Achinomia, Achi — “Good match!” The “macho carer” is sounding strong through a day care facility for people with disabilities. Their bright white smiles paired with this enthusiastic encouragement create an infectiously cheerful mood, encouraging a man in a wheelchair to participate in muscle training with laughter.
Nagoya-based Visionary Inc., a company that provides disability wellness services, has a rare feature for a Japanese company: a corporate bodybuilding team. Team members continue their training while working in caregiving roles, and have a record of achieving top placings in national bodybuilding competitions.
Of the 340 care workers, about 20 are macaw caregivers. From these, seven members were selected for their work ethic and “personality that gets support from those around them” to form the company’s “7SeaS” fitness team.
Their work includes six hours of care tasks and two hours of muscle training. They receive a special employment allowance of 20,000 yen (about $125) a month to cover protein supplements, competition entry fees and travel expenses.
One member, 27-year-old Hokuto Tatsumi, who also runs public relations, finished second in both the 2024 and 2025 Japan Grand Prix. The team’s motto, “Helping the community with muscles”, he also teaches exercise classes for adults, respecting the ideas of the participants as “strength training is.” He commented, “What I love is helping the community through caring.”
The creation of the team was inspired by the experience of company president Yusuke Niwa, who joined a gym to lose weight. He observed that many who continued to train hard had a serious mind and witnessed incredible persistence that led to a well-sculpted physique. He sees a parallel between this and the care profession, which requires repetitive tasks and honest engagement with clients.
In an industry that is considered to be tough, the development of influential individuals can create an interest in caregiving among young people. Aiming to change the difficult image, the team was established in 2018.
The influence of macho caregivers is evident. In an industry facing an aging workforce, the average age of the company’s employees — in the early 30s — is remarkably young. This small age gap between employees obviously facilitates communication and creates a workplace where employees can easily seek advice.
In terms of recruitment, before the initiative, there were about 10 applications per year. This fiscal year, they anticipate about 1,200 applications. The business is expanding, with plans to fully enter senior care and develop practice-focused services to eliminate the need for nursing care, including exploring overseas markets.
In the beginning, some clients were intimidated by the macho caregivers, but their healthy physiques and smiles slowly won them over. 7SeaS member Takuya Usui, 26, who can bench press 170kg, says, “Thanks to my trained body, clients trust me to handle them safely,” taking pride in his work to make clients feel safe.
The journey of these leading figures in “pumping” the welfare industry into the aging society shows no signs of stopping.
(Japanese original by Kazuki Yamazaki, Nagoya Photo & Video Department)
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