Barnaul Man, 60, Loses 23 kg, Takes Up Gym and Competitions
The hero won his first competitions
Vladimir Zelenkov, a 63-year-old resident of Barnaul, Russia, has a rather unusual hobby for his age: for several years, he has been going to training sessions early in the morning. He himself cannot imagine his life without sports and is trying his hand at competitions. More details in the interview with NGS22.RU.
“Not So Rosy Prospects”
Vladimir is an individual entrepreneur in retail trade, a pre-retiree, father, and grandfather, but in his gym, he is the oldest among those training, which, of course, surprises many.
“I came to the gym when not so rosy prospects started looming before my eyes. Once, I sat down on the sofa and found it very, very difficult to get up. Then the thought flashed through my mind that I’d soon have to buy a crutch. And the next morning at 8 o’clock, I was already at a sports store,” he recalls.
At first, he decided to train at home, for which he bought a workout bench and other equipment. This yielded small results: Vladimir lost 5 kg.
“After that, I decided to improve my results, but there were few conditions at home. Moreover, I became curious about how much I could succeed, and went to the gym,” the Barnaul resident said.
Before starting training and losing weight, Vladimir weighed 105 kg (231 lbs) at a height of 176 cm (5 ft 9 in). The excess weight, according to him, started growing after age 35, but for a long time he thought he could lose weight at any moment when he wanted.
Vladimir turned to sports when he realized his body was starting to fail him
“In reality, it turned out to be very difficult. I managed to achieve some impressive results when I got my current coach,” he noted.
With this specialist, the Barnaul resident started training a year ago. And in this time, he managed to do more for his fitness than in all the previous years combined.
“In sports, a lot depends on proper nutrition. It’s not even a diet, but exactly the right diet. When the coach explained everything to me, I saw that I was eating half as much as he suggested,” shared the entrepreneur.
Thus, Vladimir’s new diet included four meals a day with an emphasis on chicken, turkey, beef, various cereals, and white fish.
“In a day, I have 150 grams of beef, chicken, or fish, and also 300 grams of cereal, for example rice. When I ate half as much, the weight didn’t go away. But here, one day I ate correctly and immediately the next day I lost 1.5 kg. I was surprised and after that started following all the coach’s requirements,” he said.
However, starting to eat correctly even for the sake of losing weight was not easy for him. In the first days, he couldn’t eat at all.
“I hadn’t eaten that much before. I had to force it down somehow. It was hard, but then I got used to it. It’s for training, after all. And once a week, you can eat something unhealthy, in a small amount and so the coach doesn’t see,” added the hero.
Besides this, Vladimir went to training three or four times a week. Getting into such a routine was not easy, but since childhood he was used to overcoming difficulties, so the challenges didn’t stop him.
Thanks to training, Vladimir managed to achieve impressive results
“They showed me how to do exercises on the machines, and I trained on my own for four years, for 2.5 hours. That’s a lot. Now I train with my coach and an hour is enough for me to have staggering results,” admitted the Barnaul resident.
“It’s Nice to Feel That You’re Healthy”
In total, Vladimir managed to get rid of 23–24 kg — now he weighs 81.5 kg (180 lbs). Thanks to the weight loss, as he emphasizes, he feels much better.
“It became much more interesting and pleasant to look at myself. Many things became easier. There’s a machine — a stair climber. Before, I could barely make it to the sixth floor, but now I go 130 floors and feel fine. Now I have more interesting prospects, for example, I can climb mountains,” he noted.
Vladimir’s close ones were shocked by his results. Everyone was surprised at what he managed to achieve at such an age.
“Yeah, I’m shocked myself by what I can do. Some also try to train, but then give up. And that happens, it’s a difficult thing. My son is 41 years old. I tell him: ‘Why don’t you train?’ He says that he still has everything ahead. But now I’m curious about what else I can achieve. And again, age. I need to train to be able to walk on my own until the very last moment,” the entrepreneur said.
He emphasizes that training has become so ingrained in his life that he can no longer imagine his day without it. His body itself asks for the load.
In the gym, Vladimir is the oldest athlete
“If I miss a training session, I go to the gym the next day. When you don’t go, you feel heavy, but after sports, on the contrary, your mood is uplifted,” he noted.
In the gym, according to Vladimir, he feels better than at home lying on the sofa.
“On the sofa, I fall asleep immediately, but in the gym, it’s nice to feel that you’re healthy, that you can do this. Because there are young people whom I surpass in weights. That’s pleasant,” declared the Barnaul resident.
At the same time, Vladimir is satisfied with his current weight — now he is focused on gaining muscle mass. For this, he even plans to gain a couple of kilograms.
“It would be super to gain muscle mass and stay at this weight, but I can gain a little bit. I want, of course, to get a bit closer to my coach’s form — he is a world champion in bodybuilding. To find out if it’s possible at such an age or not. To conduct, so to speak, an experiment on myself,” shared the hero.
“I’m Not Aging — I’m Getting Younger”
Besides curiosity about what other results he can achieve, Vladimir also participates in competitions. Thus, in December, he is performing in the final of the “Siberian Transformation” competition.
“Alas, there is no category for my age. I’m alone, so I have no one to compete with. They’ll probably put me with the young guys aged 18. I can’t imagine how I’ll go out then: all young, and me alone. They, of course, look more interesting,” he noted.
However, despite this, he does not plan to skip the tournament. Last year, he also participated in the project, but in the “Before and After” nomination, where he took first place. Now, he is listed in the sports category.
“Now I will go out as an athlete. For these competitions, I already trained specially, sometimes my coach gave me more load. And I needed to lose weight, there’s its own specifics. I do everything the coach says,” declared the athlete.
Vladimir admits: as long as health allows, he would like to continue participating in various tournaments. At first, he didn’t feel such competitive excitement, it came later.
Vladimir plans to continue participating in competitions
“The first time, they told me to come at 12 o’clock, but my appearance was only at 6 p.m. I was so bored of waiting then. I didn’t feel any excitement. I just wanted everything to end quickly and I could go to a restaurant, because I was very hungry,” recalls the entrepreneur.
However, despite the not so impressive first experience, Vladimir decided to try again.
“At first, I thought it was enough for me to just go on stage, to be photographed and I could send the photo to my grandson. Then it turned out that the childish excitement was still in me. I was even surprised myself. It delights me. I’m not aging — I’m getting younger. Many think I’m 10 years younger than my actual age,” he added.
Sports have also influenced other habits of the hero.
“Many in my age group become alcoholics because, besides going to the liquor store, they have nothing to do. Maybe I would have faced the same fate, but now unlikely. Training distracts me well, on the contrary, it makes me not drink to have results. It delights me,” emphasized Vladimir.
