Most men who reach their 70s are happy to sit back and reflect on their earlier years when they were finer physical specimens. But Japanese weightlifter Tsutomu Tosuka proves that despite being 74 years old, you are never too old to have a great body. Tsutomu was crowned champion in the senior category of the
Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championships at the weekend.
Silver-haired success: Tsutomu Tosuka is crowned winner in the senior category of the Japan Masters Bodybuilding Championships 2009. With his heavily bronzed physique, the Japanese has a body that would be the envy of millions of men more than half his age.
At 74 years old, Tosaka is not your typical bodybuilder. But he is well known in the Japanese
bodybuilding circuit for his mastery at such an
advanced age. Unlike most
competitors, he didn’t begin bulking up until age 40 when a friend introduced him to the sport. He hasn’t stopped since. Here, silver-haired Tsutomu flexes his muscles on stage and shows he still has plenty of pecs appeal despite his declining years.
Tsutomu was joined by dozens of other equally toned competitors for the competition in
Tokyo on Sunday - the 21st anniversary of the championships. And he scooped first prize in the over 70s category. This week statistics revealed that more than a quarter of all women and one fifth of all men living in Japan are over the age of 65.
This has huge implications for the country, which has the second biggest economy in the world. Many forecasters are predicting a crisis in management over caring for the elderly as more and more Japanese reach
retirement age with
birth rates declining.
But if Japan wants to stay in shape in the 21st century, its elderly citizens could do a lot worse than take a leaf out of Tsutomu’s weighty book.
