“I’ve Been Competing for 60 Years”: 81-Year-Old Bodybuilder and Great-Grandpa Is Still Pumping Iron

Some people break stereotypes and surmount all odds to do things that are unbelievable at times. Ted Clifton is one such person. Ted Clifton is an 81-year-old gym owner and bodybuilder from Workington in Cumbria, England, who still competes in bodybuilding competitions.

Clifton has had some health issues in the past, but he has not let them affect his desire to compete as a bodybuilder. Ted Clifton also has his own gym, which he opened in November 1978. He says, “I’ve run Ted’s gym for 44 years… I opened it in November 1978”

Ted Clifton ‘s background and descent into bodybuilding

Clifton used to work at the oil rigs. He worked there for 15 years and used the money earned there to open a gym, which is still going on now. He is a great-grandpa now, and bodybuilding has always been a part of his life since he was 16 years old.

Read More: “Felt Like S***”: Bodybuilder Opens Up on Journey of His Skinny to Shredded Body

He started working out at the age of 16 to bulk up for playing football, and he loved it so much that he started competing in bodybuilding contests at the age of 18. Clifton still competes to date, and his last competition was the previous year. He says, “The last show I did was last year in… where I got runners up in masters.”

Ted Clifton has had a triple bypass, but that has not deterred him even an iota. He still eats six meals a day, although he has put breaks on his gluten intake. He largely blames the 60s attitude towards dieting for his bypass. But a gluten-free diet has given him a second wind.

Clifton still likes to pump up his muscles. Though he’s not into heavy weights anymore, he still lifts some light ones to keep in shape.

Workington: a home to old bodybuilders

Ted Clifton is not the only one making strides in bodybuilding at an older age. The 43-year-old, Kerry Mcdonald is another such personality who is competing in bodybuilding. And life really comes full circle, because take a guess, who coaches Kerry Mcdonald? It’s none other than Ted Clifton.

However, while Clifton has been competing since he was 18, Mcdonald just started. She won her first bodybuilding competition after spending only a year at the gym. The mother of four was diagnosed with ADHD last year, and she realized her disease was somewhat holding her back.

She finally gave in to her desire to build her body and trained hard under Clifton till she achieved her dream. It seems like Clifton is an inspiration to the people of Workington to make their dreams come true, especially when it comes to bodybuilding.

Watch this story: Bodybuilding beast Arnold Schwarzenegger’s top six-pack workouts