This is awesome. It's never too late to improve your strength and the gains you make as a beginner come fast at any age.
Working with a trainer changed Webb’s life for the better, and she thinks that everyone, no matter their age, can benefit from infusing their lives with some fitness.
“Even if you start out lifting with a can of corn or something, just get your muscles kind of relaxed. Older people with any ability level can do exercises that will make them feel better, and I highly recommend it. If you get a trainer, take his or her advice, and you will feel so much better.”
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Everyone has a favorite lift, and Shirley Webb’s is the deadliftOpens in a new Window.. It came naturally to Webb when she joined a gym for the first time at 77 years young, and the now-82-year-old powerlifterOpens in a new Window. boasts a 265-pound PR and is the world champ in the IPF Raw Masters 4 category. To date, she's won 18 medals, including four in national competitionsOpens in a new Window. and eight from the two IPF world championships she's lifted at.
Despite her powerlifting prowess, Webb was hesitant to join a gym when her granddaughter asked her to a few years back. At that point, she could barely get up off the floor without using a chair to push herself up, and climbing the stairs was a challenge. But it wasn’t long before she’d outgrown those small goals.
“After about three weeks, my trainer had me getting up off the floor by myself,” Webb told M&F, “and now I can walk up the stairs without pulling myself up. I always hold the handrail for safety reasons at my age, but I can walk up them without holding on.”
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