91-Year-Old Sets Bench Press World Record [VIDEO]

A 91-year-old man set the world record for his age group by bench pressing 187.2 pounds. Sy Perlis made the feat look easy, putting the weight up a total of five times during the record-breaking lift and handily besting the previous record for the 90-and-over division by 52 pounds.

According to an Associated Press report, Perlis, of Surprise, Ariz., bested a record that stood since 2005. Perlis took up weightlifting when he was 60 but didn't do the sport competitively until the age of 86.

Perlis has been an inspiration for other older weightlifters.

"We've had a lot of lifters in their middle 80s, late 80s and occasionally we get one 90 and over, but they've never inspired people (like Perlis has)," said Association of Benchers and Deadlifters President Gus Rethwisch, according to the AP.

"If it wasn't for my husband I would be at home watching TV and eating bon bons," Joan Perlis said, adding that Sy's five-day a week workout routine is "my motivator to go work out at the gym."

Such strenuous exercise at Sy's age should not be considered unsafe, Chhanda Dutta, chief of the Clinical Gerontology Branch of the National Institute on Aging told the AP.

"The risk of leading a sedentary lifestyle is much greater than anything related to exercise," Dutta said. "I think it's important for people to realize that age alone doesn't determine the intensity of your workout."

The world record for the raw bench press (a bench press done without a bench press shirt, a piece of equipment used to enhance performance) is 722 pounds.