90-year-old Japanese bodybuilder Toshisuke Kanazawa wins 19th title

Most people past 50 begin complaining of one ailment or another, or of fatigue. A 90-year-old man from Japan has now left younger people around the world stunned. Toshisuke Kanazawa beat his rivals in the over-85 category at a masters bodybuilding competition held on August 31 to win the gold medal. It was not just a win, but living proof of his determination and disciplined life. With this victory, it became the 19th national title of Kanazawa's career.

At an age when most elderly people rest at home or are confined to bed, Kanazawa goes on stage and shows off his muscles, building a reputation as the world's oldest active bodybuilder. He has spoken about his remarkable fitness and his life's journey.

Toshisuke Kanazawa was born in 1936 in Japan's Shimane prefecture. He had a keen interest in sports from childhood. While in high school, he won his first medals in swimming and wrestling. At the age of 20, he began taking bodybuilding seriously, and won the Mr Japan title at the ages of 24 and 37. But because of the constant strain of training and the stress it put on his body, he gave up bodybuilding at the age of 34.

But fate had other plans. When Kanazawa turned 50, his wife's health began to decline. To give his ailing wife encouragement, to bring a smile to her face and to give her the courage to keep going, Kanazawa made the big decision to return to the gym and to bodybuilding. His wife has since passed away, but he says he still remembers her before every competition and draws on her inspiration to win on stage.

In today's bodybuilding world, many young men take shortcuts through steroids or supplements. But Kanazawa says clearly that his physique is entirely natural. Without any artificial drugs, he has built and maintained his muscles purely through proper diet and disciplined exercise. He has given up fish and meat entirely, following a vegetarian lifestyle. He has also never consumed alcohol.

His daily diet includes brown rice, natto (fermented soybeans) and traditional miso soup for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, he eats brown rice topped with the Japanese seasoning furikake. For protein, he eats two eggs a day and drinks protein shakes three times a day, though he used to drink them six times a day earlier.

It is not just his diet. Kanazawa still goes to the gym every single day without fail and does weight training. He also gets a full seven hours of deep sleep each night to let his body recover completely. Kanazawa says ageing is a natural process that cannot be stopped, but that the right diet and hard work can certainly slow it down. Even at 90, he is not ready to stop. His next goal is to take part in the world championship for the over-60 category. He also has a deep wish to meet Hollywood star and bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Toshisuke Kanazawa's journey shows that with strong will, patience and the right lifestyle, age never stands in the way of dreams.