50 Years of Dedication to Strength Training

I first tried weight training when I was 16. I had gone to high school in America for tennis as an exchange student, but I was discouraged and gave up due to the great difference in level of performance there. Right after that, a high school teacher I was close to happened to open a gym specializing in weight training as a side business. One day he invited me to that state‑of‑the‑art fitness center.

At the time, Barlow’s Gym had just installed a new brand of machine called Nautilus. There I was taught the importance of circuit training, and I continued going three times a week. Circuit training is a method in which the reps on each machine are set to about ten, and within the time limit you complete them, then immediately, without rest, move to the next machine and start the next set, raising your heart rate. I was young then, so it didn’t take me long to get used to that method. Also, because I felt that my health improved from doing strength training, I gradually became immersed in the world of weight training.

There are several approaches to muscle training depending on your goal. If you want to make your muscles stronger and bigger, you should limit your reps to around 10–12 and increase the load to the point where you must exert maximum effort for the last few repetitions. By repeating this set multiple times, your muscles will grow. The downside is that the risk of injury becomes higher. Alternatively, you can lower the load and increase the number of reps to over 20. In this case, your muscles won’t become as large compared to heavy-weight training, but your strength will still increase, and anybody will experience their body becoming more toned.

As people age, their physical condition declines. Human life expectancy is said to reach a maximum of 120 years, and with the increasing attention given to anti-aging science, Japan’s average life expectancy is gradually approaching 90. Nowadays, living to 120 no longer seems like just a dream. The human body begins to age after its peak, which is usually for men in their 20s and women in their teens, and muscle strength also starts to decline. Therefore, if you want to stay active and live the same kind of lifestyle you were living when you were younger, proper physical maintenance becomes essential. Without appropriate maintenance, the degradation and aging of cells accelerate. Your face ages, your hair thins, and you're plagued by back pain, headaches, joint pain, declining vision and hearing. On top of that, your immunity weakens, leading to various illnesses such as diabetes and collagen diseases. Some may accept aging as simply part of life, but is it really okay to just settle for that?

Each person walks a different path in life. Since I started weight training in 1975, half a century has already passed before I even realized it. And yet, the fact that I’m still continuing with daily training is perhaps a true example of the saying “persistence is power.” What surprises me recently, now that 50 years have gone by, is that the amount of weight I lift hasn’t changed much from back then. Even I find this astonishing. As a result, my body shape today is exactly the same as it was half a century ago. That’s why I can still wear the suit I bought when I was 20 years old. This may be one of my personal sources of pride. According to people around me, maintaining the same body shape for 50 years isn’t something that can easily be done.

Since entering my 60s, I have begun to experience some issues with blood pressure. Following my doctor’s advice, I started taking antihypertensive medication and realized that it would be best to stop extreme heavy lifting. Therefore, I recently decided to slightly lower the weights and increase the number of reps, setting all machines to a uniform 50 reps. By doing so, I avoid straining myself excessively, which helps prevent sudden spikes in blood pressure. Also, when the rep count exceeds 30 to 40, I can feel a burning, tightening sensation in my muscles every time. Of course, I continue the exercise even while enduring the pain, and the training effect is outstanding. By pushing through this burning feeling during training, I’m not only building strength, but also improving endurance and muscle flexibility at the same time. I don’t know how long I can keep doing these 50 reps, but lately I’ve found that simply thinking “this is fun, enjoyable, and beneficial” motivates me to carve out 30 minutes a day to keep training.

Three years on a rock, fifty years of weight training, and a 120-year journey of life. Perhaps such optimistic thinking is what still supports me these days.