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Michael Ives 64

This month, at the age of 64, Michael Ives set a personal record he never thought possible. He competed in his 100th bodybuilding tournament, the prestigious Shawn Ray Hawaiian Classic Physique Show. Incredible, not because of his age, but for how far he has come. His is a story of perseverance, of belief, and proof that it is possible to overcome insurmountable odds.

In an emotional interview with Growing Bolder’s Bill Shafer, Ives explained that he was just sixteen years old when the accident happened. He was at work when he was nearly killed in an industrial bailing machine. “Two beams the size of railroad ties clamped down on my arms,” he explained. “It actually lifted me a foot off the ground and pulled me in.”

He hung there, screaming until someone found him 30 minutes later. When he regained consciousness, he was at the hospital. “I remember the doctor telling my dad, ‘We need to amputate those arms at the elbows.’”

They explained to his father that the chances were no better than 50 percent that Ives’ arms would ever properly heal. “My father told them, ‘I owe it to my son to give him that chance.’ I’m forever grateful that he did.”

Recovery was slow and the pain was unbearable. “It was a constant pain, so strong it would wake me up in the middle of the night,” Ives remembered. “All I could do was lay there, rub my arms and cry.”

Ives was an active person, a hard worker who struggled from doing nothing. He wondered if exercise would help so he bought a set of weights. “My doctor said, ‘No, no, you don’t want to work out, it is not good for the tendons and ligaments.’ But I could not take it anymore, so I went against his orders and kept at it.”

He noticed almost immediately that using his arms made the constant pain subside, at least for a while. He kept at it, pushing himself through days, weeks, and months of constant exercising. Not only could he feel results, but he could also see them. His arms were gaining strength, in fact his whole body was changing and developing.

For the first time since the accident Ives did not feel embarrassed by his withered arms anymore. He began to feel proud of his body. To keep himself motivated he entered a bodybuilding competition, but this time it was his pride that was crushed as he did not place. It was humbling but it made him even more determined to keep working and to keep building strength.

It was a turning point. Ives no longer saw himself as the man with the shattered arms, he now saw himself as a bodybuilder. Working out became his daily dose of medicine. He turned away from the temptation of shortcuts, choosing to be as nutritious and clean as possible. He ate so many vegetables that even his competitors noticed, giving him the nickname, Broc Man.

Ives, who began working out as a last chance effort to save himself, has accomplished much more than he ever expected. He has also become an inspiration for others. “For the longest time it was all I could do to find a way to believe in myself,” he said. “So, if I can be that guy that people point at and say, ‘If he can do it, so can I,’ that's exactly who I want to be.”