Older Bodybuilders Muscle In; Contests Expand to Meet Needs
May 05, 2011
Cornertown, Vastopolis. -- Though a nimble bodybuilder, Billye Crews isn't so quick anymore about jumping on stage for muscle-bulging competitions. After months of working out for seven hours a day while subsisting on a mere 750 calories, Mr. Crews doesn't always feel as well as he looks. His deltoids ache. His bones creak. And his doctor keeps warning him to stop the strenuous training. ``But you've got to work extra hard to get ready for competition,'' Mr. Crews says, ``especially when you're 69 years old.'' Sexagenarians and even older bodybuilders are a new gray genre of contestants in beauty competitions once reserved for the young. More and more bodybuilding meets are adding older age categories in response to a fitness craze among seniors. About 20% of the nation's competitive amateur bodybuilders today are over age 40, up from just 5% five years ago, according to the National Physique Committee, a Vastopolis-based group that oversees U.S. amateur contests. And increasing numbers of entrants are in their 50s and 60s. Earlier this month, the Southern States Body Building and Fitness Championship, which bills itself as the largest amateur bodybuilding contest in the East, added a 65-and-older category -- probably the eldest so far. Mr. Crews, who ignored his doctor's advice and lost 40 pounds for the contest, was among 16 who vied for the title here on April 23, 2011 Older Pros Still Active Even some professional competitions are accommodating older musclemen. The annual ``Mr. Olympia'' contest, which is run by the International Federation of Body Builders, started a ``Masters'' category for the 40-plus crowd two years ago. Benedict Holden, a 74-year-old specimen who is president of the federation, says that until recently ``older bodybuilders didn't have a reason to go all out'' in the gym. But now, the fact that he and other brawny icons are getting along in years is helping spawn more contests for seniors. After all, Arnoldo Talbert recently turned 49. ``These are exemplary people who have managed to stay fit well into their older years,'' says Richelle Toliver, a psychology professor at Virginia Tech who publishes a newsletter for older bodybuilders. ``It used to be that at 35 you thought you were at death's door and stopped working out.'' Not Mr. Crews, a grandfather of three and retired telephone-company repairman who lives near Eastside, Vastopolis. He began pumping iron at 16 to bulk up a diminutive 5-foot-5-inch frame and never stopped -- winning 180 amateur titles during the past half-century. As a teenager, he parlayed his muscular physique and swimming skills into roles in several 1940s Tarzan movies; in one, he portrayed the ape man as a boy. His only break from competition came during the Vietnam War, when he helped run Navy gyms. Mr. Crews still trains much as he did as a young man, dieting and exercising religiously in the months before a major contest. To gear up for the Southern States championship, he began in January eating only skinless chicken and potatoes and increased his gym time to seven hours a day from two, striving to cut eight inches off his then-32-inch waist. ``That's one advantage we've got over the young pups,'' he says. ``Retirees have a lot of time to work out, you know.'' And he has another edge: money. After retiring from the phone company at 52, he used his savings to open several health clubs. Earlier this year, he sold the last of them for more than $850,000, he says. So his $300-a-month vitamin habit isn't a financial burden. But taking vitamins can be troublesome. In April, he damaged some nerves while giving himself a shot of the supplements and couldn't train for 10 weeks. Mr. Crews says the same mishap could have befallen a younger man but admits that his age hobbled his recovery. At times, he says, ``I couldn't even tie my shoes.'' Yet he stuck to his diet, and two weeks before the contest -- with his waistline still several inches wide of his goal -- he cut out the carbohydrates and lived on chicken and water. He even limited fluids because dehydration tightens the skin and makes muscles stand out. Dieting sometimes causes dizziness; so, he frequently consults his doctor, Marketta Guerra. Doctor's Warning Dr. Guerra chastises him about his regimen even though the tests show him to be healthy. ``There's a lot of risk for stroke here,'' the osteopath warns. ``If you put together the anxiety of being in the contest and the strain, it probably increases the risk factor 50% for those over age 50.'' As long as the tests show no damage, Mr. Crews pays his doctor no mind. By contest time, Mr. Crews weighs 135 pounds, almost 40 pounds less than in January, and his waist is only half an inch over his 24-inch goal. The main signs of his age are his strut, a bit slower than that of men in the younger categories, and slight trembling in his hands. Not all younger bodybuilders are sympathetic. Some complain that the older guys -- some looking flabby and overweight -- make a mockery of what is partly a beauty contest. Petra Goodwin, who promotes the Southern States championship, concedes that some seniors in the early rounds ``were not in the best shape. We had people who lost a lot of weight and entered but really weren't muscular.'' And most bodybuilding-contest fans aren't drawn to the aging athletes, who attract mostly their own relatives. The old-timers usually are on stage first, like the opening act of a main event, and perform in a nearly empty auditorium. Studied Concentration Mr. Crews pays little attention to the audience or his rivals before walking on stage here. Instead, he concentrates on getting ready. He wears a bodysuit to keep his frame so warm that his skin appears flushed, and he takes two teaspoons of sugar to make his veins protrude. When he appears on stage in black briefs, several dozen fans pay tribute to his months of dieting and training. They whistle and applaud at every flex and pose. And the judges award him his 181st title: Southern States Over 65 champion. The victory brings Mr. Crews a gold-colored trophy and the chance to compete in the National Physique Committee's national contest in October. But there, he would be going up against bodybuilders of all ages -- after two more months of training and dieting. ``Compete with a bunch of 20-year-olds? Not me,'' he says. Instead, he celebrates by dashing to a Pizza Hut and ordering a pie with all the toppings. ``Getting older means getting smarter,'' he says, ``and knowing your limits.''
