Amanzimtoti pensioner in training for Arnold Classic
I didn’t want to become decrepit and I wanted to get fit.
Kingsway High School medic , Chris Botha is in training for the Arnold Classic. Having been pushing weights for only nine months, the 64-year-old is now boasting a body that many 24-year-olds would envy. “I wanted to enter the Arnold Classic this year, but as it is in May I don’t think I’m ready yet, so I’ve set my mind to next year.”
Not many people are aware that two years ago the professional medic underwent a knee replacement and according to the history books, no-one with a full knew replacement has done the gym workouts he is currently doing five days a week for between an hour and an hour-and-a-half. “People think that because they have undergoing a knee replacement, they are ready for the shelf, but I refused to believed that.”
He trains with personal trainer and friend Jacques Bezuidenhout. “He took me under his wing. He watched me train by myself and then invited me to join him.”
Chris, who is also a medic at Poinsettia Park where he lives, has rubbished the idea that once you retire or are older, you must sit and do nothing. “Society tends to write off older people and I was told that my muscles would not respond, which I dismissed. I match Jacques, who is in his 30s, weight for weight, I just get tired quicker.
READ ALSO: Another year, another mile for Amanzimtoti swimming couple
I started gyming on 1 May, because I didn’t want to become decrepit and I wanted to get fit. The bug bit and the more results I got, the harder I trained. With anything I do, I give more than 100% or else I don’t do it. My eating habits have also changed – my diet now consists of basmati rice and either fish, chicken or eggs. Healthwise, I’ve never felt so good in my life.”
His doctor has also been amazed at his transformation. “The biggest advantage for me is that because I’m in the medical field, I have to be fit or else I cannot do my job.” As a young medic in his 20s while working for the Toti Fire Department, Chris was introduced to gyming by Gavin Veldman, the man behind the Arnold Classic. “I started training to pick up weight and even stopped smoking, but then I stupidly stopped for 30 years. Since I started again, I have no pain in my knee, because my muscle supports my joint.”
However, as every gym enthusiasts knows, you feel muscle pain every day, but it’s a good pain, because you know your exercises are working. “The important thing is you have to rest and eat properly. I believe diet is 60%. It also builds self-esteem. One bonus for me is I am able to look after people who are sick. I was a commercial diver in my younger days and now I am fit enough to have started diving and crayfishing again. I also love wildlife photography and now I have the energy to do it. I am really enjoying my life now.”
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