Newcastle bodybuilder, 60, proving age is no barrier by winning UK championships

Newcastle bodybuilder Phil Earley first got into competitions aged 57 after recovering from long Covid

Newcastle natural bodybuilder and fitness trainer, Phil Earley, is enjoying some of the greatest success of his career aged 60. Phil has won four UK championship titles, three regional titles and a World Championship silver medal since beginning his competitive body building career in 2023.

Phil started in August 2023, a month before his 57th birthday after recovering from long Covid. He said: “It was my way to celebrate getting my health back.”

All of his achievements have come in the Over-50s Men’s Physique category, establishing himself as one of Britain’s leading competitors in his age group. Phil’s success is supported by a 25-year career in fitness, during which he has developed an extensive knowledge of training, nutrition and athletic progression.

Phil has competed in 16 shows since the beginning of his career and defended his title at the UK Ultimate Physiques Northern Championships in York on August 9, winning the title for a third time. The accomplishment was noted by the announcer: “to win a title is one thing, to win it three years in a row is amazing.” While being the oldest in many of these competitions, that has not stopped Phil’s passion for being a natural bodybuilder.

Phil competed this year in Budapest on June 19 at the International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA) Amateur World Championships and placed 2nd, just missing out on the Amateur World Title to a seasoned French Professional Bodybuilder Champion. Phil has managed to reach his ultimate goal of qualifying to compete in the Natural Olympia in Las Vegas in November, which will be part of his 60th birthday celebrations.

Phil will travel to compete alongside athletes from 70 countries and is considered to be the pinnacle of amateur natural bodybuilding. But despite the success, Phil’s main goal has been to show people that age is not a barrier and to appreciate our health.

During lockdown, Phil designed a fitness programme for the region through the NHS to help anyone at home exercise. The program, HowFit, contained three levels of mobility, balance and co-ordination, strength and cardio exercises.

What initially started as a booklet, developed into a website with animations and videos which went out to 300,000 homes across the North East and, due to popularity, reached over one million households as far as Cumbria. The project was supported by Dr Steve Parry, Lead Clinician at Falls and Syncope at the RVI.

The two worked together back in 2010 when Phil was asked to design and deliver another programme for the region with the NHS, with a focus on those between the ages of 60 and 90 which ran for over a decade. Phil found this extremely rewarding and is one of the main reasons his goals don’t just revolve around his own fitness but helping others achieve their potential.

While working to produce another successful programme with the region’s NHS, Phil has also helped athletes achieve their ambitions. One of his most notable recent successes has been working as nutrition coach to bodybuilding trainer Matthew White.

Matthew said: “Phil’s experience, precision and quiet wisdom brought a depth to my physique that only comes from a lifetime devoted to the craft. What I admire most isn’t just what he knows, but how he carries it with humility, generosity and unwavering professionalism.

“Learning from Phil has been a major privilege of my career.” Under Phil’s guidance, Matthew impressed at the IBFA GB Colliery Classic in Barnsley and earned an invitation to compete at the IBFA Universe in Italy.

The achievement carries added significance as it continues the legacy of training as Matt previously coached natural bodybuilder Ed Akay to the Natural Mr Universe title, who said Matthew’s Universe qualification as “destiny, considering his history”. Ed said: “Phil well and truly waved his magical nutrition wand on Matt, as I saw his updates, I noticed the change in his conditioning from his previous competitions. Phil himself is in formidable shape for a man of any age and the fact he is natural really does set a gold standard.”

But for Phil the learning and coaching has come from working with Matthew. Phil said: “Mentoring Matty has been an absolute pleasure. Although I am supposedly the one doing the coaching, I have learned, and continue to learn, so much from him through our interactions, such is his wisdom and professionalism.”

Phil has also recently launched a new programme called Resurgence, with the goal of helping men over 40 to become the healthiest and most confident version of themselves. Phil said: “I feel very strongly about getting the message out to those who may feel things have gone for good, it’s simply not true. Specific exercise programming is essential, how I train now is very different to when I was 50, 40 and completely unrecognisable from my 20s and 30s. In my opinion you cannot truly relate to being 40, 50 and 60 years of age until you actually are.”

The mission of the programme is to empower transformation, reclaim vitality and support men’s training through a personalised approach. For those interested in the programme they can enquire via the Resurgence website.