THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
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Willie Murphy is the world’s top female powerlifter in her age group. “You have the ability to be better than what you think you can be,” she says.
NEED A LIFT? Meet a 77-Year-Old Powerlifting Dynamo.
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BY BILL SHAFER illie Murphy is not a typical 77-year-old grandmother. She lifts weights. And every time she does, she raises the bar a little higher as to what’s possible as we age. Hardly a lifelong athlete, Willie, who lives in Rochester, N.Y., was a self-described couch potato. She finally convinced herself to change when she began worrying about her health. “I got up and decided to start running,” she says. “Guess what? It felt really good. But I needed to find a way to improve my times, so I decided to improve my strength.”
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Willie started lifting weights, five pounds at a time. She soon realized she enjoyed weights more than running. It wasn’t long before she decided to dedicate herself to lifting. By the time she was 70, she was strong enough to do one-arm pull-ups and deadlifts of 225 pounds. Willie entered weightlifting competitions and came away with the gold. Today, at the age of 77, she’s the top female powerlifter in the world in her age group and was named World Natural Powerlifting Federation Lifter of the Year. Those who know Willie celebrate her. Others simply don’t believe her. Tipping
the scales at 105 pounds, she’s not what many would consider a typical powerlifter. She lifts for health, not size, and says her goals are strength, flexibility and confidence. She needed the confidence after so many people turned up their noses when she told them of her workout plans. “They say it’s not womanly to be lifting weights,” she scoffs. “Well, ha, ha, ha! The laugh is on them, because women are doing all sorts of weight training, getting stronger, feeling better and doing more than ever.” And they have no better example than Willie. “I just want everybody to believe in themselves and understand that exercise is important to keep the blood flowing,” she says. “Start very slow and know that you have the ability to become much better than what you think you can be.”
GB EXTRA Visit GrowingBolderMagazine. com to listen to our conversation with Willie Murphy.
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