SOMA is the Greek word for body — and the philosophy behind this site is that the potential of a committed human body is without ceiling. Not at 25. Not at 45. Not at 65. These six athletes are proof of that. Each of them built and maintained an extraordinary physique through decades of consistent, intentional training. And here’s what strikes me as a certified personal trainer looking at their stories: none of them did it by having access to superior facilities. They did it by building training into the fabric of their lives — showing up with intention, in whatever environment they had, for decades without stopping. That’s the home gym ethos before home gyms had a name.
Lee Labrada (61)
Lee Labrada has remained a staple in the bodybuilding and fitness community for decades. Whether you know him as the guy who unseated the great Lee Haney in the 1990 Mr. Olympia pre-judging, or the father of the up and coming Hunter Labrada, his name is infamous.
You can tell the people who view fitness as a lifelong journey, and Lee Labrada is clearly riding ‘til the last stop. Though just making the list at 61, Lee has muscle size and definition men half his age would envy. To him
“Bodybuilding is the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth”
It’s gotten to the point that one of his main aspirations is to model mental sharpness sharpness and longevity as a kind of “fitness evangelist”. There’s no doubt that he’s on the right track, literally embodying the phrase “ripped at 60”.
Training plans for all ages are easy to come by, but It’s rare to get a look at the nutrition of bodybuilders higher in years. However Lee has given us a glimpse of the diet and supplementation necessary for maintaining his stellar physique. Obviously specific foods, intake amount, etc. will vary from person to person, but we can learn a lot from what people eat, especially veteran bodybuilders.
Meal 1:
- 10 Egg Whites, 1 Cup Oatmeal, 1 Cup Greek Zero Fat Yogurt, 1Tablespoon Fish Oil
Pre-Workout:
- GlutaLean®, BCAA-Power™, Stim-Force™
Post Workout:
- Lean Body® Ready to Drink Meal Replacement Shake, 1 Scoop Power Carb™, 1 Tablespoon Fish Oil, 3 HICA MAX Tablets
Meal 2:
- 8oz. Chicken Breast, 10oz. Sweet Potato, 1 Cup Vegetables, Nuts– Almonds, Cashews, Seeds
Meal 3:
- 8oz. Chicken Breast, 1.5 cup Rice Mixed with Black Beans, 1 Cup Vegetables, Granola Muffin
Meal 4:
- 8oz Salmon, Orange Roughy, or Halibut, 10 oz. Sweet Potato, 1 Cup Vegetables, Sorbet
Meal 5:
- Lean Body® Ready-to-Drink Meal Replacement Shake, Bowl of Whole Grain Cereal, 1 Tablespoon Fish Oil
Home Gym Training: What stands out about Lee’s approach from a home gym perspective is the simplicity of his equipment philosophy. His core training has always centered on free weights — barbells, dumbbells, cables — the same tools available in any well-built home gym. The nutrition discipline he demonstrates is equally applicable at home, where you control your food environment completely. There’s no cafeteria line between you and your goals.
Tony Pearson (64)
Tony Pearson is one of the great decorated veterans of bodybuilding. He also happens to still be incredible shape at 64! He still competes at the highest level of the sport, winning the 2020 AAU Master’s Mr. Universe 40 years after the dawn of his career.
With Arnold Schwarzenegger as his mentor, Tony blazed a trial of substantial wins throughout the 80s. Even after his retirement in 1994 he still stayed in such good shape he seamlessly returned to the stage in 2014 to win the NABBA USA American Grandmaster’s and Open divisions.
Most people would be surprised to learn he’s maintained this physique without the use of hormone replacements. However most don’t know the man still works out nearly or sometimes literally everyday of the week. For obvious reasons Tony doesn’t train as heavy as he did back in the day, but his high rep ranges keep blood flowing to the muscles.
Home Gym Training: Tony’s maintenance of his physique without hormone replacement is worth examining. His secret is daily movement and high rep training — both of which are perfectly suited to home gym training. You don’t need a commercial gym to do 15-20 rep sets with dumbbells. You need dumbbells, consistency, and the same discipline Tony has demonstrated for 40 years.
If you’re inspired by these amazing athletes and want to begin your own weightlifting journey, it helps to build your training around simple, proven principles that actually drive progress.
→ Read: How to Start Strength Training at Home (Beginner’s Guide)
Robby Robinson (75)
Robby Robinson is one of those guys you just have to marvel at.
He is also another accomplished bodybuilder who had his start in the golden age of bodybuilding. He won numerous awards from Mr. America to Mr. Universe, Mr. World, Master’s Olympia, etc.
The man has numerous accomplishments over three decades, yet even though he retired from competing in 2001, he never stopped training
It’s not hard to see how Robby has stayed in such amazing shape well into his 70s. Spend 5 minutes on his Instagram page and you’ll quickly realize his workouts, techniques, and mentality hasn’t changed much in half a century. This man is a BEAST! He loves the a 3 days on 1 day off training split. He prefers high repetitions for engaging the pump and high volume (15-20 sets per major muscle group) in order to tax them and fill them with blood. I’d be remissed if I didn’t mention a few more of his techniques. Robby also:
– Trains 45 minutes per body part
– Uses barbells and dumbbells as his go-to piece of gym equipment for mass building
– Focuses on variety to create muscle confusion by alternating between heavy and light training weeks
All of these methods he has refined over decades of trial and error and consistent training. As Robby himself put it
“That is what bodybuilding is, repetition. Bodybuilding is a lot of finding the exercise that targets the muscles so it responds best, and when that happens you get a lot of response and your progress goes to the moon.”
Robby has a ton of sound advice on bodybuilding, whether your young or old. But I think one of Robby Robinson’s favorite and most powerful techniques that you rarely hear about is the power of ones mental state. In his own words:
“You are what you think, you have to really think about bodybuilding, you have to think about having a big arm or chest or more muscular physique. You have to think about all these things. But you have to also practice all the parts , you have to eat , you have to rest, you have to keep a positive mind, work on your posing, you just have to practice all the parts. As I said bodybuilding is just repetition, you have to just keep going over these things. But visualization is my number one thing because the more you visualize something consistency throughout training it comes to be. You cannot just do the exercise like most folks, you have to create the image by visualizing the exercise, and how you want the physique to look.”
Youth an attitude like that it’s no wonder the man is still ripped in his old age. I strongly suggest checking out this interview and others like it to learn more about his other perspectives like dieting.
Home Gym Training: Robby’s equipment philosophy is directly applicable to any home gym athlete. Barbells and dumbbells as his ‘go-to piece of gym equipment for mass building’ — his words — are the foundation of any serious home gym. His visualization technique is also worth noting: the mental environment matters as much as the physical one. A home gym you’ve built with intention, that looks and feels like a serious training space, supports the kind of focus Robby describes.
Kay Wiseman (64)
Kay Wiseman’s story is a little different from most of the guys on this list. She is a personal trainer with a background in fitness and the armed forces for decades. That being said she started bodybuilding at the ripe age of 47- and continues to do so at 64.
Though she started late her motivations are similar to many in the industry. Kay, like many of us, started training simply to change her body and improve her confidence/ self esteem. She never dreamed of stepping on the stage and competing due to her introverted personality. Though for several years she was unsure of herself and where she fit in bodybuilding world, Kay has since adjusted.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” she says. “You really do have to be committed to be successful — you can’t do it half-hearted and expect to see the results — and I had never really committed to anything that wholeheartedly, or not for a long time. So I really dug deep to find that within myself.”
This mentality won her 1st place in the 2018 Natural Universe Women’s Physique Open Class (INBA World Australia). Her example has also been an inspiration to her oldest daughter (who also competes) and women worldwide looking to stay fit well into their golden years.
Home Gym Training: Kay’s story has particular relevance for home gym athletes who start later in life. She began bodybuilding at 47 with a background in fitness but no competitive experience — and built a championship physique over the following years. Her full-body circuit training approach, 3-4 days a week, is one of the most effective home gym training structures available. No specialized equipment required, no commercial gym needed, just consistent movement with intention.
Chet Yorton (81)
We couldn’t have a list like this without mentioning the late and great Chet Yorton. Though Chet is no longer with us (he passed away in 2020 at 81) he still serves as a shining example of what bodybuilders are capable of in their senior years.
I mean just look at the guy- he looks like he hadn’t skipped a day of training a day in his life
Truth be told there was a time when Mr. Yorton wasn’t always in the gym. He was in a car accident shortly after high school that damaged his left eye, forearm, elbow, wrist, dislocated hips and shattered femurs. Doctors were debating amputating his right leg, but Chet’s resilience won out. After grueling setbacks that eventually put him in a wheelchair for 4 months, the young man came across the tool that would change his life forever- dumbbells.
Yorton began training consistently for 2 years and entered his first bodybuilding contest in 1960. By the time of his retirement in 1979, he had won numerous titles like Mr. America.
What’s even more impressive is that he was able to maintain this stellar physique NATURALLY. One thing you might not know about Chet Yorton is that throughout his life he was a strong advocate for natural, steroid free bodybuilding. He was even hailed the “Father of Natural Bodybuilding” in his time. The guy was so serious about natural bodybuilding, he founded the Natural Bodybuilder’s Association (NBA) in 1975, the first organization to test for drug use in competitive bodybuilding.
He was a true legend. He was a 2 time Mr. Universe champion, one of the few people to ever beat Arnold Schwarzenegger. When he also won the IFBB Mr. America competition the same year he beat Arnold (1966), snatching victory from another future Olympian- Frank Zane.
Home Gym Training: Chet Yorton’s origin story is worth sitting with for a moment. After a devastating car accident that left him in a wheelchair, the tool that changed his life was a pair of dumbbells. Not a commercial gym membership. Not a personal trainer. Dumbbells — the most fundamental piece of home gym equipment — started a journey that produced a natural bodybuilding legend. That’s not a small thing.
Wendy Ida (69)
Wendy Ida is stellar example of what women’s health and fitness looks like past 60. This San Diego bodybuilding bikini champion has a lengthy legacy of fitness under her belt and just as much positive energy to share with clients and fans.
As a former accountant, she went down the path of fitness in her early 40s after an abusive relationship. Now a full-fledged personal trainer, she specializes in core training, TRX, functional training, Zumba, and Pilates. She has her plate full speaking at conferences around the world, running a growing YouTube channel, and training physical/ virtual clients, but she loves it.
You could say Wendy is on a mission to inspire people in their mid-life who feel defeated about their circumstances, especially fitness-wise. In her words
“I tell them ‘you’re still just a baby!’ ‘You have so much life to live, love to give, places to go. You have a ways to go and the show is not over.’ ”
This bodybuilding champion has a few pointers for building muscle and keeping it after 60:
consistent movement:
Wendy recognizes the fact that what the body doesn’t use it removes. This is why she hasn’t taken her foot off the gas when It comes to training her body. She is a big fan of full-body circuit training 3 to 4 days a week, incorporating body weight exercises to strengthen her muscles and cardio Intervals on the treadmill or bike.
lift weights:
Muscle mass decreases 3-8% per decade after the age of 30. This rate can be even higher after 60, so It’s no surprise Wendy is also big on resistance training. Resistance training helps to build and maintain muscles in seniors, and it also strengthens and fortify bones. This is a huge priority for those looking to stay mobile and stay protected against fractures, a looming problem In the elderly community.
alternate activities:
Wendy as mentioned is a strength circuit enthusiast. However on her off days she likes to alternate between different active rest activities like jogging, dancing, or biking. This helps to give her body a break while keeping her engaged in fitness by adding a need dose of variety.
well-rounded nutrition:
She believes in keeping her nutrition simple. Her philosophy is avoiding fad diets and eating as much whole/ organic foods as possible. Also eating small meals every 3 to 4 hours to fuel her metabolism and keep cravings and overeating at bay.
Home Gym Training: Wendy’s training principles map directly to home gym training. Consistent movement, resistance training, alternating activities, whole food nutrition — every element of her approach is executable in a home gym environment. Her emphasis on bodyweight exercises and resistance training means her program requires minimal equipment. A set of dumbbells, a mat, and the consistency she demonstrates over decades produces the results she embodies
What These Athletes Teach Us About Home Gym Training
Looking at these six athletes as a group, a pattern emerges that has everything to do with environment and consistency and nothing to do with access to elite facilities.
Robby Robinson built his physique with barbells and dumbbells. Chet Yorton started with a pair of dumbbells in recovery from a wheelchair. Kay Wiseman began competing at 47 with the fundamentals. What unites them isn’t access — it’s the decision to treat training as a lifelong practice rather than a phase.
A home gym, built with intention, is the physical expression of that decision. It removes every logistical barrier between you and consistency. No drive, no waiting, no closing time, no judgment. Just you and the work — which is exactly how every athlete on this list has trained for decades.
The question isn’t whether you can build an extraordinary physique in a home gym. The athletes above answer that. The question is whether you’ll build the right environment to support decades of consistent training — and whether you’ll show up in it.
If you’re building or upgrading that environment right now, the guide below gives you everything you need to do it right.
Reach Your Full Potential
The body you’re capable of building has no expiration date. These six athletes prove it across six decades, six different training philosophies, and six different life stories. What they share is the refusal to stop — and the environment, habits, and consistency that made continuing possible.
Whether you’re 25 or 65, starting your first home gym or upgrading a space you’ve trained in for years — the potential is still there. SOMA exists to help you build the environment worthy of it.
Be Well, Micah Le’Gare Certified Personal Trainer | Fitness Nutrition Specialist | Founder, SOMA.FITNESS”
Ready to build the training environment that supports a lifelong fitness practice? Download the free SOMA Home Gym Starter Kit — trainer-built layouts, a $600 equipment blueprint, and the 7 mistakes checklist. Free download.
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