiu Jitsu class some years back, and holy crap! I guess when they're used to wrestling cattle around all day, a 180lb opponent is no big deal.
Seems to last into old age, too.

[silencer eleven]

My Dad is almost 62 and I'm 22. I have two other brothers that are 24 and 28. There is no doubt in any one of our minds that he could not only beat the world out of one of us but the running joke is he would destroy all three of us at the same time. The nicest guy you have ever met but I would NEVER challenge him for fear of my life.

[HeeHaw]

My father was a coal miner his whole life. He was strong as an ox untill cancer took him.

[bard2dbone]

My mom married a loser the first time out of the gate. It took her a while to find a good one. So my Grandpa and I weren't related genetically, but ironically I looked more like him than my cousins who were.

He was a lineman for the phone company for about forty years and even as an 80-year old he was broader and deeper in the chest than an average guy of any age. But most of all people noticed his hands were HUGE. He taught me and my cousin Larry how to crush an apple in one hand.

I'm considerably larger and stronger than a normal person. But I think that's just simple genetics from Mom's loser first husband. I didn't get into this family until I was twelve.

When Gramma and Grandpa had their fiftieth anniversary party, we all had name tags that had the usual "Hello! My name is..." over a blank area to write your name. But under the name space was a section that said how you were related to the guests of honor.

I can't tell you how many white haired old people who'd never seen me before told me they remembered me when I was a baby. But every time one of those old men shook my hand, he'd look down at my hand and say something like "Well I can tell you're Aaron's grandson."

[Jazzydave]

My dad's been a master mechanic for the majority of his life and at 50, still works in boots on hard concrete all day, turning wrenches, mentoring the youngin's, and keeping the emergency response teams out on the road down in TN.

I might be faster, but if he really got a hold of me, I'd be in trouble. His forearms and legs are iron!

[enocaster]

My grandfather is 90 and has just slowed down in the last few years. I recall being at his house as a skinny, weak teenager - he'd be showing me something in his basement and nonchalantly do a dozen pull-ups, talking in a normal tone of voice the whole time. He also ran in 5 and 10K races and sailed all over the world – all well into his 70's.

In his youth he was in an experimental division of the Navy and was the first person to test their ejector seat (on a rigging - not in an actual plane; it was filmed but he doesn't have a copy). He also worked on the A-bomb – and wasn't allowed to tell anyone about it for years. Now, at 90, he still teaches advanced celestial navigation classes for sailing.