Active ageing: One 76-year-old in China shows us how it's done

While other seniors in his neighbourhood spend their days playing mahjong, chatting, and generally taking it easy, 76-year-old Ying Dingguo is in the gym, working out for at least two hours a day.

The website Shanghaiist reported that the old man has maintained a healthy lifestyle since 1962, and only started hitting the gym 10 years ago, at the age of 67.

Ying plays table tennis, badminton, tai chi, and has also taken up long-distance running and ballroom dancing. It was at the suggestion of his dancing instructor that he began bodybuilding to lose weight.

Today, Ying's exercise feats would be a challenge for men less than half his age. It is reported that he can finish 120 push-ups in one minute and bench press 100kg, for starters.

He also pays attention to his diet and rest, reducing his sodium and oil intake and making sure to get at least 10 hours of sleep, avoiding late-night mahjong sessions. His dedication to fitness has made him a superstar at the gym, with other bodybuilders asking him for photos.

Ying has competed in the Anhui Bodybuilding Contest since 2009, and while his ranking has steadily fallen over the years, he does not mind, as he says his aim when he took up bodybuilding was good health, not prizes.

His ultimate goal, he says, is to train until he is 100 years old.

andrewg@sph.com.sg