Simon is a 42year old Legal Executive who has weight trained for the past 20 years.  He has taken a year out form competition to build on his strength and technique as an Olympic lifter.  Simon is at the European standard but wants to push on to the Worlds by the time he is 45.  He didn't start Olympic weight lifting until he was 38 years old.
 

Other Physical Activities or Sporting Disciplines: 

Bicycling.
 

Nutrition: 

Breakfast, oats, bacon & eggs, toast (home made bread), mid morning, protein shake, fruit, lunch sandwiches, salad, mid afternoon, protein shake fruit, tea meat, vegetables, chips once a week, red meat twice a week, normal chicken.  Supper, sandwich, glass of skimmed milk

No processed food except for a Saturday night pizza, No sweets (I consider refined sugar a bigger evil than fat) 2 - 3 cups of coffee a day.  No snacks between the snacks -  I try to keep a regular food intake.
 

Supplementation: 

Protein,  a multi vitamin (is good maintenance) and the desiccated liver are just old faithfulls. 
 

Hobbies and Special Interests:

 Simon is a mature student studying law which takes up a large amount of his time.  Simon writes, "I fancied a career change and it is currently paying off.  My main hobbies are my weights and my children the latter being the most demanding.  My 8 year old has just started stick lifting and is amazed at how difficult it is. I live in a large house in Cornwall built in 1860 and this also requires a lot of attention but having just ripped out the kitchen there is some light at the end of the tunnel. I am keen to promote 40+ sports as it seems to me, people give up in their mid thirties when you should be just getting going.

I have competed as a strongman and a powerlifter before switching to Olympic Lifting when I was 38, the sport represents a real challenge in both skill and strength and I am keen to take myself as far as possible in it.
 

Reason for Participating in the Study:

 "I have read on the use of oils as a supplement over a year ago but didn't think anymore of it then I saw this opportunity.  I would like to participate in the study as there seems to be very few Olympic lifters who do this sort of study and I am keen to promote the classic lifts also at 42.  A large amount of studies are done on the young body builders but few on people who are middle aged.  This I think is a shame as there is a misconception when you pass 40 you can never make gains and should never lift a weight (I have been told more than once I should take up golf!) I would just like to show people that you are not too old at 40+ and you can still train and grow and to a world standard."
 

Weightlifting: 

I work a sort of whole body session that is built around the Olympic lifts more than body parts.  Monday, moderate to light weight on all exercises except back squat which is my heavy exercise.  Key exercises are- jerk from rack, back squat, snatch, snatch pull, bench press, average length of workout 1 hour, I try to rest no more than two minutes between sets as this is the turnaround time if you follow yourself when lifting.

Wednesday, moderate to light weight on all exercises except front squat, Key exercises are ,Power clean, clean pull, front press, front squat, arm curl, some CV to finish off., average length of workout 1 hour

Saturday, Heavy day,  Key exercises, snatch, full clean and jerk, lunge squat, (light), deadlift. some CV, average length of workout 1 and a half hours.
 

Exercise

Jerk from rack

Back squat

6to 9

Snatch

6 to 8

2 to 1

Up to 180lbs 200lb

Clean and Jerk

Front Squat

5 to 8

4 to 1

Up to 320 lbs

Arm curl

Bench Press

3

4

Currently up to 220lbs

Deadlift

3 to 6

3 to 1

Currently up to 450 lbs

Snatch pull

3

2/1

220lbs

Clean Pull

3

2/1

300lbs

Front press

4

3 to 1

up to 220 lbs

Health and Fitness Background by Simon Mensell

When I was 15 I really wanted to do weightlifting but the school (Helston Comprehensive) wouldn't let me as they said I didn't have the aptitude.  I messed around with weights until 1981 when I started training with the then Mr. South Coast Body Building Champion, it was great fun though my first session on squats left me able to just about crawl!  I stuck to the training pretty good and was soon training 6 days a week and doing 3333 (three thousand three hundred and thirty three) sit ups on a Sunday, it seemed like a nice round figure.  I was mega fit but never made any sort of size due to poor nutrition. 

It wasn't until 1992 and I entered my first strongman competition that I really got the bug for competitions.  I came second which was my best result as a 'strongman' but it was great fun, the party afterwards was worth the pain!  I then turned to powerlifting and between 1993 and 1998 competed it varying local and regional competitions.  My strength got better and at my very best my total was 610kg  about 1342 lbs at about 95kg 200 lbs. 

By 1998 I was feeling slow and putting on more fat than muscle and as there were several Olympic style liters in the gym I though I would have a go.  I was amazed at how hard it was and the training was very difficult.  The weight fell off me and at last I had a real challenge even if it really hurt at times trying to get into some of the receiving positions. 

Now four years later I have been British Masters Champion once, and briefly held the British record for my age and weight class.  I hold multiple county and regional records for the Olympic and power lifts and odd lifts such as the front squat, front press, (my best lift 225.5lbs for a totally static press) and the press behind the neck for 192.5lbs again in very strict form.

My challenges lie in the improvement of technique and to a lesser degree strength.  As an example I can easily high pull 242lbs for the snatch but I can only just do 200lbs.  I am now going to take a year out to improve my totals, as a guide the British Qualifier is 412.5lbs, the European qualifier is 440lbs and when I am 45 the worlds qualifier is 467.5 lbs.  Watch this space......................

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