BURLINGTON, Ky. — In the pursuit of becoming a world champion arm wrestler, there isn’t much downtime.
“I’ll rest when I die,” said Lanny Julian Jr., during one of his regular workout sessions at the Burlington YMCA.
Some of his workouts look a little different from most, as he uses his trusty arm wrestling table for leverage. Most people at the gym know his routine by now. Julian Jr. gave up on other team sports when he was a kid to focus on arm wrestling.
“It’s weird,” he said. “It was a solo sport, and there’s only one person to depend on, and that was me.”
At 56 years old, Julian Jr. has won 89 titles. He wants to make it to 100, but to do that, he needs to spend countless hours in the gym.
Recently, he competed in Malaysia for the chance to win what would have been his first world championship. He came in fourth place, which he said he was happy with, but not satisfied. He’s now more motivated than ever to live up to the legacy he’s created, and to his name.
“What motivates me? Ice cream,” he said, jokingly. After all, this is someone who cut 70 pounds to make his weight class. But after pondering for a moment, his real answer was: “I love doing it.”
Also, deep down, there’s a shadow he’s trying to escape, and only one way to do it.
“Take first. Next year will be a pretty nice place to take first,” he said.
His wife and number one fan, Julia, will be there, just as she was in Malaysia. Julia “bought her tickets to the gun show” a long time ago, and considers herself the Adrian to his Rocky Balboa.
“I was very proud of him. I go to every tournament,” she said. “I get to be his wife, nurse, cheerleader.”
All the hard work comes with pain, as Julian Jr. explained while grabbing his right thumb, grimacing.
“It hurts pretty bad. At times, it feels like it could be a carpal tunnel going through it. Some of the stuff, I can do it, and never bothers it. Other times it hurts like crazy. But that’s all right,” he said.
It was nothing a quick trip to the sauna couldn’t fix, or at least take his mind off of.
In fact, “mind over matter” is a concept he doesn’t just believe in. To Julian Jr., it’s everything. He even carries his jersey from the World Championships around with him. “To always look at it. Keep visualizing, always visualize. I’m telling you, you can visualize this stuff to have it,” he said.
It doesn’t really matter how tough the guy in front of him is, or how big their bicep is.
Before Julian Jr. left to go home for the day, there was one thing he couldn’t leave behind.
“Probably the hardest part is taking it apart and putting it together,” he said, while taking down his arm wrestling table.
He’s had the table for decades. It once belonged to an important figure in his life: his father. And it goes everywhere he goes. Even if it’s a pain to move around.
“This table is way, way too heavy,” he said, loading it into his car.
It was a long day working out. Awaiting him at home were reminders of what he’s accomplished, and reminders of the man he’s chasing.
Arm wrestling is a small sport. The number of professionals like Julian Jr is in the hundreds, and he doesn’t get paid to compete in tournaments. In fact, he often has to pay out of his own pocket. But to him, it’s never been about the money. His whole life he’s been compared to the man who gave him his table, and he wants to put those comparisons behind him.
“It’s pretty much all I’ve been thinking about. I’m looking forward to next year,” he said.
Getting home meant it was finally time to relax for a little bit before he was back at it the next day. Sometimes the “relax” part is difficult. Balance is something he’s striving for. However, that balance and greatness don’t always go hand in hand, especially for someone who wants to maintain their greatness in their senior years.
A good support system helps keep him feeling young. Watching back videos of his matches in Malaysia help keep his fire burning.
But the person who truly inspires Lanny Julian Jr. is Lanny Julian Sr., as he explained while looking at pictures of a younger version of his father.
The original Lanny Julian was an arm wrestling world champion. It’s the one title his son has not yet earned. A lot of people want to be like their parents, but Lanny Jr. wants to be better. While his father is still alive, they don’t talk much about arm wrestling.
“I watched him win a lot of contests and I want to win a lot of contests, too. I’m catching up to him now. If he can do it, I can do it, too,” he said.
The next major tournaments on his radar are the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in February, followed by Nationals in April. He plans to once again compete in the World Championships next year, and this time, bring home the title of world champion.