#14: Ever Upward and Onward: Greysteel Athlete John C.

A profile of Greysteel Athlete John C., a 90 year-old WWII era vet who's just getting started.

[@DocBonyBone]

This is a great video! It is really helpful to see a guy with limited mobility issues still doing the Big Three Lifts with some modifications and enjoying progress and the comradery of the gym. I applaud Sully, Rippetoe, and all the Starting Strength coaches.

[@GreySteel]

Thank you!

[@thomashugus5686]

Motivation personified!!

[@toddk2737]

I'm 58 and just discovered the starting strength program. I hope to be like this gentlemen when I'm 90.

[@DarvisSimms]

What a great testament to the benefits of strength training. Thank you for sharing this motivating video.

[@GreySteel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@martytate]

At 8:07 John said his goal was to deadlift 200lbs. Just watched the video uploaded 10-26-19 where he pulled 235! Nice work!

[@joshuatate5671]

Yep.

[@randysanecki9681]

God Bless! I'm 61 and been lifting heavy now religiously for 3 yrs. Strongest (and healthiest) I've ever been! I only hope I can continue (and make it) to my 90's. Because of the amazing health benefits, I Wish I could get my Mom & Dad to start a routine. But unfortunately they are stuck in their old ways. Lift HEAVY, eat right and get sleep, BR

[@malcolmhales8181]

Sir, you are a true light in these times of darkness.

[@jeffreybabino1411]

I give this man a load of credit god bless you john

[@spyman52]

He's to what we all aspire. Hope he is still at it.

[@craigclaassen8153]

AWESOME Mr Claassen. I’m a Claassen too, but in Oregon. I’m 69 and lift with barbells too. Started 20 months ago. I plan to lift until I die because it does work. At 190, I’ve worked up to 950lbs (SBD) to date. God bless. You inspire me!

[@stevet6676]

Fantastic. I wish I could have convinced my Mom to do this. I watched her become decrepid as she aged until she could not even climb up 3 or 4 normal stairs. Your work here is so important for us as a nation, thank you.

[@TheEpicBeastyGamerPlays]

This man is an inspiration! - a TRUE LEGEND! 👍👌💪💪

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Man a great story god bless you✝️

[@CarnifaxMachine]

There's a reason this has 0 dislikes.

[@joshuatate5671]

Still doesn't

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Man if someone dislikes this story thay don't have a heart

[@mdlm2011]

I cannot begin to express how awesome this was! So amazing

[@GreySteel]

Since this video was made, John has achieved 162 lbs on the squat, 90 on the bench, and 210 on the deadlift--well over the goals he stated. He is, indeed, amazing.

[@mdlm2011]

@@GreySteel It's that generation, tough as nails. Keep up with all the great work you do Sully!

[@carnivorehitman]

Holy fuck!!! That's awesome! I know dudes my age (37) who cannot do that! Tell him much respect from a random German fan!

[@__oK__]

Thank you for a good video! I am 35-years old, fresh Personal Trainer from Finland. My goal is to make people live longer and I plan to coach elder people mostly. Now I have 49- and 57-years old customers, so I think it is a good start :)

[@GreySteel]

Keep up the good work!

[@neilreid2298]

This is inspiring. I joined a local gym today, and have increased my walking distances from ¼ mile to now 3 - 6 miles a day. Looking forward to many more years of good health and happiness.

[@Geezerelli]

Knees over toes😊

[@josephcroft4268]

well done John i am 76 myself & i train 4 times a week on a split routine & twice a week normally Wednesday & Sunday i do deadlift only , Muscles use them or lose them

[@spyman52]

...and well done to you.

[@josephobrien2680]

Great job John C. and Dr. Sullivan!!

[@xyzct]

John entered a weightlifting contest at 92 and deadlifted 215, 225, and 235lbs during the contest.

[@originalmacefit]

Much respect, Sir!

[@richharover495]

How inspiring! Great work Sully - you're lucky to have him as a client...he's a gem.

[@wl1660]

You are an inspiration, John. Wish I were training at the same time as you! Onward and upward. Your words have special meaning!

[@anthonyluisi7096]

Very inspirational...I promise I will not complain about my life anymore ... Sully is doing God’s work 👍👌

[@josephorr9475]

Great work Sullivan. Your videos are helping my wife and I convince our parents.

[@GreySteel]

Then I have done a good day's work. Get them under the bar!

[@joshuatate5671]

Yes, good work!

[@jomercerlmt5727]

I love that "I take iron" t-shirt! Keep up the good work, John!

[@alexkimi5060]

Great video, lots of good messages throughout. Well done to all involved.

[@saltrock9642]

Going into our elder years with all the momentum possible. 💪

[@tunairaiol]

Another beautiful and inspiring video, thanks a lot!

[@GreySteel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@apositiveattitude]

John, you rock!

[@jneal45]

Great, inspiring story! Respect to coach and athlete!

[@elenchanted9904]

Thats my grandpa! :D

[@The806Traveler]

What a great story!

[@Veritas3979]

Please post video updates on this hero’s strength journey! What an inspiration!

[@Cersei78]

Inspirational video. Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait till I can do this for my patients.

[@jimhuerta9038]

This is the best video I’ve viewed in years, I hope John C is still doing well and still under the bar👍👍

[@Harry_16710]

That's outstanding! 👍🏼🇺🇲💪🏽

[@keenanschouten2582]

Single best video on the internet.

[@alexander.starbuck]

Amazing, warm and inspiring! I'm about to start training my mom and (if heavens don't collide) my father in law :) and these videos are tremendous assistance. I can't recall how many times your book was an inspiration to myself, with my own training. A sincere thank you, dr. Sullivan!

[@roryhartmann7468]

excellent video! extremely inspirational.

[@damianlang1855]

Badass! Wow! If you're not inspired by that then check for a pulse.

[@jeffreybabino1411]

Wow love John's story great

[@eatmeatandliftweights5754]

So inspiring!! Well done!

[@pnkflyd61]

Wow! Amazingly inspirational!

[@christophereccleston9800]

Arrhhh man what can I say I'm 55 full of arthritis But I'm still in the gym Your unbelievable man

[@loosegoose2466]

Great video. Well done john.

[@joethomas909]

What an epic motivational video. Truly touching and inspiring thanks to everyone and special thanks to Dr Jonathan

[@jgberret3876]

Beyond inspiring. Hoping I can keep up w you

[@sergiobolota7904]

Great video i, m from Portugal. I love that gym I, m a 51 years old if I live in América I wod go to that gym.

[@syon]

Awesome

[@jbjb4411]

You got to love everyone at this gym great coaches great work everyone your an inspiration to all of us that love lifting heavy metal .

[@Moestrength50]

Awesome, I love these videos. Very inspiring. Where can I get that shirt. Love it.

[@billg1995]

Awesome video!!!

[@sdc7823]

MOTHER EFFING INSPIRING!! I usually don't watch or comment on pieces like this but hey, it's a slow night. Ha. Ha. Weight training can benefit everyone. Men. Women. Everyone. Start slow and have realistic expectations to start and you will see results. GO AHEAD, BIG POPPA

[@dadbod614]

3:10 hot damn - good for this guy. that's incredible.

[@eatmeatandliftweights5754]

Great work, inspirational!

[@blackmetalstrengthtraining6867]

Great video as always Sully. I love seeing people like John making progress and getting rid of their unnecessary daily pain. I noticed you have tapered belts in your gym. Do you like those for a specific reason? My contention has always been that tapered belts are not as good as fixed width belts.

[@sullydawg]

People tend to bring in cheap tapered belts. A lot of our lifters have very nice belts from Inzer and Best Belts, too. For most Masters, the difference is not nonexistent...but also not critical. I don't think the taper detracts anything...it just doesn't add anything. Waste of cow. I find that once people have trained for a year or two, they'e ready to invest in a Best Belt or an Inzer.

[@martytate]

I love this video!

[@GreySteel]

John continues to progress! He deadlifts 175, squats 155, and bench presses 77. He also pushes the prowler, for high-intensity cursing. :) We're very proud of him.

[@ASMRJapan]

I was 600th thumb up. Impressive old guy.

[@gregorymccoy6797]

I like this guy.

[@moneytimesfifteen]

I was not expecting this guy to be able to squat that low and do the lifts unmodified to this degree

[@joshuatate5671]

This man is one of the many reasons why the haters to this model can take a long walk off a short pier.

[@GreySteel]

:)

[@terenceridley4816]

great stuff

[@Gongchiu]

This was a great video Sully! I was wondering, all those squat shoes you have in the shoe rack, what sizes did you buy and are they specifically for your clients to use? Furthermore, do you also keep knee sleeves and knee wraps for your clients to use in your gym as well?

[@Bambibot]

Good video :D

[@willwyatt7023]

I WANT ONE OF THOSE SHIRTS!!!!!!!

[@apositiveattitude]

You can get the t-shirt here: sellmytees.com/greysteel

[@charleschen4766]

“Not in my gym”, like it!

[@leoniane2050]

respect

[@tmcook6161]

Inspiring

[@reyreyes6126]

those plates look real LOL

[@alanburdick7732]

Very inspiring video. Who would you refer to start training in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles area.

[@davidleonel5033]

Amazing!

[@hussainnabi1232]

Amazeing

[@Kennych100]

Inspiring!! Thanks

[@lmao67777]

AMAZING

[@chrisrodriguez4139]

Such an awesome shirt!

[@GreySteel]

Thanks. sellmytees.com/greysteel

[@winstonpeckson8019]

That was 6 yrs ago. How is he now? He must be 98 yrs old by now

[@GreySteel]

97. Since then he's survived COVIDx2, a nearly fatal bout of gallstone pancreatitis and sepsis, and one or two other near misses. He's lost strength, but he still trains like a beast twice a week.

[@tsgtr]

Great video. How's John doing?

[@GreySteel]

Funny you should ask. John is 91 now. He's running a highly individualized Heavy-Light program with emphasis on maintaining intensity and keeping volume high enough to drive progress without aggravating his creaky joints or wearing him out. It's a balancing act. He's hitting new 1RM and 3RM PRs every week. This morning he hit 155 on the squat and put up a 9lb PR on the bench at 80 lbs. On Monday he got 177.5 on the dead. He plans to get 200 before his birthday, and damn if he ain't gonna get it.

[@sullydawg]

Aaand he will squat 170 this week. His deadlift is at 208 lbs.

[@muffidge]

Massive, massive respect to yourself, Rip and all your coaches for taking on us old 'uns and showing the medical profession that there is never an age when you can't start lifting! Give me farhv :-)

[@GreySteel]

He's up to 210 on the dead, 162 on the squat, 90 on the bench. Boom!

[@elenchanted9904]

I'm his granddaughter! He is going to visit my family in a few weeks and my mom and aunt are very excited to see him :) I'm far from home at the moment serving in Americorps but I have been promised a face time.

[@gautam54362]

hi doc are you training to make some good coaches?

[@tracythompson1692]

In 2022 After 4 yrs is he still at it?

[@GreySteel]

Yep. Missed a year due to lockdown, did our lockdown program, came back and worked his way back up. He pulled 175x3 the other day; squat is up to 117.

[@ohforfxcksake]

Man !

[@davidpenfold]

200lb deadlift goal? You laugh at 200lb! 235 FTW 😎

[@GreySteel]

THat's RIGHT!

[@kacperjadacki3542]

What about his spine position in for example deadlift? Is this not dangerous for him? I look forward to answer :) greetings

[@GreySteel]

Why would it be? That is his spine. That's as straight as it gets. He's 94 years old and kyphotic. His choice is simple: He can be 94 years old and kyphotic and strong, or he can be 94 years old and kyphotic and weak. He made his decision over 5 years ago, and his back hasn't broken yet. That has to MEAN something, don't you think?

[@eddiehowarth7275]

Well said sully

[@retire14pattaya9]

Is he still around?

[@GreySteel]

Yep. Still training.

[@shelleycharlesworth2929]

wow

[@oliverallen5324]

“I was born in Nebraska.” There’s your problem right there 🙂

[@GreySteel]

Huh?

[@oliverallen5324]

@@GreySteel People from Nebraska are plucky by nature. John C exemplifies this.

[@ameykadam3272]

3:17

[@ybesom]

ASE'

[@uptowngrafx]

100% Awesomeness!!