Age no bar to be fit

The certificates are spread out in front of him. In one corner is a bunch of medals tied to their ribbons. K.C. Sreenivasan would tell you the order in which he won them all, the places he had gone to, for it. You have to look at his face to believe that he is 66, going on 67. Otherwise, he looks as fit as a 30-year-old, a figure hugging yellow T-shirt on him. Sreenivasan runs up the stairs to his upper floor house in Kochi. It is easy to spot his fitness, but then what comes as a surprise is his perseverance, beginning to go to weightlifting championships post retirement, and winning prizes.

“The love for fitness began at an early age when I was 18 or 19, seeing a gym in Poneth Road, where I grew up. I started competing in bodybuilding championships when I was 35. I had become Mr Ernakulam in 1984,” Sreenivasan says. But it is much later — in 2009 to be specific — that he began participating in powerlifting contests. In 2011, he came first in district level and state level and fourth in national level championship. In 2012, he went to Manipur for the nationals and came in third and the next year again he came third in Amaravati. By 2014, he came second when the nationals were held in Himachal Pradesh. “That same year they had a second championship in Jharkhand and I came in first,” he says, showing the relevant certificate. The following year, he went to Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, winning more prizes.

“There are two national championships every year, and I go for both. It is called the Masters III, for the 60+ category,” he adds. Sreenivasan never breaks his daily routine of waking up at 6 am and beginning his workout at 7, going for a walk later on. He doesn’t follow a diet, and takes whatever food is cooked at home — breakfast, lunch and dinner. “But he doesn’t eat much,” says the wife.

The family, while proud and supportive of Sreenivasan’s feats, are also concerned about his well-being, travelling to far-off places and in difficult weather conditions, at this age. But even in really low temperatures in Jammu, Sreenivasan had no health issues while others much younger suffered. Sreenivasan, who joined a newspaper office as a staff member when he was 19, worked there for 40 years. He goes for talks and discussions and has strong views against using protein powder. He also coaches and trains aspiring bodybuilders when he gets time.