Healed broken ribs and nose, strenuous exercise, lifts and squats? Sounds like maybe he could have been a boxer?
He might have been a boxer, although most amateur boxers (aside from the backyard kind) don't get hurt as much as those that participate in Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA. However, iirc, neither type of sport does much heavy lifting or squats. In particular, boxers need to develop more of a "runner's leg", that's why they jump rope, run up steps, etc. Big muscles that are created by lifts and squats could slow down a boxer in the ring.
He might have been a powerlifter and/or bodybuilder that gave up on lifting and decided to pursue another sport, like boxing or MMA. Or he could have been one of the few lifters that take steroids that caused him to be hotheaded and get into a few brawls, and that could be the source of the healed fractures.
Here's some info on MMA, it's popular among some young people because it's relatively "no-holds barred" fighting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_martial_arts
(I have a friend that's a boxing trainer, so that's where I learned about boxers and exercising. I didn't ask him about this situation specifically, I'm just going by recalling a few of our prior conversations, hope my memory didn't fail me this time.)
