Ron Edwards: 71-Year-Old Powerlifter

Posted September 2, 2009, 10:59 am in Weightlifting
Credit Katy Widrick

At 71 years old, Ron Edwards is making international headlines for the types of activities those young enough to be his grandkids are trying to master.


He's the reigning world record-holder for the 70-74 age group in powerlifting, and with numbers like these, you know he's one tough guy:

• Dead lift (502.5 pounds)
• Squat (501.5 pounds)
• Bench Press (314 pounds)
• Total (1,317 pounds)
  

He put up (literally) those numbers at the 2009 AFP Masters Nationals, and as he loaded up the bar for each attempt, Edwards found himself with quite a fan club!



To get (and keep) his body into the kind of shape needed to stand out from the crowd, Edwards has a pretty punishing schedule.


He's been seriously training since 2007, although he was a bit of a gym rat as a young man, and he puts in more than six hours a week at the gym. Edwards, who is married with two children, says it's a drive that goes back to childhood, when he used to climb everything in sight! His wife Lana calls Edwards her "alter ego" and says she encourages his inner daredevil to come out.



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