93-Year-Old Bodybuilder's Three Rules
The world's oldest bodybuilder, 93, still trains three days every week and shares his three simple rules for longevity: consistency, focusing on compound movements, and maintaining a positive attitude. His story demonstrates that strength training can be a lifelong pursuit with benefits extending well beyond aesthetics.
- The bodybuilder, Jim Arrington, was born prematurely at five and a half pounds and suffered from asthma and frequent illnesses as a child. He began weightlifting at age 15 in 1947, inspired by superheroes, to overcome his frailty. - Arrington holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest male bodybuilder, a title he first earned at 83 and has continued to hold into his 90s. He has competed in over 60 bodybuilding competitions, winning 16 of them. - His training sessions last for two hours each, and he works out three times a week. One of his demanding training methods is the "10-10-10" approach, which consists of 10 repetitions, a 10-second hold, and another 10 repetitions. - In his nineties, Arrington overhauled his diet to combat inflammation, switching from a diet heavy in milk and beef to one rich in olive oil and mushrooms. He aims to consume about a liter of olive oil per week. - He didn't begin competing in bodybuilding until he was 45 years old. He has competed in the IFBB Masters World Championships and, in 2023, won both the over-80 and over-90 categories. - Arrington's motivation comes from inspiring others. He continues to compete in part to maintain his world record, which requires him to be an actively competing IFBB Pro.
