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Here is my February update on my beard. Although mostly head hair is shown here, beards are important to some of us as well. What do you guys think? I am considering growing it to full (terminal) length. The longest strands exceed 8 inches now. My first goal is 12 inches, but I hope it will get longer than that.
Absalom
Your beard seems to be growing great there, Absalom, looks quite splendid. I wonder how long you have been growing it? I was wondering what kind of terminal length can be expected from beard hair? I just reached the 3 week mark with my beard today, it's probably around 1/2 inch or so. I don't anticipate growing anything as magnificent as yours, however.
Keep everything growing,
David
Hey David, I have been growing it since September 2005. It grows about 7/16" of an inch per month.
Absalom
And I should have mentioned, echoing what the other guys have said, you are SERIOUSLY fit, one heck of an athlete! That heart rate for a 50 plus that Bill mentioned is nothing short of phenomenal.
David
Looking at you makes me think about what a real man would look like a thousand years ago.
Long hair and beard with a strong body, that is what ALL men should be like, wish i could go back to those times when men were men :(
Respect :P
Dude, you're ripped! Congrats on your obviously high fitness level!
Absalom not only has great muscular fitness, he also has incredible aerobic fitness. He is around 50 years old, and he can walk up thousand foot high very steep hills like they are flat. I've hiked with him so I know. His resting heart rate is about 35.
He also has a faster hair growth rate than average and an extremely long terminal length for his mane by any standards, but especially considering his age, since both of those decrease as we grow older.
Absalom is one lucky dude (and of course he works for what he has, too - hair care and staying in shape is work - what he has does not come to the lazy).
Bill
Actually 35 is the lowest I have ever measured in my lifetime on maybe 2 occasions. A range of 40 to 46 is more typical for me.
I am not sure just how fast my head hair grows. It probably grows faster than 1/2" per month, considering its length. In addition, I have a very long growth cycle.
It does take a lot of work. Consider me to be high maintainance. Lots of exercise greatly reduces risk of heart disease and cancer. I plan to continue until I die of natural causes.
Absalom
Mine is in the 50s when at rest, although sometimes it will come in at 49. The lowest I know of its being was when I was in the hospital in October. It was continuously being monitored and they told me it sank to 43 in the middle of the night while I was sleeping once.
For those who don't know, the heart rate is generally one measure of aerobic fitness, with a lower rate indicating higher fitness. We are talking "beats per minute" here. If I have a usual heart rate of 50, my heart will only work half as hard as someone who has a heart rate of 100, and having the lower rate is a good thing.
Just watch out for the cars! (Absalom gets in several dozen miles of bike riding each week.)
Bill
Yes, I am in agreement with that!!! And Absolom, your beard is looking very nice too!
Hi Jason, I tend to be a little shy, but I got brave and did my beard growth update without my shirt. The beard shows up better with bare skin as a background.
I do strength training as a sideline, my main focus is maximum aerobic fitness.
Absalom
Hey Scott
The beard looks great just where you have it to me. If you grow it longer and decide you don't like it the remedy is easy to get back to where you are now.
And of your fitness...........ASTONISHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Justin~
Hey Justin, aren't you growing a beard too??? Did I just imagine that or did you mention it? Can't wait to see it...
Bragi
Hi Bragi
No, you didn't imagine it, I mentioned it in a post to one of our members a few weeks ago who had just started-out growing one and it looked really good. So, I started, and after 5 days didn't like what I saw so shaved it off. (Too much Salt and pepper.) But, (Just like those who cut all of their hair off and later regret)the same happened to me. I am now in my 2nd day of letting things go for at least a month.......salt and pepper despite! Besides, I NEVER gave it the 2 weeks rule. LOL :-)
Take care -
Justin~
Hi Justin,
I was wondering that myself, I remember you mentioning to Jeffrey that you were thinking about trying one. If you decide to go for the full month, PLEASE post some pictures, before deciding whether to keep or trim. I am at 3 weeks into my FIRST EVER beard, and I am liking the overall look, even with some salt and pepper, lol, I will probably keep it for now.
All the best,
David
Ah! That's right. It WAS Jeffrey! Will be sure and post whatever the outcome happens to be. When younger (Late 1800's)"LOL" I liked a beard alot and had one for a time. And there is NO denying that Long Hair and Beard compliment one another greatly!
Good luck with yours David.
Justin
The beard is looking awesome, and I've got to echo on what the others said here. You've got some serious muscle definition going on there. You have the body of a UFC fighter :)
Thanks, I just wish I had the tendons and ligaments of a UFC fighter. I have a genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, so I have to train very carefully or end up with serious injuries. (I have had more rotater cuff injuries than I can count.) My shoulders are very unstable, so I do very few free weight exercises. I use mostly exercise machines, which unlike free weights, move in a controlled path, saving my shoulders from further destruction.
Absalom
wow,dude..you are built!!!::))
and as for the beard,it is looking cool!!soon enough you'll be at Oren's length lol!!take care!!
I hope so, but he has a big head start.
Absalom
very nice beard you have.
I say yes do keep it growing
I definitely will keep growing it. It might be wishful thinking, but I would like it to reach at least 18 inches.
Absalom
That looks really cool, Absalom. Have you considered/tried braiding it?
Nice muscle tone too. You body and hair both your dedication.
Mouse
When it gets longer, I will braid it. I need at least 12 inches for a good braid.
Absalom
Your beard looks great! It reminds me of novels that I have read in the past. You look like you could be the Captain of the Pequod in Moby Dick. Your beard makes you look distinguished and authoritative, nevertheless, we shall call you absalom and not Ishmael.
Jeffrey.
Oh yes, and I forgot to mention the muscle tone, as Mouse did in an earlier post. You look to be in great shape. Actually, I noticed that before the beard. Bravo!
Yeah, I got brave and went without a shirt for this update. My facial fur shows up better on a bare skin background than a tiedye shirt background. (Grin)
Absalom
Great looking beard, Absalom! You and Oren are an inspiration. Question for you...do you shave your neck at all or are you growing everything out naturally? I have a lot of neck hair and shave it at the present time. As it grows longer I'm not quite sure if I'll let my neck hair go or still shave it. In any case, I look forward to having that length! Keep it up!
Hi, I really love that Jesus look...
I have almost no neck hair, so that is not an issue.
Absalom
Gman, Your beard is looking nice, too!
- Oren
You also have an awesome, thick, beard! I started growing my first ever beard 3 weeks ago, kind of late for a guy of 53! I have been shaving the neckline as mine grows and thickens, but I will probably stay with a relatively short, and hopefully, thick, beard.
Keep everything growing,
David
I'm loving the beard on you Scott!
I think the whole long hair/long beard package looks great on you.
- Oren
Hey Oren, your beard looks fantastic. How long is it? It appears to be at over 12" long.
I hope mine will get as long. I plan to grow mine as long as it will get.
Absalom
Most of it is around 11 inches, with a few hairs reaching 12 inches.
As dense as your beard is, I don't think you'll have any problem reaching your navel (or lower) with it.
We shall see...
- Oren
Very nice beard! Looks really good on you :-)
Great looking beard mate! Definitely keep growing it. And what a fantastic build! Mind if I ask what age you are? I have a friend who is 63 and has trained with weights (drug-free) all his life and he is amazingly strong. I hope that I am still able to train when or if I reach that age.
Check out my gym's website - there is a photo of that guy squatting with 240kgs!
www.caveofthebear.com
Good luck!
Hi Pablo, I will be 54 on the 12th of this month. I do weights as a sideline, my main focus is bicycling at a fast and furious pace. Up a steep hill, I can ascend 300 vertical meters in UNDER 15 minutes. There is a steep 210 meter climb in the local hills that I have climbed in as little as 9 minutes and 42 seconds. I just measured it on Google Earth, it is 2.26km long. That is an AVERAGE grade of 9.3%. There are 2 level offs in this climb which makes my climb rate drop to zero. If you remove those from the equation, it is 9 minutes or even less for me to climb the 210 meters.
I do squats one leg at a time on the edge of a stool. By doing so, I only need to use a 10 to 12kg dumbell on my shoulder. This will save me from any serious spinal injury risks. The only drawback is needing very good balance because due to squatting down on only one leg. (I do steady myself with one hand against the wall.) I do 3 sets of 4 repetitions VERY slowly on each leg. I get the benefits of isometric exercise, but get strengthening of the muscles over the entire range of motion. I need to get maximum benefit from the least amount of sets and reps due to having Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. A normal routine would destroy my ligaments and tendons. (My connective tissue is too fragile to withstand the pounding of a typical workout.)
Absalom