Tony Conyers is an example of a powerlifter who is both physically and spiritually strong. As a powerlifter, he has been lifting for over 30 years and has maintained a tremendous amount of strength into his 50’s. As recently as two years ago (in 2015), Tony hit official competition lifts of 580 pounds in the squat, 405 pounds for the bench press, and 665 pounds for the deadlift. This was done at a bodyweight of 155 pounds at the age of 57. The man is strong!
Spiritually Strong
While it is obvious that Tony has placed plenty of emphasis on gaining physical strength, he believes that the spiritual part of a person is even more important than the body. It takes strength to stand up for your beliefs and to live them out when it’s often unpopular to do so. Tony does this and is a dedicated preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ because he cares about people and their spiritual wellbeing.
I’ve been looking for any information about how Tony trains and can only find a little bit on Bud Jeffries website, which discusses 10 Tips that Tony gives on how to train (click here to see the 10 tips). One of the tips that Tony stresses is to master the lifts with great form. Another tip he gives in regard to his training is that he uses a combination of high reps and low reps. He’s not the only great dead-lifter who does this as Lamar Gant and Richard Hawthorne are also great dead-lifters who mix high reps and low reps into their training.
Older Lifters
If you plan on training into your forties, fifties or beyond, let Tony be an encouragement to you. I personally am 54 years old at the time of this writing and believe that with correct training, it is possible to maintain most of your strength throughout your fifties.
I don’t recommend shock training or a severe form of training for an older lifter who has already been training for many years. Patience, precise training, and adding to your workouts little by little are the keys to successful training for an older lifter. The precision point training methods that I recommend in the basics of PPT section of this website offer a form of training that is not overly hard, but hard enough to stimulate strength gains a little at a time.
Learn From Success
Back to Tony Conyers; I want to point out that he is a natural lifter who has been tested many times for steroid use and has always proved to be clean. Though he is fairly small, somewhat old, and a natural lifter, he is strong for any size, any age, and he is stronger than the vast majority of elite lifters on steroids. If you want to be successful, it is wise to learn from those who have succeeded, and Tony’s success would indicate that he is a good person to learn from in regard to growing strong both physically and spiritually. Best of training to you.