Lifting weights and the wonder of fitness exhibitions

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Lifting weights and the wonders of fitness exhibitions
Meet the Owls. An insight into my interests in lifting weights, fitness exhibitions, bodybuilding and strongman.

Posted by Rick Gould on 02 June 2025

In this blog

What's the appeal?
Where does fitness fit into all of this?
What's next?

I've enjoyed a variety of sports and ways to keep fit throughout my life, but there's always been one constant for me - lifting weights (and with that an interest in strongman competitions, bodybuilding, and more recently fitness exhibitions).

Attending the Arnold Sports Festival UK last year (I'm the one on the left).

What's the appeal?

Just in case the photo above isn't evidence enough, I won't be competing anytime soon! I am however genuinely impressed by those whose dedication to their chosen sport allows them to battle it out with the best, whether it's athletes combining amazing levels of fitness across different disciplines or the giant strongmen who perform superhuman displays of strength.

One of the strongmen in action at the recent FitXPO in Bolton.

The exhibitions are a great place to gather with people who have a passion for fitness, and are also a fantastic place to meet elite athletes:

Wesley Vissers bodybuilding classic physique

2024's double Arnold Classic Physique winner Wesley Vissers with the author (this time the one on the right).

Meeting the elite bodybuilders and strongmen in person is a little like going to one of those oversized discovery centres, only it's backs like barn doors and hands the size of shovels rather than giant insects!

Me with UK strongmen Terry Hollands and Adam Bishop (this time I'm in the centre).

And it's not just for me! The exhibitions and people at them are so welcoming and the events are incredibly family-friendly, so we all get something out of the day!

Meeting and chatting with our favourite Gladiator - Giant (Jamie Christian).

Where does fitness fit into all of this?

The main thing I aim for these days is consistency, which usually means getting up at 05:30 and trying my best not to disturb anyone else in the house by dropping my dumbbells too loudly.

I use Arnold Schwarzenneger's The Pump fitness app. It plans all the workouts for me and helps me keep track of my progress each week. My morning's workout at the time of writing looks like this:

Exercise	Reps	Sets	Rest time
Dumbbell Front Lunge	10	4	1 minute
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (superset with squats)	10	4
Dumbbell Squat (superset with deadlifts)	20	4	30 seconds
Dumbbell Curl (superset with triceps extensions)	12	4
Dumbbell Seated Triceps Overhead extension (superset with curls)	20	4	45 seconds
Preacher Concentration Curls	15	4	30 seconds
Weighted Pushups	20	5	30 seconds

Over the last year of using the app, it's helped motivate me to train more consistently and effectively than at any other time in my life.

What's next?

Studies suggest that after the age of thirty you lose 3%-5% of muscle per decade, with the highest rate of loss falling on those people who are inactive. I might never get my hands on a trophy for lifting but if I can stay fit and active and fend off that muscle loss for years to come then each rep will be well worth it!

Mark Felix was still competing in the World's Strongest Man competition at 57 before switching to the Masters (50+) World's Strongest Man, so I might still have time!

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