During his peak, Rafael Diaz impressed his fans with his physique, winning a gold medal at the 2003 Mr. Olympia Masters USA and becoming the World champion 3 times.

Even that same enthusiasm and strength are maintained by the veteran, who recently shocked his fans by sharing photos of his jacked back muscles at 80.

On June 13, Diaz shared a short clip on his Instagram, showing his back muscles with the caption,

"Fitness is all in your head... I want to, I can. That's why I keep going! 😜.”

Diaz’s love for a shredded and toned back is visible from another clip posted on May 10 with the caption, “the nature of life is to keep working until the end of days. I'm continuing my training, what about you?”

In the post, he was seen doing a machine lat pulldown to work on his back muscles.

His fitness journey began at 35, and over the years, he has shown how consistency and dedication can overcome age.

Diaz began his fitness journey to enter bodybuilding, where his work would pay off. He always followed a simple plan:

• Healthy eating
• Training in the gym.

While Diaz shocked his fans with his jacked back muscles, what is the secret to this physique at this age?

Rafael Vera Diaz’s fitness approach

According to Generation Iron, Diaz, speaking about his dedication to bodybuilding, the gym, and longevity, said, “This sport is what makes me feel like a young guy and age is nothing but just a number.”

His core workout philosophy includes:

• Gymnastics-focused agility: Diaz regularly practices movements such as handstands, cartwheels, and flexibility drills
• High hypertrophy: Diaz follows traditional volume training. He uses split-day schedules, including customized upper- or lower-body sessions to correct body definition.
• Advanced approaches: He also follows modern approaches, such as FST-7 styles.

Some lifestyle approaches adopted by him:

• Zero a****** and zero s******
• Clean fueling, like whole foods and lean protein.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil