The (very) golden oldies show the younger generation how it's done: Rise of the fit over-50s as body building competitions open up categories for senior citizens South Florida retirees want to keep fit and stay in shape in their golden years Three years ago, over-30 category was added, then over 40s last year This year,over-50s category allow virtually anyone to enter and strut their stuff They might be old enough to be your grandpa and grandma, collect their pensions and have long sinced retired, but these men and women are also building their bodies in the most remarkable ways. Among the 300 well-built seniors at a Florida fitness competition, (the biggest in the country) are 75-year-old Carl Cone, 77-year-old Jim Shaffer and 57-year-old Jamie Marcus. They've been pumping iron and now look better than most in their swimsuits, as they flex their muscles onstage, at this point in their life than most of us could ever dream of. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6D7000005DC-321_636x433.jpg Golden girls: Bodybuilders take part in the Fifty and over competition at the 2013 NPC Southern States Championships at War Memorial Auditorium in Ft.Lauderdale. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6DB000005DC-476_638x395.jpg Pumping iron: Bodybuilder Robert Drapkin, 68 from Clearwater gets pumped up before he competes 'It turns out that South Florida is a hot spot for well-built retirees,' said Peter W. Potter, organizer of this weekend's NPC Southern States Championships at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale. The annual two-day event has a wealth of 50, 60 and 70-year-olds eager to inject fitness into their golden years. Mr Cone was a bodybuilder in the 1980s but then he decided to beef up once again and won in the Southern States competition in his over-70 category. 'It was always on my bucket list to compete and win,' said Mr Cone, of Hollywood to the Sun Sentinel. 'But what I saw were so many competitors over the age of 70.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6E7000005DC-922_638x463.jpg Glistening: Senior Bodybuilders get pumped up and ready to compete 'I think it's great that more people are showing up instead of staying in their retirement homes, because anyone can do it.' The retired transportation administrator can be found in the gym three times a week at Youfit Health Club in Hollywood. 'You'd never know to look at me that I have a pacemaker. By my Iooks alone, I hope that helps motivate seniors to get on their feet.' More than one-third of competitors posing this year were over the age of 40, a Southern States record, said Mr Potter. 'Outdoor activities are definitely more prevalent in South Florida than if you came from Detroit or Chicago or whatever,' he said. 'Older people take pride in their own physique, especially when they want to look hot in South Florida. They can still be strong, and look good, and feel better, and that's what keeps them motivated.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6F3000005DC-701_638x395.jpg Do you think the abs are done? Bodybuilder Jack Scow, 63, from Fresno, poses before he competes http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6F7000005DC-335_638x400.jpg Feeling twenty years younger: Bodybuilders take part in the Fifty and over competition, a category that was only added this year http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6C3000005DC-862_640x865.jpg Morning workout: Bodybuilder Jim Shaffer, 77, gets pumped up before he competes Evelyn Rosenblatt, of Miami, was garbed in a bejeweled red, white and blue bikini. Rosenblatt, 51, says she lives for the 'endorphin rush' of daily workouts, but she's excited that the competition let her flaunt her bikinied body this year in a category for women her own age. 'Training is in my blood. Though I've got to tell you, it was kind of depressing getting my first piece of AARP mail,' Rosenblatt said with a laugh, who trims down to 8 percent body fat during competition season. As several women took turns spraying Pam cooking oil on each other's bronzed bodies, the ladies' locker room took on the aroma of Thanksgiving dinner. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6C7000005DC-978_638x400.jpg Admiring the view: At least twenty over-fifty competitors are set to strut their bikini bodies this year, in one of two debuting categories http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6CB000005DC-496_638x406.jpg He's done this before: Bodybuilder Bud Seidenfaden, 70, from Georgia poses in a mirror http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/15/article-2363887-1AD0E6CF000005DC-958_638x460.jpg Just look at my smile! Bodybuilder Michelle DeLeon,51. Demand surged for more-mature, muscular women three years ago following the introduction of a Women's Bikini Over-30 category, which eventually attracted interest from the older set 64-year-old Rick Meyer, of Palm Coast, flexed is muscles on a stage shared by a dozen other Physique posers his age. 'Competing makes me feel powerful in a way cycling didn't,' Mr Meyer said. 'I think the idea for someone my age who doesn't work out is to set small, achievable goals.' Do it unselfishly, because you make your family happy if you get healthy.' Also competing in the Grand Masters was 77-year-old Jim Shaffer, of Deland, who trains five times a week at his YMCA and has entered the Southern States since 2006. Around town, the retired handyman watches dozens of seniors 'sitting and drinking coffee,' but says he'd rather commit himself to health. 'You can either retire and die, or you can, say, 'That doesn't count for me,'' said Shaffer, a part-time personal trainer for seniors. 'There aren't many things that get me excited these years. Age doesn't apply to me.'
