90 Years Old, 19 Titles and a Dream Physique: Japanese Bodybuilder Refuses to Grow Old

“Should I take my shirt off?” Toshisuke Kanazawa, 90, asks completely calmly. Seconds later, he is shirtless from the waist up, showing off his tanned, muscular physique, defined chest and prominent veins on his arms, The Guardian reports.

Even more remarkably, just one day before his 90th birthday, the Japanese bodybuilder took the stage and won another championship. He now has 19 national titles to his name — and has no intention of stopping.

At the Japanese Masters Championships, Kanazawa defeated seven competitors in the 85+ category. Since turning 80, he has also won six World Masters Championships.

“I want to be a bodybuilder until the day I die,” the athlete says.

Kanazawa was born in 1936 in Shimane Prefecture. He took up swimming at school and dreamed of competing in the Olympics, but muscle problems ended those ambitions. He then decided to pursue bodybuilding professionally.

For five years, the young Japanese man practically lived in the gym, training for six hours a day. He spent money from odd jobs on milk and cheese. At 24, he won the Mr Japan title, and three years later he repeated the achievement.

In 1967, Kanazawa competed at the Mr Universe contest in Montreal alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sergio Oliva took the title, while the Japanese athlete finished fourth.

Kanazawa retired from bodybuilding in his mid-30s, but returned to the sport at 50. The reason was his wife, who was suffering from a chronic illness.

“I saw how badly I had let myself go after leaving the sport, and I wanted to show her that anything was possible,” he recalls.

Today, Kanazawa trains for two hours a day, six days a week. But age has forced him to modify his routine: he has given up squats and bench presses and prefers machines to free weights.

“At this age, I do what works best for me and my body,” the athlete explains.

He has also adapted his diet to his age. Kanazawa has never smoked or consumed alcohol, and many years ago he gave up meat and fish. His diet is based on brown rice, natto, miso soup and raw eggs.

“I used to drink six protein shakes a day, but now I have three. As you get older, it becomes harder to drink that much liquid,” he admits.

Kanazawa says he has never suffered from any serious illness and that the results of his latest medical checkup were comparable to those of someone much younger. After his workouts, he always makes time to rest and sleeps around seven hours a night.

And the Japanese bodybuilder has one more important clarification: “I’m 100% natural.”

In other words, he says his impressive physique is the result solely of training and lifestyle, rather than performance-enhancing drugs.

Kanazawa believes the biggest danger for older people is not age itself, but being willing to give up their usual activity.

“It’s like when your leg muscles start getting weaker, and you simply allow it to happen because you think it’s inevitable. I never wanted to be like that.”

This month, the 90-year-old bodybuilder even finished fourth in the mixed pairs category at the Japan Open, competing alongside 39-year-old Asuka Miyamae.

“I want to be a bodybuilder until the day I die,” Kanazawa repeats.