Charles Eugster: 91 Year Old Bodybuilder

Charles Eugster is 91 years old.

Looking at his photo, my brain does a double-take. I have a certain image of what someone should look like at 91, and that image does not match what I see.

After falling into what he describes as a sedentary lifestyle, he picked up rowing at 60 and began competing internationally. In his mid-eighties, he decided to join a body-building club.

Written by Eugster himself, the article is a quick read. Posting this partly to share, and partly as a source of inspiration for myself.

In my limited time attending a gym, the hardest part of the whole process seems to be getting my ass out of bed and putting my feet on the floor. Once your clothes are on and you have a little food in your system, the process of going to the gym just sort of falls into place and becomes a natural inevitability. But it’s that time between hitting the alarm clock and getting out of bed that’s the hardest.

Do I think that I’ll be hitting the gym when I’m in my 80’s and 90’s? I doubt it. It’s a nice thing to aspire to, but we’ll see how dedicated I can be looking some 40 or 50 years into the future. But in the here and now, when I’m in my 30’s… there should be precious few reasons for me not to get to the gym.

I’m normally an early riser, but in the last 6 months it’s gotten a little harder than normal. Reading about someone like Eugster is a nice reminder of what’s possible, if we’re dedicated enough. And when it comes time to get myself out of bed early in the AM… I’ll take all the help I can get.

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