let me help you...

My name is Rick Magers and I'll be your trainer...this is what I can tell you about me. Growing up in the state of Indiana, my big interest was always sports. One thing I knew for sure was that I was strong. Maybe from the fact that I helped my dad in his tavern business by cleaning it on Sundays. Whatever the reason, while in high school, I walked into the YMCA one day to see if they had a weight room. What I found was that they had a weightlifting team that was coached by Bill Starr. For those of you who do not know this man, he was not only a top notch lifter, but also became one of the most knowledgeable men in the sport. I became infatuated with training, probably because our team entered alot of contests and I was lucky enough to have won a few trophies. Back then my heroes were guys like Bill Pearl and Larry Scott. Thinking back, I remember when we went to a contest and I stood next to Sergio Olivo. Moments like that you never forget. After high school I went to Youngstown State University, where they had a nice training area and worked out with Phil Grippaldi,who was going to school there. For those who don't know who Phil was, he was a national record holder and Olympic medalist. He also had one of the biggest set of arms I'd ever seen. From there I went to the University of Alabama and was a member of their weightlifting team, which was outstanding. After graduating from there I married and continued to workout but did not compete anymore. At some point my wife told me she was tired of cleaning all the trophies in the house and I had to agree. Fast forward to the present. I now carry an AARP card but still train 6 days a week. I travel around the country with my wife so I get a chance to train at quite a few different gyms. I can honestly say that my age doesn't concern me at all. I still feel like I'm 25 and get a kick when I workout with younger guys who can't handle the weight I'm using. I wanted to share my knowledge with anyone who is considering working out. The one thing I can guarantee you is this. The advice you get will be from someone who has learned from experience. Keep in mind...you CAN workout forever.