100-year-old ‘mayor of the gym’ reveals her workout routine

Granny got gains.

With a century of life behind her, Mary Coroneos, of Norwalk, Connecticut, is still focused on what lies ahead.

Coroneos recently celebrated her 100th birthday with a party at The Edge Fitness Club, where she works out multiple times a week — maintaining a routine that rivals those in their “prime.”

“Trainers will say to their clients, ‘You have no excuse not to train. We have a woman who is 100 years old who trains,” Coroneos’ daughter Athena told The Post.

Coroneos is doubly focused, working with two different trainers: “They give me direction and tell me what they want to see. They each have different techniques, and they each target different things,” she said.

Her workouts are thoughtfully created to match her energy levels, emphasizing strength, mobility and longevity.

How 100-year-old Mary builds strength

Among her go-to exercises is 10 to 15 reps of “sit to stand,” a move that supports lower-body strength.

Trouble in this area can lead to inactivity, balance issues, falls, or worse. In fact, a 2014 study found that people age 51 to 80 who were unable to stand from a sitting position without using their hands or arms were more likely to die.

Coroneos also focuses on strength training, using light bands, two-pound weights, and machines to complete high-rep sets of seated rows, reverse flys, front pulldowns, and leg extensions. 

Strength training doesn’t just build muscle — research shows it also boosts mental acuity, enhances bone density, and improves balance.

And just 30 to 60 minutes of resistance training per week can lower the risk of early death by 10% to 20%.

“A man came in, younger than my mom, and she asked the trainer, ‘Who’s that?’ She’s very flirtatious. She loves men.”

Athena Coroneos, Mary’s daughter

“I feel great in the gym. I have some stamina, but I wish I could be more active,” the star centenarian said.

Keeping her core tight

Coroneos also does core work, including standing band exercises and rotational twists. A strong core is the foundation of mobility and injury prevention — important at any age, but crucial for seniors.

She also gets her reps in on the hip abduction machine, another boon for the body that improves balance and reduces lower back pain.

“We don’t always get to everything [on a given day], but we usually get about 80% of that stuff done. On a good day, we’ll hit them all,” her trainer Robert Drush told The Post.

The “mayor of the gym”

A former high school teacher, Coroneos prefers the company of younger people, such as her trainers. While she acknowledges that “everyone is younger” than she is these days, she flatly refuses to spend time in senior centers or around people closer to her vintage, admitting, “I feel bad for them.”

Beloved by her fellow gym goers, Coroneos is known as the “mayor of the gym.”

“I have so many friends who come and say hello. It’s a social time as well as workout time,” she said.

The strength of social connections is has a huge impact on longevity, with the Harvard Study of Adult Development finding that the primary predictor of a long and healthy life is “how connected you were to other people.”

“The gym is a connection to everything,” said her daughter Athena. “It’s a connection back to her body. It releases endorphins. It gets oxygenation. It’s just a positive social reinforcement for her.”

Speaking of positive social enforcement, Coroneos ain’t above a bit of eye candy.

“A man came in, younger than my mom, and she asked the trainer, ‘Who’s that?’ She’s very flirtatious. She loves men, and it’s never diminished,” shared Athena.

Other healthy habits

Coroneos has never smoked cigarettes but admits to a holy trinity of vices that includes root beer, the occasional glass of Prosecco, and the aforementioned weakness for men.

Her activity level is in keeping with a lifetime spent moving, competing and excelling.

“I grew up with four brothers, and we always had a game of something going on,” she said.

The eldest of five children raised in rural Pennsylvania, she spent her childhood climbing trees, exploring the railroad tracks, and swimming.

“I would swim in the water below the tracks, and in the evenings, when it was dark, my friends and I would go without our suits. It was fun.”

A spirited skinny dipper in her youth, Coroneos went on to earn two varsity letters, in basketball and volleyball respectively, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

It seems that longevity is in her blood — and perhaps in the air — as Coroneos’ aunt lived to be 102, and she shares her home with a 19-year-old cat.

Regarding diet, Coroneos is a lifelong healthy eater who favors small meals and whole foods.

She also takes some supplements, including calcium, vitamin C, D3, a stem cell capsule, cranberry, and Ginkgo biloba. Besides a daily pill for hyperthyroidism, she is medication-free.

A born optimist and voracious reader, Coroneos sees the “glass full” and can still read without the aid of eyeglasses. Owing to that optimism, and having passed the century mark, she has some sage words for anyone looking to start a new routine or live a long, happy life.

“This is the beginning. There’s always more that they can do and achieve. When people realize there’s more to life, they act accordingly.”