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Anthony D'Arezzo Bodybuilder

Interview with Bodybuilder Anthony D'Arezzo

Q. When did you begin training?

A. I started training when I was 15 in order to better myself as a wrestler and football player. I continued to weight train through college (Boston University), but I didn't start seriously body building until I was 24. Unfortunately, I really didn't know what I was doing until about age 30. So, all in all I have been training for about 27 years.

Q. What special training to you provide for the over-40 athlete?

A. First, I assess the condition of the client. It is important to determine whether I am dealing with an active 40 year old or a sedentary one. Obviously, a sedentary 40-year-old will come with his or her own unique limitations, so I try to tailor each of their programs appropriately. However, given an average, active 40-year-old, I will generally train them in all of the basic exercises, but stay away from all high-risk exercises (no squats, no deadlifts, no heavy bench presses, no barbell rowing, etc.). Machines seem to work well, and present minimal risk of injury.

Q. Why do you think there is such emphasis on the over market?

A. I think that in the late 70's to early 80's, after everyone had a chance to see "Pumping Iron, "weightlifting really took off. During that time the weightlifting scene saw an enormous growth, and logically the people most interested were those between the ages of 20-25. Now, some 20 years later, most of those same people are either trying to rekindle the flame, or just better what training they have done over the years. Most of them are not interested in having a 20-year-old kid tell them how to train. They seem much more interested in being trained by a person roughly their age who has reached a high level of success in the field.

Q. Being over 40 yourself, how have you adjusted your workouts?

A. As I said earlier, I really didn't have a true understanding of the sport until I was about 30. After many years of heavy weightlifting and heavy bodybuilding movements, I now train with light to moderate weights using lower risk exercises. Machines and cables are the core on which my routine is based. Also, I find myself doing much more cardio since I turned40. I have found that my heavy training program from my younger years really posed a problem in terms of stress on my joints as I neared40 years old. Once I started to veer away from the heavy weightlifting, I found success in the machine and cable exercises and had much less pain in my joints.

Q. What are your own bodybuilding aspirations etc?

A. After having a hip replaced in May I have not trained them since may will start to train in April. I have to see how my legs are and how they respond to the training the legs are week but my upper body is in good shape. I want to do the Masters Nationals in 2003 or 2006 then Masters Olympia after that. I want to be more active in the sport and talk to people and begin to doing seminars. Doing all what I did before I got hurt. I want to work with people in and out of the sport. I want to get involved in products that I want to sell that I cannot talk about at this time. I want to develop target products with wide appeal. I have worked with professional athletes. And will like to resume this once again in the future.

Q. Please list any success stories of your training persons over 40?

A. I train a guy who is a plastic surgeon who is 54 years old and dating a woman who is 31 years old. He stated that if it was not for his training he would not get this play. Trained for 7 years. He liked the way his body transformed and all the attention he now got.

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