Six days after marking his 95th birthday, Samson Shaul arrived at his gym in the central city of Holon and completed a demanding workout, reinforcing a routine he has maintained for decades.
“You can say with certainty that I’m the oldest fitness trainer in the country,” Shaul said with a smile. Gym members nearby quickly corrected him: “In the world.”
Shaul and his gym, the Shaul Institute for Bodybuilding on Hazfira Street, have become a local fixture. The modest facility has been operating continuously for 61 years and has produced two national bodybuilding champions over the decades.
Born in Basra, Iraq, Shaul began training in bodybuilding at age 13. He immigrated to Israel at 16 and went on to win the national “Mr. Israel” bodybuilding title in 1968.
Today, the gym is managed by his son, Uri, 72, but Shaul continues to arrive daily, training alongside him and closely supervising workouts. The family is well aware that their gym lacks the polished appearance of modern fitness chains, but Shaul dismisses such comparisons.
“People come here to work, not to look at themselves in the mirror,” he said. “They get personal guidance. There’s no ‘personal trainer’ here charging extra after someone already paid hundreds of shekels for a membership. And besides, even in the new gyms, the weights are made of iron, not gold.”
When the gym is open, Shaul typically sits on a chair, watching every movement of those training. He frequently corrects form and explains technique, emphasizing efficiency and injury prevention.
“This is the only place where the trainer watches you throughout the entire workout,” said Yossi Hanimov, one of the gym’s regulars. “He comments, corrects and explains every movement.”
Another longtime trainee, Yisrael, 70, first trained with Shaul in his 20s and returned to the gym about a year ago. He credits the veteran trainer with tangible health improvements.
“Since he started training me again, all my indicators — blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol — have improved dramatically,” he said.
At 95, Shaul shows no intention of slowing down, continuing to train, teach and oversee workouts at the gym he founded more than six decades ago.