THE CROSSTRAINER
Charles Eugster – 97
“I was reborn with a new body at the age of 87,” says Charles Eugster, who has jetted into London from his Zurich home, dressed in a black fedora and a blazer with a silk pocket square. He’s flanked by three young women with a camera, who are trailing him for a documentary. Three years away from receiving the Queen’s telegram, Eugster has become kind of a big deal.
It was only aged 63 that the former dentist really became active. Nearing pensionable age, he decided to take up rowing for the first time since his school days, when he competed in the 1st VIII at London’s prestigious St Paul’s. Returning to the sport, something evidently clicked: 36 World Rowing Masters medals followed. “I had a genetic test and they found that I’m perfectly suited for explosive activity,” Eugster shrugs by way of explanation.
But retirement – followed by the death of Eugster’s wife in his early eighties – proved a dramatic upheaval. With time on his hands, Eugster sought to slow his own aging by expanding his training. Vanity, he freely admits, also played a part in his quest to perfect his body. “I was rowing six days a week yet my body was deteriorating,” he says. “I looked in the mirror and saw a muffin top.” His answer was to join a bodybuilding gym and secure the services of a former Mr Universe as his trainer. “I lost 12kg in one year and learned to lift at an age when most people can barely stand,” says Eugster proudly.
Eugster is living proof that the best way to maintain a body is to use it. Not for him
is the government-prescribed 30 minutes’ activity each day. “That kind of low-intensity aerobic exercise just doesn’t cut the mustard,” he says. “I believe building muscle helps with everything – even preventing mental disease. It’s obvious to me that older people should be training harder than the employed... Retirement is an absolute health catastrophe.”
Eugster is adamant that the key to maintaining his abilities is a diet low in carbs and high in fats and protein. “I take a protein shake with leucine after my workouts,” he says. His fitness regime is adapting still. Two years ago he started sprint training. He now holds the British records for 100m, 200m and long jump, as well as the 400m world record for his age category.
In three years Eugster will be able to compete in the 100+ age group for the 100m sprint. The only problem is that the world record is faster than his current PB. “I still have plenty of time to train,” he smiles.