A 90-year-old bodybuilder who continues to win competitions has revealed the remarkable routine that keeps him going — and he has no plans to stop.
Toshisuke Kanazawa celebrated his 90th birthday just one day before winning another major bodybuilding competition.
The Japanese athlete beat seven other competitors in the 85+ category at the Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championships, securing his 19th national title.
But his bodybuilding story actually stretches back more than six decades.
Kanazawa was originally a talented swimmer specialising in the 1500m freestyle, before a muscular problem ended his ambition of competing at the Olympics.
He turned his attention to bodybuilding and, aged 24, won the Mister Japan title before doing so again three years later.
He even competed at the 1967 Mr Universe competition in Montreal, finishing fourth in an event that also featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and eventual winner Sergio Oliva.
Kanazawa eventually retired in his mid-30s but returned to competitive bodybuilding at 50, partly to inspire his wife, who suffered from chronic illness.
“My wife had always supported me but she was often sick,” he said, per the Guardian.
“I saw how I had let myself go since retiring, so I wanted to show her that anything was possible.”
Decades later, he is still going.
Kanazawa trains for two hours a day, six days a week, although his routine has naturally changed as he’s got older.
He no longer performs squats or bench presses and prefers machines to free weights.
“I do what’s best for me and my body at this age.”
His diet and lifestyle are similarly disciplined. Kanazawa has never smoked or drunk alcohol and stopped eating meat and fish decades ago.
His meals mainly consist of brown rice with furikake, natto and miso soup containing raw eggs.
Protein shakes haven’t disappeared from the menu either, although he’s cut back.
“I used to have six protein shakes a day but now I have three. As I get older, it’s harder to stomach that much liquid.”
Recovery has also become increasingly important.
“It takes longer to recover from weights sessions than it used to, so I make sure I rest properly between sets and get around seven hours’ sleep a night.”
And for anyone wondering how the 90-year-old has maintained his physique for so long, Kanazawa is adamant that there is nothing else behind it.
“And I’m a 100% natural.”
Perhaps the most revealing part of his approach, though, is his refusal to accept that getting older automatically means abandoning the things you love.
“It’s like when the muscles in your legs start to weaken and you just let it happen because you think it’s inevitable. I never wanted to be like that, which is why I do what I do.
“I want to be a bodybuilder until the day I die.”
Featured image credit: Spot On News International / YouTube
