For the past 80 years, Andrew Bostint has been training in bodybuilding and still competing at 100 years old.
In May of this year, just four months after his 100th birthday, Bosstint won the top honor and championship belt at the National Gym Association (NGA) physique competition. He is also the founder and CEO of NGA, a non-profit bodybuilding association.
“I never thought about getting older. I’m going to do this today, I’m going to do this tomorrow,” Bosstint told CNBC Make It.
Bostinto has been committed to fitness all his life. “I started much younger than 13, already working out in the park,” he says. “I got good at it. I became a gymnast and a hand balancer. Then, at 17, I was already a model.”
He was crowned “Senior Mr. America” in 1977 at the age of 52. But of all his accomplishments, Bostint, a World War II veteran, says he is most proud of his 29 years in the U.S. Army.
His best advice for people who want to stay healthy and in good shape for as long as possible is simple. “The most important thing is to know what you want to achieve,” he says. “Be committed to it. Be disciplined. Don’t listen to people who say you’re wasting your time. Don’t listen to the naysayers.”
Learn how Bostinto is shaping his life for optimal health.
Daily practice of a 100-year-old bodybuilder
diet
When Bosstint was younger and training for competitions, he ate “high protein, low carb, two pieces of fruit, two salads (and) 15 glasses of water” every day.
Now, he says, he doesn’t need to eat as much, but he still focuses on getting plenty of protein. He usually chooses scrambled eggs, yogurt, spaghetti, and meatballs.
“I don’t overeat anything. I control everything I eat. I don’t want to eat fatty foods,” Bostint says. “I’ve never smoked a cigarette or drank alcohol.”
exercise
Even at 100 years old, Bosstint still trains five to six days a week, he told bodybuilding and fitness magazine Muscle & Fitness in an interview earlier this year.
“Physically, I’m in good shape,” Bostint said. “I’m sitting here doing push-ups on the counter. But when I go to the gym, I do six or seven basic exercises.”
He tries to follow the same training system he’s used for bodybuilding in the past, but sometimes modifications are necessary, such as when he’s recovering from a stroke or dealing with lingering leg problems developed from his time in the military.
Still, his workout routine is pretty impressive for a 100 year old.
“I do dips and (pull-ups). I can do knee-ups. I can do sit-ups,” Bosstint said. “You can do anything, anywhere, anywhere.”
way of thinking
Bosstint told Muscle & Fitness that he knows what he’s doing isn’t normal at his age, but “as long as you love what you’re doing, you should keep doing it.”
Bostint told Make It that exercise was a guiding light when she needed it. “My mother never had a penny in her pocket,” he says. “I didn’t have any Christmas presents, I didn’t have any birthday presents, I didn’t have anything. I just coped with it.”
His starting point in life reminds him of how far he has come. He says that’s what motivates him to continue working and succeed. In bodybuilding and in life, Bosstint says he is driven by the goals he himself wants to achieve, not by the opinions or judgments of others.
“I didn’t train for other people. I remember when I was 17, some girls saw my picture and said, ‘Oh, I don’t like that,'” he recalls. “I didn’t train for women. I trained for me. That’s what I was able to do, and (say), ‘Look what I did for myself.'”
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