Age is nothing but a number. We have highlighted that before on Muscle & Fitness with our stories on 93-year-old lifter, Dr. Charles Eugster, and Ray Moon, the world’s oldest bodybuilder. Now, we have come across the latest member of the club who defies what is considered the norm to challenge themselves to succeed, no matter where they are in life’s journey.
Meet Sy Perlis, a 91-year-old WWII veteran, who smashed the world bench-press record for his age group with a 187.2-pound bench, beating the old mark by a whopping 52.2 pounds (we have to give a major tip of the hat to the Arizona Republicfor reporting on this incredibly inspirational story). Perlis told Azcentral.com that he only started lifting when he turned 60, and he has kept at it ever since.
“It gave me the opportunity to do something to test myself for one thing, and I didn’t have to run around to do it, as you would in some other sports,” said Perlis. “I got a lot of satisfaction out of it, and it made me feel good, and it was good for me.”
Not only was it good for him, but his dedication to the sport has inspired many people, most of all his wife Joan. “I always say if it weren’t for my husband, I’d be at home watching TV and eating bonbons,” she says. “He’s my motivator to go to work out in the gym. He has a very great lifestyle, and he works out five days a week at the gym.”
