Meet the fittest grandpa in China at age 63

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CGTN

Mr. Xu Zhilin, with grey beard and hair but a muscular body, makes it hard to believe he is 63 years old.

Photo courtesy of Xu Zhilin

He goes to the gym nearly every day. Just look at his fitness routine: Legs on Mondays, chest on Tuesdays, back on Wednesdays. Rest only on Sundays. Such a program looks like the ones for professional bodybuilders.

Photo courtesy of Xu Zhilin

Xu used to be an ordinary plump middle-aged man, suffering from hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia and degenerated joints.

He has always been active and open-minded. He relocated to the countryside as an educated urban youth. Living in a cowshed and working hard in the fields all day long, he was still very energetic. He gathered his fellow co-workers to perform together in their spare time, which earned him a place in the art performing team. He can still sing folk songs he learned in the countryside.

After China embarked on reform and opening-up, Xu became a pioneer of the campaign and owned a Chinese restaurant in Germany. Devoted to his business, he had no time to think of fitness. "The fact that those foreigners give up driving and take running courses in the gym looked weird to me."

Photo courtesy of Xu Zhilin

With China's economy developing fast, Xu's friends encouraged him to start a business back in China. So he went to the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu and established a football club.

Although running his business well in sports, Xu never did sports himself. "I was busy working and hanging around with friends. So I led an irregular life and drank a lot at that time." Gradually, he became what Chinese call a "portly" middle-ager.

Things changed once he and his friends went out and up a mountain. "I walked just for a short distance, but my knees started to kill me."

While waiting for his friends in a tea house at the foot of the mountain, Xu decided to quit smoking and alcohol and start working out so as to go back to what he had been before, with a regular lifestyle.

CGTN Photo

After strenuous efforts, he managed to lose some weight, and then he thought about taking things to a higher level.

"People all have their lives. Some become calligraphers, and some others are involved in craftsmanship. I wanted to find my own way of life as well."

He decided to make his body an artistic piece of work. About seven years ago, he turned to bodybuilding and trained in a more scientific and planned way. This resulted in the training program mentioned above.

"Our muscles are like luxuries. You have to polish them every day to keep them shining." Self-discipline and self-control are as important as physical fitness. For Xu, bodybuilding is integral to his quality of life.

Photo courtesy of Xu Zhilin

"I proudly told them I am from China," recalled Xu. "That was entirely out of their imagination, as they had never believed that any Chinese could own such a muscular posture and a good mindset in my age."

"I hope that they would tell their folks back home about a friendly and fit Chinese old man they met at Bali."

Photo courtesy of Xu Zhilin

With guidance from his bodybuilding instructor, Xu will continue his effort to challenge the extreme, to see long and how far he could go.

"The times have changed. People now live much longer than ever before. It's time to get some new ideas,"says Xu. "I am over 60, but I'm not old at all. My body is still young."

The story is one in The 1.3 Billion series exploring the diverse lives that make up China.