{"id":20239,"date":"2026-05-15T22:17:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20239"},"modified":"2026-05-15T22:17:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T22:17:00","slug":"for-76-year-old-record-setting-powerlifting-nh-couple-life-is-about-reaching-your-full-potential-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20239","title":{"rendered":"For 76-year-old record-setting powerlifting NH couple, life is about reaching your full potential | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p>When David O\u2019Connor and his longtime girlfriend, Loretta Salazar, pull chains on the side of the road, they often get stopped by passersby.<\/p>\n<p>People say they can\u2019t believe that the 76-year-olds can carry those heavy chains, which they always do after a powerlifting session.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor replies by asking the often-younger inquirers a question.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Why aren\u2019t you guys doing it?\u2019\u201d O\u2019Connor said while coaching Megan Smith, a friend of O\u2019Connor and Salazar, in weight training one recent afternoon at the couple\u2019s self-built home, Castle Anam Cara, in Barrington.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor, a Manchester native, and Salazar, who is originally from Exeter, can\u2019t do everything they did when they were 20 or 30 years old. But they live \u2014 and lift \u2014 by the philosophy of reaching the maximum potential of your age.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor and Salazar have had an eclectic life together since they met on a singles whale watch tour in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve been competitive dancers, store owners and bounty hunters, they said. They\u2019re collectors. They spent 20 years on the Renaissance Faire circuit and previously gave tours of their medieval-themed home to grade school classes.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor and Salazar both set Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) world records at the RPS Vermont\/New Hampshire Pro\/Am Powerlifting Championship at The Zoo Health Club in Concord last month. Smith won the deadlift competition in her weight division and age bracket at the competition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re just firm believers in why not operate near your optimal level?\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cWhy operate at 70% and miss all of that great stuff that is there at 80%, 90%?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor won the squat in the 132-pound division of the 75-79-year-old age bracket by lifting a record-setting 156 pounds. The 1971 Dartmouth College graduate also deadlifted 250 pounds to take first place in his weight division and age bracket. It\u2019s the second-best mark ever by an RPS competitor in that weight division and age bracket.<\/p>\n<p>Salazar won the deadlift in the 105-114-pound division for the 75-79-year-old age bracket with her record-setting mark of 160 pounds.<\/p>\n<p>A 54-year-old Rollinsford resident, Smith won the deadlift in the 105-114-pound division for the 50-54-year-old age bracket by lifting 160 pounds \u2014 the second-best mark ever by an RPS competitor in her weight division and age bracket.<\/p>\n<p>A former distance runner, gymnast and rock climber, O\u2019Connor always did weight training to stay in shape for his other sports. Salazar, a dancer most of her life, got into powerlifting because of O\u2019Connor.<\/p>\n<p>Smith started powerlifting with O\u2019Connor and Salazar about nine months ago.<\/p>\n<p>Last year was difficult for Smith. Salazar encouraged her to try lifting because of its mental health benefits.<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u2019t know O\u2019Connor was training her for the RPS competition in Concord until the event was around the corner.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kept coming back because things just rapidly started turning around as far as my mental state,\u201d Smith said in between exercises.<\/p>\n<p>Smith said her friends also helped her focus better and quiet the countless thoughts that used to run through her mind. O\u2019Connor compares channeling your focus to training a poodle to walk straight on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat has literally been lifechanging for me,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor and Salazar, who are both vegetarians, believe there are three pillars to reaching one\u2019s full potential: diet and nutrition, exercise and socialization.<\/p>\n<p>When they speak at 55-plus communities, they tell residents that no matter their age, they have a potential they can reach \u2014 and will enjoy the rewards of doing so.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor notes that research shows heavy lifting is extremely beneficial to seniors\u2019 health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s never too late,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor and Salazar don\u2019t have a set amount of competitions that they want to compete in each year but they\u2019re always active.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor, who went to Manchester Central before studying earth sciences at Dartmouth, and Salazar train at home three times a week.<\/p>\n<p>To celebrate their 76th birthdays, they pulled a 1,000-pound chain down the road with 10 friends last September.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor, Salazar, Smith and some of their friends started the year with a New Year\u2019s Day polar plunge at Jenness State Beach in Rye. Again, Smith learned she was participating in the event at the last minute.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor and Salazar have about six regulars, including Smith, who work out with them at least once a week, including some folks in their 20s.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Connor and Salazar train and educate people free of charge. The couple simply enjoys working out with company.<\/p>\n<p>And the castle door is always open to anyone who wants to join.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe give out and we get it back in \u2014 as it should be in life,\u201d Salazar said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionleader.com\/sports\/for-76-year-old-record-setting-powerlifting-nh-couple-life-is-about-reaching-your-full\/mailto:ahall@unionleader.com\">ahall@unionleader.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unionleader.com\/sports\/for-76-year-old-record-setting-powerlifting-nh-couple-life-is-about-reaching-your-full\/article_9283a9a2-5740-4dc8-9ef0-edffbca6b796.amp.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When David O\u2019Connor and his longtime girlfriend, Loretta Salazar, pull chains on the side of the road, they often get stopped by passersby. People say they can\u2019t believe that the 76-year-olds can carry those heavy chains, which they always do after a powerlifting session. O\u2019Connor replies by asking the often-younger inquirers a question. \u201cIt\u2019s like, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":828,"featured_media":20240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-powerlifting-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>For 76-year-old record-setting powerlifting NH couple, life is about reaching your full potential | Sports - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20239\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For 76-year-old record-setting powerlifting NH couple, life is about reaching your full potential | Sports - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When David O\u2019Connor and his longtime girlfriend, Loretta Salazar, pull chains on the side of the road, they often get stopped by passersby. 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