I’m a bodybuilder in my 80’s – and I shame men more than half my age with my youthful physique
AN OLDER bodybuilder has laughed at his advanced age as he shames younger men with outstanding physiques.
Sam “Sonny” Bryant Jr. started bodybuilding at age 44 after his second divorce — now he’s racked up dozens of trophies after becoming hooked on the sport.
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“People have the misconception that age makes you old, but I realize it’s a state of mind that makes you old,” he told The Augusta Chronicle in 2013.
“Age is just a number, and it gives most people — the majority of people — a reason to be lazy and do nothing.”
At the age of 70, the legendary beast had bulging pecs, ripped arms and massive cut-out quads.
When he wasn’t at the gym, the Georgia native said he worked the graveyard shift as a forklift driver at a personal care factory.
“People ask me when I’ll retire,” he said about a decade ago.
“I say ‘never.’ More people die in retirement than people work. I love working, I love playing sports.
“I’ve been doing this for 27 years.”
A typical fitness routine for Bryant begins with a Waffle House breakfast consisting of a dry waffle, scrambled eggs, and bacon when he gets home from work at 6 a.m.
His next meal might not be until 10 p.m. before work starts again, and could consist of a lean cut of meat and sweet potato fries.
The fitness rat works out twice a day at Gold’s Gym and goes dancing with 20-year-olds on the weekends.
“I hear a lot of people say, ‘Oh, wait until I’m her age.’ Then I tell them how old I am and they’re kind of embarrassed,” said the fitness legend.
“But I’m telling you this to make a point. That the inactivity and the thought process are aging them.
“Since I started bodybuilding at 44, I’ve never felt older.”
After high school, Bryant married his high school sweetheart and joined the Army.
Unfortunately, the months of traveling with the armed forces took their toll and his marriage fell apart.
He served the country for six years before being discharged on medical grounds and moved to Chicago, where he held odd jobs.
Returning to Georgia, he got a job as a nursing assistant and met his wife at the hospital when their parents were admitted.
Unfortunately, less than a decade later, she told him she wanted a divorce.
The shocking news forced him out of his comfort zone and he decided he had to find a way out.
This got him into weightlifting.
A hit at the gym, Bryant felt energized by the attention he was getting while building some serious muscle.
With only 11 months of experience under his belt, he took a big risk and entered a novice bodybuilding competition held in a nearby town.
He showed up in the wrong outfit, which was a red, white and blue Speedo, and said he had no idea how to pose for the judges.
“The judge called for a pose, and I had to see what everyone else was doing,” he told the outlet.
Surprisingly, he managed to pull out a trophy for third place and has since won countless awards.
“I was hooked back then, just like a crackhead,” he said.
“I had finally achieved something. I had won something I had worked so hard for.”
Now Bryant wants his track record to be able to empower those much younger than him.
“I want people to see what I’m doing and see that it can be done,” said the advanced athlete.
“You can do it.
“A lot of young people go home, sit around, watch TV and do nothing – I’ve seen a lot of young people who are older than me.”
It’s unclear if Bryant still competes, but he posts regularly on his Facebook account.
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