Jim Arrington, at 93, has once again turned heads with his stamina and endurance at the 2025 IFBB Pro League Masters World Championships, just three years after his bodybuilding debut.

Men's Health caught up with Arrington for a conversation in September 2025. During their chat, the man whose childhood nickname was “Skiny bones” revealed how he continues to defy his age after making his competitive debut at 90.

How Jim Arrington Trains

“Everyone always says there’s something they have to work a little more on… You just have to do it,” he said even before earning Guinness World Records as the oldestmale bodybuilder at 85 back in 2018. That philosophy has helped Arrington perform in multiple competitions.

On some weeks, he dedicates four to five days to training. And sometimes he reduces the intensity and amount of the workout sessions to focus on recovery. That's because for Arrington, a workout is all about efficiency.

He goes for full-body splits as it helps him balance his cardiovascular conditioning and strength. Arrington starts his routine with a warm-up, then moves into other exercises like machine lat pulls, focused triceps extensions, shoulder isolation, seated leg press, calf work, and cable crossovers. He trains his legs separately and sometimes adds leg presses and leg extensions to add more challenge.

Arrington believes in adaptation. “Just about anything works for a while, then your body adapts and requires new challenges,” Arrington told Men’s Health. To balance this, Arrington regularly changes his workout routines.

The Diet That Fuels the World’s Oldest Bodybuilder

Jim’s diet has changed as much as his training. During his early years, he followed a diet that he calls “old style.” He stated, “I consumed huge amounts of milk and beef.” He relied on high-calorie foods to gain mass. During one of his bulking phases, he consumed 2 quarts of skim milk mixed with powdered milk.

Jim Arrington used to sip this mixture throughout the day while working in sales. The bodybuilder also ate a pound of meat and cottage cheese. He explained that this allowed him to get nourished a little bit throughout the day. The approach paid off as Arrington gained 65 pounds in 9 months.

But as the time passed, Arrington completely redesigned his diet because “they lead to inflammation, [so] I changed my diet entirely. I figured if I did that, I could continue training, and I could keep this thing up.”

Now he follows a simple, healthy diet. Arrington's current diet has a low carbohydrate intake, which he gets from vegetables like Mushrooms and sweet potatoes. For his protein intake, he consumes one scoop of Optimum protein, and he says, “Olive oil is my main food for fats.”

At 93, Jim Arrington focuses on the kind of diet and training that support his long-term performance and gut health. So the question is: Did the world's oldest bodybuilder inspire you hit the gym?

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi