Brothers, ages 98, 86 and 82, join for workouts

Born and raised in Mahoning Valley, William, Charles and Marlin Frey learned the importance of hard work at an early age.

The three brothers began helping out on their family’s farm when they were 5 or 6 years old, and nearly a century later, little has weakened their drive and determination.

Age has not kept the trio from working out up to five days a week at the Zoo Health Club in Lehighton’s Carbon Plaza Mall.

William, 98, has been exercising the longest, dating back to 1967, the year he quit driving truck because his doctor told him he had a bad heart.

“I guess we see now what kind of bad heart I had,” joked William last week, just before a session on one of the Zoo’s exercise bikes.

Early starters

An afternoon workout is rare for the brothers, however.

Most days, they arrive at the gym between 5:30 and 6 a.m., champing at the bit to break a sweat.

For Charles, 86, and Marlin, 82, the goal is keeping up with their older sibling.

“William makes us look like a bunch of kids,” Charles said. “We rotate around all of the machines. I hope that by people seeing us every day, it can be motivating for them.”

Though he doesn’t shy away from any of the equipment, William said he favors the elliptical, due to it working out both the arms and feet at the same time.

One would think a two-hour workout would drain the strength of a 98-year-old man, but not William.

In fact, he said, it pales in comparison to when he would wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. to drive truck, not getting home until 6 or 7 p.m.

A typical day included shoveling loads of coal off a truck.

“I still feel fine after working out,” he said. “You have to keep going. If you sit around, that’s when you feel it.”

Longevity of life runs in the Frey family. Of the 12 children, Charles said, only one died before the age of 80.

Like William, Charles doesn’t feel any worse for the wear after a workout.

“I try to walk around 2 miles a day too when I can,” he said. “I used to do a 12-minute mile. Now, I’m up to about an hour, but I can do it.”

Exercise as rehabilitation tool

In between his childhood and the present, Charles spent 33 years in Florida, during which he suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Laid up in the hospital for quite some time, he was left with little choice but to exercise if he wanted to regain strength.

“The doctors got me back doing rehabilitation,” Charles said. “Then when I moved back, I started coming to the Zoo with my brothers. I had to work hard to get myself back in shape.”

Marlin, meanwhile, has seen firsthand the effects of an inactive lifestyle.

His father-in-law, an avid literary fan, spent a lot of time in his favorite reading chair.

“When he tried to get up and be active, he couldn’t,” Marlin said. “It really affected him. I knew I didn’t want that to happen to me.”

But, as he found out, you can have too much of a good thing.

“My doctors actually told me to slow down,” Marlin said. “My heart rate was too high.”

Inspiration

At 98, William is the oldest regular client at the Zoo Health Club, owner Gwen Remaley said.

When other customers see the brothers, a certain energetic vibe runs through the gym.

“A lot of people say they don’t have motivation to work out,” Remaley said. “These guys are the motivation. Age is not a limit when it comes to exercise.”

Time hasn’t stopped the brothers so far, and they’re not about to let it start now.

“I’m going to do this as long as I can,” William said.