AKC Coach pulls 450 @ 66yrs old.
I got a call from Ken Love, a guy who’s been around since the beginning of AKC. He was asking me about Las Vegas and when he should book his flights. He’s coming in to judge Pros and Amateurs and also compete in the Senior Division, Snatch only. I also think he wants to see Denisov at the special Coach Certification in Vegas after the Competition. We’ve gotten a lot on inquiries from existing Coaches to attend the new format Coach Certification with more hands on training, so this has made it reasonable to offer re-certification(2 year) spaces at a very reduced rate to Coaches on a limited basis. We’ve had to turn several away in the last few months already due to limited gym space, so these spots will be available on first-come basis. Coaches should email Krystina…
In the course of the conversation Ken was talking about how he’s been working with the 16kg in Snatch for the most part and the other day pulled 450. He said a few other things and I could have sworn I heard 450. I had to ask. Not because I think everyone is embellishing (just some), but because Ken is 66 and has only been Snatching 16kg! I said, Ken… How much did you deadlift? He said 450 pounds. Ok, it wasn’t a 3, it was a FOUR-50! Just like I thought I heard…
This is the response I got from him after asking for a little background. Things like, what have you been doing? How long? How many times did you deadlift in this cycle to pull 450? How? What? When? I mean, I knew Ken was primarily a 16kg Snatch guy, as he came to Miami and did a demonstration and most of his postings on the Coaches Forum pertain to that. I had to know for sure… So, I asked if he minded if I wrote about it. I said, I’d love to have a picture, and if ever you do it again, I’d love a video. The next day he filmed it again. He then answered my questions for the interview, but there is no way I could write it any better.
In its entirety…
Eric Liford, Editor
Eric,
Monday was my third deadlift since January of 2006 when I had a pr of 470 before I abandoned all barbell training and went strictly to kbs. My first pull in November of 2007 I pulled 405 over at Crossfit Montgomery and it felt relatively easy. Back in January 2008, I did a 580 pull with a couple of farmers walk implements but that lift is a lot easier than a regular deadlift because of the much higher starting point. Then Monday, Mark Lehmkuhl who owns Crossfit Montgomery (he’s attending the AKC cert in Atlanta), invited me to the wod to deadlift and I pulled the 450 with seemingly some left and I did it again today for the video. But to answer your question directly, I have not trained for the deadlift in over two years as you can see. I basically did the deads to see how much pulling strength I had lost. The short answer is I have lost none.
My training in 2006 was basically hard style kb stuff – swings and snatches and occasionally getups, front squats and presses. I hooked up with Steve Cotter in late 2006 and he introduced me to time training ( at this point I believe Steve was making his break with the RKC camp and was or was becoming a disciple of Valery’s methods). I attended the AKC cert in February of 2007 and a training day in April of 2007. I saw the superiority of Valery’s way and became a convert (seeing Marty jerk the 32s blew my mind).
At my age of 66, serious competition with the 32kgs and 24kgs was not a very realistic goal for me so I concentrated on the
16kg snatch. The snatch is my favorite and I have made good progress in terms of time and reps over the past 13 months using Valery’s methods. Basically I snatch 5 times per week with one money set per day of 10 to 14 mins. Doesn’t sound like much to the uninitiated but it suits me and my recovery ability. I do shoulder and hip stretching just about every day and I teach basic swings, presses, push presses, jerks and snatches for Crossfit Montgomery each Saturday. Although my technique is quite modest, I enjoy teaching others.
I got into physical training late in life, around 2001 when I was 60. I am a recovering alcoholic and compulsive gambler – clean and sober since 2/1/99 by the grace of God. As a result of my addictions, I became involved with a recovery ministry called Celebrate Recovery for addicts. I lead Celebrate Recovery each Thursday night and that is my main calling in life. I also work in a family business with my oldest son and my wife and I sit on several for-profit boards of directors for local businesses and a financial institution. But my spare time is for grandkids (4) and kbs.
I will be 67 in July and my weight stays at 200. Due to a lifetime of abuse to my body by alcohol and by my life style, I had several major operations on my intestines during 1992, 1993 and 1994 finally resulting in the removal of my large intestine. Since 2/1/99 I have been relatively healthy albeit I am missing some parts which necessitate ongoing medications.
Ken