Shirley Webb: A 78 Year Old Fitness Icon

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Shirley Webb: A 78 Year Old Fitness Icon

05/29/2017 06:00AM | 7533 views

By Sally Phillips

Earlier this year, my 72-year old mother was forced to eat her own words. For as long as I can remember she’s complained about being old and unfit, sometimes struggling to go up stairs or walk to the shops around the block, but when pressed to exercise, she’d say she was too old for all of that. Then came along Shirley Webb.

At the age of 75, Shirley could not pick herself up off the floor let alone bench lift. Unhappy with her failing strength and worried about her own fitness should she fall while alone, Shirley joined a gym with her granddaughter. 3 years later and she is a world record holding 78 year old weight lifter who just benched 225lbs.

Shirley proves that no matter how old we are, we can still improve our fitness and our health. There are some tips to getting it right as we age - finding a workout buddy, finding a tolerant gym and a trainer who understands older people for example, but it’s never too late to start. To read more about Shirley Webb and working out when older, check out this article on the 78 year old weightlifting grandmother.