Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
Lawrence Lazarow, left, receives a surprise cake from his wife, Angela Lazarow, celebrating 50 years of working out, while lifting buddy Ron Haines looks on.
|
ENLARGE
|
Lawrence Lazarow works out in a fitness room of Club Sierra Sports and Fitness in Grass Valley Saturday morning.
|
Lawrence Lazarow had an uplifting anniversary Tuesday.
With a big grin and a cake to mark the occasion, Lazarow, 70, celebrated 50 years of working out with - what else - several hours of weightlifting at Club Sierra in Grass Valley.
"This is my playground, said Lazarow, scanning the gym and talking about one-half century of lifting weights for fitness. "It gives me an endorphin high and it was a sport I always loved."
He could bench press 435 pounds during his 20s. Lazarow, now 70, stands five foot-eight inches tall and weighs 185 pounds. These days, he goes for more repetitions and less weight these days to avoid injury.
"I still work intensely, more than most guys 70," Lazarow said. "I don't push it to extremes." But he spends five days a week in the gym, "doing two to three hours of considerable activity. I also sometimes walk and I do the (stationary) bike. I also do an hour of stretching and abdominal work."
His wife, Angela Lazarow, marked the exact day he started his work-outs 50 years ago with a surprise party at the gym, adorning the workout area with fit-looking photos from his earlier years.
With a big grin and a cake to mark the occasion, Lazarow, 70, celebrated 50 years of working out with - what else - several hours of weightlifting at Club Sierra in Grass Valley.
"This is my playground, said Lazarow, scanning the gym and talking about one-half century of lifting weights for fitness. "It gives me an endorphin high and it was a sport I always loved."
He could bench press 435 pounds during his 20s. Lazarow, now 70, stands five foot-eight inches tall and weighs 185 pounds. These days, he goes for more repetitions and less weight these days to avoid injury.
"I still work intensely, more than most guys 70," Lazarow said. "I don't push it to extremes." But he spends five days a week in the gym, "doing two to three hours of considerable activity. I also sometimes walk and I do the (stationary) bike. I also do an hour of stretching and abdominal work."
His wife, Angela Lazarow, marked the exact day he started his work-outs 50 years ago with a surprise party at the gym, adorning the workout area with fit-looking photos from his earlier years.
Lazarow's love of the gym and fitness started when he saw an old Charles Atlas bodybuilding ad in the back of a magazine. That ad and the prowess of Paul Anderson, the 1956 Olympic super-heavyweight American gold medal winner, pushed him.
"In the early years, there wasn't much to lift," Lazarow said. "There were bars with concrete cans on the end, and that was about it. ... Gyms used to be kind of rough places. They were for boxers."
But then one day while in college in Ohio, Lazarow found some bars at the United States' first national workout franchise, American Health Studios. He found himself surrounded by competitive and world-class lifters.
"It was Dec. 26, 1956," Lazarow said. "I'd never been in that kind of environment. ... I fell in love with it and went almost every day, even on weekends, It was my social life as well."
The weightlifting scene started to change. By 1964, Lazarow was living in Southern California, and he joined Bill Pearl's famous gym.
"Before, it was just gym rats," Lazarow said of health clubs in general. "And then the equipment got much better, and I saw athletes start coming to the gym," including professional wrestlers.
"In the early years, there wasn't much to lift," Lazarow said. "There were bars with concrete cans on the end, and that was about it. ... Gyms used to be kind of rough places. They were for boxers."
But then one day while in college in Ohio, Lazarow found some bars at the United States' first national workout franchise, American Health Studios. He found himself surrounded by competitive and world-class lifters.
"It was Dec. 26, 1956," Lazarow said. "I'd never been in that kind of environment. ... I fell in love with it and went almost every day, even on weekends, It was my social life as well."
The weightlifting scene started to change. By 1964, Lazarow was living in Southern California, and he joined Bill Pearl's famous gym.
"Before, it was just gym rats," Lazarow said of health clubs in general. "And then the equipment got much better, and I saw athletes start coming to the gym," including professional wrestlers.
He knew things had really changed the day he saw the Dodgers second baseman in the gym lifting weights.
"Now it's commonplace," Lazarow said. "Training for all the pro teams includes weight training of some kind."
According to Lazarow, "It's a social enterprise as well. It's always been that way."
Lazarow's lifting buddy, Ron Haines of Grass Valley, agrees.
"We're old gym rats together," Haines said while pumping Lazarow's strong hand in congratulations Tuesday. "Fifty years, man, and you're still looking good!"
50 years lifting, 25 loving
"Now it's commonplace," Lazarow said. "Training for all the pro teams includes weight training of some kind."
According to Lazarow, "It's a social enterprise as well. It's always been that way."
Lazarow's lifting buddy, Ron Haines of Grass Valley, agrees.
"We're old gym rats together," Haines said while pumping Lazarow's strong hand in congratulations Tuesday. "Fifty years, man, and you're still looking good!"
50 years lifting, 25 loving
Angela Lazarow thought Larry Lazarow was looking good when she spotted him at a party 25 years ago. He asked for her phone number, and she figured that would be it.
But soon they were dating and one day, in her backyard, he took his shirt off for a picture. She was admiring the photo Wednesday at the celebration.
"That was July 18, 25 years ago," Angela Lazarow said. "That body got me going."
She's learned to live with his workouts and started them herself two years ago.
"Larry is religious about the gym," Angela Lazarow said. "If he misses a couple days, sometimes he's a little hard to live with, but he's in darn good shape."
The Lazarows moved to Nevada County about 20 years ago, "because God told me to," Larry Lazarow said. It's something he tells people all the time, including the person he bought his house from.
But soon they were dating and one day, in her backyard, he took his shirt off for a picture. She was admiring the photo Wednesday at the celebration.
"That was July 18, 25 years ago," Angela Lazarow said. "That body got me going."
She's learned to live with his workouts and started them herself two years ago.
"Larry is religious about the gym," Angela Lazarow said. "If he misses a couple days, sometimes he's a little hard to live with, but he's in darn good shape."
The Lazarows moved to Nevada County about 20 years ago, "because God told me to," Larry Lazarow said. It's something he tells people all the time, including the person he bought his house from.
After years as an engineer, Lazarow went back to college and spent eight years as a psychotherapist.
"For eight years, I was a shrink," Lazarow said, but the cerebral work did not get in the way of the physical love of lifting.
Now retired, you can find Lazarow lifting almost any day at Club Sierra.
"I've been in 17 different gyms," throughout the years, he said. "This one has been the longest, since about 1990."
It doesn't look like he'll be leaving anytime soon.
ooo
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
"For eight years, I was a shrink," Lazarow said, but the cerebral work did not get in the way of the physical love of lifting.
Now retired, you can find Lazarow lifting almost any day at Club Sierra.
"I've been in 17 different gyms," throughout the years, he said. "This one has been the longest, since about 1990."
It doesn't look like he'll be leaving anytime soon.
ooo
To contact Senior Staff Writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
