I started my most recent trip to China in the far west city of Chengdu. On one of my first excursions outside of the hotel on June 17, 2025, I happened upon this gentleman stretching his legs. While I didn’t think of asking him his age at the time, based on his muscle tone, I would guess he is in his mid-70s, possibly older.

I was not only quite impressed with his ability to do the sideways splits (or straddle) but also that he pushed himself up from that position using his knuckles. If you have ever done knuckle pushups on a concrete surface then you know how tough your knuckles have to be to do this. I think he is a good inspiration to all, no matter what your age, not that everyone can do this but he shows that if we keep active we can maintain our flexibility and strength as we get older.