Meet the 81-year-old bodybuilder who has competed for 60 years

Ted Clifton is an 81-year-old man from Newcastle, who impressively competes as a bodybuilder despite having previous health issues.

Ted, who is a great-grandad, competes in bodybuilding competitions and eats six meals a day in order to keep in shape. He has competed for 60 years, and shows no desire to slow down.  In his last competition, Ted was the runner up.

Ted has always had a keen interest in fitness from a young age, originally lifting weights at age 16 as a way of gaining muscle to help him play football. However, Ted found that he enjoyed working out more than he did the team sports, and decided to dedicate his time to doing just that.

Before health and safety measures were introduced, Ted built his own DIY gyms of five oil rigs he worked on in the 60s. He then went on to open his own professional gym in 1978, called Ted’s Gym in Workington. It has been open for 44 years, and is still going to this day.

His bodybuilding gym is frequented by other aspiring or competing bodybuilders, both men and women.

“I just love the bodybuilding competitions,” Ted explained, and how it is great to meet so many people at the events. Ted has an extensive collection of bodybuilding trophies that he proudly displays at his gym. “60 years of competing, you pick up a few trophies along the way,” he smiled.

Ted has not let his health issues stop him from doing what he loves. He explained that he had a triple heart bypass around seven years ago, but only six months later he was competing in a show. “I did the North East Britain show in Newcastle,” he explained.

Ted stays healthy by eating six meals a day, making sure to eat plenty of protein and carbohydrates. He listed fish, turkey, chicken, vegetables, rice and potatoes as the main foods for bodybuilding.