appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Patrick Blennerhassett

Like many weekend warriors who play or practice the sport they love for fun, Hong Kong’s Vicente Di Clemente had hit a bit of a wall.
The avid outrigger canoeist had been competing in local competitions, but found he was unable to break through to the next level no matter how hard he tried.
“I’ve been paddling for three years now, and I always found some ceiling,” the 50-year-old, who has lived in the city for 10 years and works in the banking industry, said. “It doesn’t matter how much I improved my technique or how much time I spent in the water, there was a point beyond which my performance stalled.”
Di Clemente was on the third team at his local paddling club, however knew he would have to start performing better than at least 10 paddlers to move up teams. Clemente said he spoke to his trainer at the time, who said he needed better conditioning, so the Italian native tried everything – HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), circuit training and weightlifting – however nothing seemed to move the needle.

As the world’s average age continues to climb, many older people are finding ways to stay fit into their senior years. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 years already totals more than 1.4 billion, a number that is expected to double by 2050.
Many middle agers trying to stay in shape such as Di Clemente are finding it difficult to access specific training programmes geared towards them. As people age, injuries are more difficult to overcome, which means playing sports and keeping fit can be tough to navigate in a fitness industry that is largely geared towards those under 40.
‘I’ve never felt fitter or healthier’: trail runner on her vegan diet
Studies are showing that training programmes for those over 40 need to be specifically tailored to each individual, and generic training programmes are a recipe for disaster for anyone who is not relatively fit or healthy to begin with.
Di Clemente said going in he thought he could only do so much when it came to training and was going to be burdened by limitations.
“Before I was looking at the weight and saying, ‘Leave it. I don’t want to get injured.’ And obviously, I was hitting the wall all the time.”
I have problems with mobility, and every time I was trying to lift a few extra kilos, I would start to have a problem with my shoulder or elbow. I thought that maybe I’m too old for this.”

Turns out he just needed a specifically tailored model to follow, which Di Clemente found through Ultimate Performance Fitness in Hong Kong, which works with clients on an individualistic basis when it comes to personal training.
In 13 weeks, Di Clemente was able to shed 10kg while still maintaining enough muscle mass to keep canoeing. The data driven approach at UP helped immensely, Di Clemente said, noting that things like hitting specific muscle groups, and working on posture and stability so he could lift heavier, were all key components for his transformation.
“I don’t remember the last time I got injured, and that obviously gave me a lot of confidence to go heavier and heavier and heavier … There’s a lot of science behind lifting weights. It’s not just ‘lift, lift, lift’ or eat chicken and vegetables all day long.”
As the health and wellness industry booms, the internet is getting oversaturated with fitness tips, tricks, plans and ideologies. Di Clemente said he’d got sucked into this, but found that educating himself via a qualified trainer in person was way better than trying to cherry-pick on social media.

“Online people are saying different kinds of things, and you don’t know exactly where to start or how to perform,” he said. “When I started, I wasn’t interested in what I looked like, only my performance on the water. But when I saw this clear six-pack and how lean I was, I was like, ‘Woah, this is amazing.’”
Now as one of the top outrigger canoeists on his team, which recently won the mixed unlimited category at the Around the Island Hong Kong Race, Di Clemente said his goal is clearer than ever.
“I am 50 years old, and I cannot compete with 20 year old guys, but to be one of the fastest old people in Hong Kong is great,” he said.


Why dementia is preventable – and the new tools that can reduce your risk

A guide to Hong Kong’s bitter herbal teas and how Gen Z is reviving the health tradition

No time for the gym? How micro-workouts could help busy professionals improve their health

How Jet Li’s trainer Wu Bin, 89, ages well and still nurtures martial arts talent

Health & Fitness

Outrigger canoeist, 50, transforms his body so he can ‘be one of the fastest old people in Hong Kong’

Vicente Di Clemente is part of a wave of people who are staying fit well into middle age. Photo: Handout

Vicente Di Clemente before and after his 13-week transformation last year in which he lost 10kg. Photo: Handout

Vicente Di Clemente said he’d hit a wall when it came to training for the sport he loved. Photo: Handout

Vicente Di Clemente found that he needed a personalised training programme that incorporate his mobility and injury issues to take his canoe game to the next level. Photo: Handout

Filipino’s HK4TUC spot caps journey from ‘fatty belly, chain-smoker, and hard drinker’ to ultra running addict

Barefoot runner, Rowel Campos, is taking on the 298km Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge. Photo: Nelson Wong

Rowell Campos wears nothing but simple running sandals on his feet when he takes to the trails. Photo: Lams Sport Photography

Rowell Campos learns to ‘suffer well’. Photo: The Green Race

Rowell Campos’ ‘wall of suffering’. Photo: Handout

Simple running sandals prevent injuries for Rowell Campos. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong 298km Four Trails: Chamelia Suhra goes from ‘party queen’ to running machine in two years, swapping heels for sports shoes

Chamelia Suhra is running the 298km Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge (HK4TUC) just two years after taking up the sport. Photo: Greenrace

Chamelia Suhra was a party Queen until she became a running machine. Photo: Handout

Chamelia Suhra cried when she was accepted into the Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong Four Trails: Joannie ‘Jcy’ Ho is using hypnotherapy to prepare for 298km ultra marathon, to overcome fear of downhills

Joannie ‘Jcy’ Ho Chung-yee uses hypnotherapy to overcome her fear of running downhill. Photo: LTY Production

Joannie ‘Jcy’ Ho Chung-yee goes from last to second at the Sai Kung 50 over three years. Photo: Handout

The end of the HK4TUC is marked by a postbox in Mui Wo. Photo: Alan Li

10 trail running stories that shaped the news in 2021, from China’s ultra disaster to escaping arranged marriage

Two top 10 stories in one photo - the UTMB’s new World Series and Sunmaya Budha continuing to forge a new career. Photo: Touch Media/Asia Pacific Adventure.

The UTMB launched a new World Series. Photo: Thailand by UTMB

Chris Lo Chiu-kit and Inti Fu Tai-fan. Photo: Handout

Kilian Jornet leaves Salomon after 18 years. Photo: @kilianjornet Instagram

Winnie Wheeler, five years old, hikes the whole Lantau Trail over two months for ImpactHK, a charity for the homeless in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Rescuers carry a stretcher as they work at the site where extreme cold weather killed participants of an ultramarathon race. Photo: Cnsphoto/Reuters

Jacky Leung Chun-keung is the first person to ‘break 50’. Photo: Alan Li

A man receives treatment at a hospital in Jingtai county after the ultramarathon disaster. Cnsphoto/Reuters

Joshua Leung Nok-yan hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. He got frostbite in his feet and had to split the adventure over two years. Photo: Joshua Leung Nok-yan

Ethiopia’s Derara Hurisa reaches the finish only to be disqualified for wearing banned shoes. Photo: Hans Punz

Sunmaya Budha uses running to break free from her poor region with limited opportunities. Photo: The North Face Adventure Team

Sport

Hong Kong


Vincente Di Clemente is part of a growing wave of middle-aged weekend warriors who are staying fit later into life
Italian expat says key was finding a personalised plan taking into account his specific injury and mobility issues



Italian expat Vincente Di Clemente part of graving wave of middle-aged weekend warriors staying fit into later life, after embracing personalised training programme.
