NEW YORK — Demonstrating that age is no barrier to fitness, Sri Chinmoy gave a public demonstration of his weightlifting prowess on Nov. 27 — hoisting a total of nearly 100,000 pounds in 33 separate feats of strength.
The 67-year-old fitness guru, who resumed his weightlifting career after a nine-year gap, said he wanted to prove that heart-power can challenge old age.
“I wanted to show the world that if we can go beyond the mind, then the physical body obeys us.”
Over the course of about three hours, he pushed a 300-pound stack of weights up a metal track 50 times with each arm, hoisted 200 pounds overhead with his right and left arm and did a series of standing and seated lifts using a calf-raise machine. To top everything off, he ended the evening by lifting his own body weight into the air with both arms at the same time.
Master of ceremonies Bill Pearl, five-time Mr. Universe, said, “He wasn’t lifting with his body but with his heart.”
Another member of the audience, former Mr. Olympia Frank Zane, called the evening “totally mind-blowing.”
Sri Chinmoy says he draws his strength from an inner source and hopes his weightlifting will “inspire many people to enter into the spiritual life.”
At the same time, he says he hopes it will also inspire spiritual people to enter into the fitness world.
After the weightlifting demonstration, the spiritual athlete put on another hat, becoming a spiritual musician, and offered a Peace Concert.
Both events were held at York College in Queens.
