91-Year-Old Arizona Man Sy Perlis Breaks Weightlifting Record
June 28, 2013
Story at-a-glance
Sy Perlis, 91, recently broke a nearly decade-old World
Association of Benchers and Deadlifters record in the
90-and-over age division
Perlis didn’t begin weightlifting until he was 60 years old, and
he entered his first competition when he was in his mid-80s
Regular exercise, even initiated late in life, offers profound
health benefits including chronic disease prevention, boosts to
muscle mass and even protection against memory loss
Age is not an impediment to staying physically active. If
anything, the older you are the more important regular exercise
becomes
By Dr. Mercola
Sy Perlis already holds titles as the 2009 state
weightlifting champ and the 2010 and 2011 world champ in the
181-pound weight category in the World Association of
Benchers and Dead Lifters.
But earlier this month he accomplished an even bigger
feat: when he lifted a 187.2-pound weight, he broke the
world record of 135 pounds, which had been in place since
2005. It’s a remarkable victory for any athlete, but what
makes this story particularly noteworthy is the fact that
Perlis is 91 years old.
91-Year-Old Breaks World Weightlifting Record...
Sy broke a nearly decade-old World Association of
Benchers and Deadlifters record in the 90-and-over age
division. What makes this especially extraordinary is that
he didn’t begin weightlifting until he was 60 years old. And
he entered his first competition when he was in his mid-80s.
Unfortunately, increasing physical frailty as you age is
commonly accepted as "a fact of life," and this preconceived
notion often spurs people (either consciously or
subconsciously) to slow down and stop exercising as they get
older. But age is not an impediment to staying
physically active! If anything, the older you are the
more important regular exercise becomes.
While Sy Perlis’ case is certainly not the norm, there’s
no reason why it shouldn’t be. Most of us won’t be breaking
word records in our 90s, but we can all strive to
stay physically fit. In fact, more and more people are
achieving stunning physical accomplishments in their
"golden" years. Most of you are probably familiar with
Jack LaLanne, who was the picture of fitness well into
his 90s, but he is but one example. Others include:
Tao Porchon-Lynch, who is winning ballroom dance
competitions and teaches multiple yoga classes a week at
age 94
Lew Hollander, who became the second 80-year-old to
complete the Ford Ironman World Championship, which
consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a
26.2-mile marathon
Allan Johnson, who, in his 80s, still competes in
rodeo competitions
Sensei Keiko Fukuda, who, at the age of 98, became
the first woman to earn Judo's highest-degree black belt
My Father Is Nearly Sy's Age and Is Better with Non-Exercise
Activity
I recently interviewed Dr. Joan Vernikos, who is the NASA
scientist that helped understand and correct the negative
effects of gravity and how it can reverse the damage that
regularly sitting does.
Well, my dad is 84 years old and has a very sharp mind
that hasn’t lost a beat, and metabolically and
biochemically, he is very healthy. Unfortunately, aging has
affected his structural system quite severely and he really
can’t walk very well without a cane to assist with balance.
This is despite working as a furniture delivery driver for
47 years in which he would regularly move heavy furniture up
flights of stairs. Ever since he retired, he has been doing
two hours of cardio a day. For the last five years I have
encouraged him to add strength training to his routine but
he is somewhat resistant.
However, he did incorporate my latest recommendation for
him to stand up every ten minutes from sitting. And this has
positively affected his mobility. It is already beginning to
make a difference in his balance, which will greatly improve
his quality of life.
Who would have known something as simple as standing up
every ten minutes would help. Please note that it must be
spread out over the day. Simply standing up and down 35
times at once will absolutely not work. It needs to be
spread out throughout the day.
Most of us will not be breaking world records in any
athletic event at any age, let alone at 91. However, nearly
everyone reading this has the potential to have the
flexibility and freedom from structural pain that we had in
our youth. So I would strongly encourage each and every one
of you who spend hours a day sitting in front of a computer
like I do, to integrate the non-exercise activities that Dr.
Vernikos describes.
Not Exercising? What's Your Excuse?
Whether you’ve never exercised before, or have simply
fallen off track, today is the day you can renew your
commitment to physical activity. Remember, you are never too
old to start exercising. My mom is an excellent example, as
she didn't start working out until she was 74 and now, at
the age of 78, she has gained significant improvements in
strength, range of motion, balance, bone density and mental
clarity.
After a bit of apprehension at first, she now, as you can
see on the video below, loves her workouts and, I'm
hoping, will inspire you to get active as well, no matter
what your age.
What Do You Stand to Gain from Exercising?
Research has shown that regular exercise, even initiated
late in life, offers profound health benefits. For instance,
one study of 40 competitive runners, cyclists and swimmers,
ranging in age from 40 to 81, found no evidence of muscle
deterioration -- the athletes in their 70s and 80s had
almost as much thigh muscle mass as the athletes in their
40s.1
Other research has shown:
Even a small amount of exercise may protect the
elderly from long-term memory loss and even help reverse
some of the effects of aging.2
Women between the ages of 75 and 85, all of whom had
reduced bone mass or full-blown osteoporosis, were able
to lower their fall risk with strength training and
agility activities.3
Moderate exercise among those aged 55-75 may cut the
risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which increases
heart disease and diabetes risk.4
Among those who started exercising at age 50 and
continued for 10 years, the rate of premature death
declined dramatically, similar to giving up smoking and
mirroring the level as seen among people who had been
working out their entire lives.5
Special Tips for Exercising in Your Later Years
If you're elderly, it's advisable to get a workout buddy
-- a personal trainer or someone who is experienced -- to
help guide you through your routine. Start off slowly and
gradually increase intensity as you grow stronger, avoiding
activities that aggravate or cause pain. Just keep in mind
that while you need to use caution, you do need to
exercise at a level that is challenging to your body.
Otherwise the true benefits will be forfeited. Ideally
your fitness program should be comprehensive, providing the
necessary balance-training activities for stability while
also improving your strength, flexibility, cardiovascular
fitness and fat-burning capabilities. This includes
activities such as:
High-intensity interval-type training (HIIT) like
Peak Fitness
Once you hit the age of 30, you enter what's called
"somatopause," at which point your levels of HGH begin
to drop off quite dramatically. This decline of HGH is
part of what drives your aging process, so maintaining
your HGH levels gets increasingly important with age.
HIIT boosts your body's natural production of HGH, which
will help address the muscle loss and atrophy that
typically occurs with aging. The higher your levels of
HGH, the healthier, stronger and more “youthful” you
will be.
While HIIT may seem too advanced for the elderly,
don't let the intensity dissuade you! Rest assured you
can perform HIIT at ANY age. The only difference is that
the older you are the lower your maximum heart rate will
be, and the more gradually you will want to increase
your repetitions. I’ve discussed and demonstrated high
intensity interval training exercises on a number of
occasions in previous articles, so for detailed
instructions and demonstrations, please see the
video below.
Whole Body Vibration (WBV)
For seniors who have a hard time performing aerobic
exercise, using a
Whole Body Vibration platform (such as The Power
Plate) can help them improve performance, allowing them
to become stronger, faster and more agile, according to
recent research.6
WBV stimulation affects your entire body musculature, as
well as your internal organs and glands. Your muscle
spindles fire secondary to the mechanical stimulation
produced by the vibrating plate, and this rapid firing
of the muscle spindle causes a neuromuscular response
that leads to physiological changes in your brain as
well as your entire body.
Strength Training
Weight-bearing exercise, like resistance or
strength training, can go a long way to prevent the
loss of bone quality and density, and can help reverse
the damage already done. Interestingly enough, strength
training also has brain-boosting side effects, which can
help you avoid age-related dementia. You can use either
gym equipment or free weights. The former may be safer
if you’re a novice, as free weights will require better
form and control. Whichever one you choose, I recommend
having a trainer take you through each exercise to make
sure you have the proper form performing the exercise,
to avoid injury.
Yoga and Other Forms of Flexibility and Balance
Training
Yoga is particularly useful for promoting flexibility
and core muscles, and has been proven beneficial if you
suffer with back pain. Yoga is also an excellent choice
for helping you improve and maintain your balance,
especially if you include one-legged standing poses (if
you need to use a chair or wall for support, that’s
okay).
Non-Exercise Activity
As I mentioned above, standing up often, walking and
even doing simple everyday movements like bending over
to pick up your newspaper are equally, and possibly
more, important than scheduled exercise sessions.
The more you stay active during the day with
non-exercise activity, the better. If this is a
challenge for you, try spending more time doing hobbies,
like gardening, or volunteering.
Remember, it’s truly possible to get fit at any age. So
don’t let your age hold you back… if anything use it as your
motivation. When it comes to staying in shape and aging
gracefully, Tao Porchon-Lynch, the 94-year-old yoga teacher,
said it well:7