On a bright Saturday morning, the sun shines on a quiet fitness corner in Ang Mo Kio. A trio of seniors begin their warm-up, stretching in preparation for their workout.
They dive into a range of calisthenics—dips, splits, lunges, and even headstands. The air is filled with the sounds of their efforts: the steady strain of muscles working, and the rhythmic thud of feet hitting the ground after each dip. Their movements may not always be flawless, but their unwavering determination stands out.
Meet Team Strong Silvers, a group of men who challenge conventional expectations of ageing in Singapore. The core members— Ng Bee Kia, 79, Victor Chan, 72, and Qian Hong, 67—show that with perseverance, age is no obstacle to staying active and pushing limits.
Team Strong Silvers: How It Started
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Though every member of the troop boasts a lifelong ardour for exercise and fitness, their group was only formed back in 2013, and almost entirely by accident.
One day while exercising, Bee Kia was approached by someone looking for seniors to take part in a photo exhibition related to active ageing.
Impressed by Bee Kia’s physique despite his age, the photo exhibition team roped him in. Bee Kia shares, “I was quite happy to join and to help out in the project”.
What started with Bee Kia soon grew to include Victor and Qian Hong, forming the core of Team Strong Silvers. While brainstorming a name for the group, they drew inspiration from an American calisthenics crew called Team Strong Island. They decided to replace the word island with silvers, and the rest is history.
Since its formation, Team Strong Silvers has been dedicated to inspiring others to stay active in their later years. Their efforts aim to challenge stereotypes around ageing and encourage more seniors to embrace exercise.
Team Strong Silvers: Bee Kia
Bee Kia, the oldest member of the trio, easily performs dips on the parallel bars, a move which highlights his core strength.
But this feat does not come simply for Bee Kia, who, just five months ago, was diagnosed with pneumonia after he caught COVID-19 and developed complications. As a result, he had to undergo decompression surgery which was a risky procedure given his age.
Due to his general fitness, the doctor decided to go ahead with the operation as he assessed that Bee Kia had a good chance of recovery.
The surgery was a success.
Bee Kia was exercising within three months after his surgery, focusing on maintaining mobility and stability. He has since added light strength training into his workout.
His love for strength training started since young, and Bee Kia was a professional weightlifter who clinched a silver medal for Singapore in the Weightlifting category at the 1973 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games. However, he took a break from sports and worked as a salesman to support his family after he got married.
It was only after he retired at 61 did Bee Kia decide to rekindle his passion for fitness, and started to exercise again.
These days, Bee Kia spends his time at Cheng San Community Club teaching other elderly folks how to exercise.
Team Strong Silvers: Victor
Next to Bee Kia, Victor demonstrates a series of splits. Extending one leg forward, he stretches the other leg to the rear of the torso to form a front split.
With grace, he then shifts his body and opens his legs wide to the side, lowering himself into a side split, his body steady and controlled. This silver with a sunny disposition even smiles warmly and waves to the camera while performing the stunts, clearly enjoying the moment as he’s captured on film.
He fluidly moves on to other exercises — performing headstands, crunches, and trunk twists while hooking his legs over the parallel bars. Then, he uses his upper body to support his weight, hanging upside down on an exercise bench as he expertly maintains control and balance.
Like Bee Kia, Victor’s fitness journey began when he was young. At 21, he picked up bodybuilding and expanded his athletic pursuits as he aged, even participating in triathlons that combined cycling, running, and swimming.
His active lifestyle is supported by his role as a swimming coach and lifeguard at the Ministry of Defence. He began working there in 1978 and eventually retired, only to be rehired later in 2012 as a part-time swimming coach and security personnel. Despite his years of service, Victor remains committed to staying fit, dedicating about two hours to exercise every day.
Given his current fitness and cheerful demeanour, it is hard to believe that Victor was once nearly bedridden. In 2013, a spinal injury caused by bone degeneration severely impacted his ability to walk, leaving him on the brink of being bedridden. This serious setback marked a challenging chapter in his life.
However, Victor was determined to walk and even run again. Working regularly with a physiotherapist, he persisted in doing his rehabilitation exercises.
Victor managed to recover well from the injury and regain his mobility.
He feels that health is more than just looking good.
"I think many people have a misconception about exercising. However, this incident that I went through is a good example of how taking care of health goes beyond aesthetics, and it’s more of loving yourself and taking good care of your body."
Team Strong Silvers: Qian Hong
This shared belief unites the group as they strive to inspire others with their mindset of ageing gracefully. Qian Hong steps up to the pull-up bar, securing a firm grip before initiating a gentle swing. Building momentum steadily, he shifts into a full swing, effortlessly performing a series of twirls, even managing to complete ten spins in a single go.
The youngest of the lot, Qian Hong worked in a heavy machinery factory as a technician in China. While this kept him physically active, the stress from long working hours and family commitments affected his overall well-being.
After he retired, he came to Singapore with his wife to take care of his grandchildren. To improve his health, Qian Hong began exercising more after retirement, focusing on maintaining his energy levels so that he can take care of his grandchildren.
Qian Hong devotes four hours daily to his fitness routine, spending two hours jogging and performing numerous sets of exercises such as pull-downs, chin-ups and push-ups.
Beyond his fitness routine, Qian Hong is also a tinkerer who finds joy in repairing old electronics.
Over the years, he has successfully repaired a variety of items, including a television, a vacuum cleaner, and several other gadgets. Within the group, Qian Hong has earned the title of the ‘fixer’, with everyone turning to him when their electronics need attention.
Giving Back To The Community
The group is passionate about using its transformative power to give back to the community. They regularly perform at charity events, such as doing pull-ups to raise funds.
They have also participated in initiatives like the Yellow Ribbon Run and appeared in St Luke’s Hospital campaign to encourage Singaporeans to keep active.
Beyond fundraising, Team Strong Silvers also conducts workshops for the elderly by teaching them how to exercise.
Qian Hong and Bee Kia also share the same sentiments.
"We believe that exercise helps us to expand our social circle. At the same time, we believe that as a team, we can go further and positively impact more elderly to start on their fitness journey."
The team echoes a simple yet powerful mantra: Health is wealth. Their advice to seniors who want to start taking care of their health is simple. Regardless of age, start slow, stay consistent, and embrace the journey to age gracefully.
