By Tommy Bonnet
A 77-year-old Nottinghamshire personal trainer is defying stereotypes by completing strength exercises normally taken on by people half his age.
Graham Parrington retired at 65 after an 44-year career as truck driver, and his wife bought him a gym membership to keep him busy.
At 69 he discovered the world of calisthenics – strength training and exercises which revolve around using body weight as resistance. Little to no equipment is needed.
Graham can now complete the ‘human flag’ – supporting his body parallel to the ground while holding on to a vertical bar – and support someone else’s entire body weight in a ‘front lever’ position while they complete their own pull-ups.
He said: “It’s your body weight, which is more natural to move around. It’s more important when you get older to have this physical body strength of your own.”
Graham works as a personal trainer at Holme Pierrepont County Park, Rushcliffe, home of the National Water Sports Centre, teaching his own classes, which have elements of calisthenics.
He said: “I teach three of my own courses, and I also teach core classes on shift – I devised a course called ‘abtastic’ – I make courses interesting and challenging.
“I can do something that looks very complicated but I can find ways to build someone up to do that through other exercises.
“I like helping people, their admiration and feedback is really nice.”
While Graham only began Calisthenics at 69, he has always kept himself in shape, he said: “(Before) my fitness wasn’t zero, I always ate well and looked after my weight. I used to do a lot of walking and swimming.”
Now Graham, from Radcliffe-on-Trent, wakes up at 6am and goes to bed 10pm, doing three full body three hour workouts a week.
Rachel, health and fitness manager at Holme Pierrepont Country Park, and Graham’s boss, said: “I don’t get much work done when he’s around. I’ll be taking part in challenges with him in the gym or film him for his Instagram.
“He’s a bit of a quirky character but I like that, he’s really friendly and I’m really inspired by him.
“He’s got a great outlook on life, He’s got elements of play with his day-to-day life with his partner, they go out and play in parks, using swings, monkey bars with his grandkids.
“When we get older, you get told to act your age but you need to forget those societal pressures and just have fun and gyms can be the place where you can have fun, and Graham is a great advocate for that.”
A 2021 study found that the average age for a personal trainer was 39 years old, with the oldest personal trainer being 78 – only one year older than Graham.
