“I have seen such a huge change in my own physique and my capabilities — I am sure that my body is at least 20 years younger,” said Martine Barons
Credit: Mike Powell/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Martine Barons began powerlifting during the UK lockdown after a seminar encouraged strength training during menopause
- The 65-year-old has competed in over 16 events and won three world championships in under three years
- Barons credits powerlifting with improving her confidence, posture and ability to stay active with her grandchildren
A 65-year-old grandmother is celebrating her third world championship title in powerlifting.
In a BBC interview published on Sept. 17, Martine Barons revealed that a seminar advising women to lift more than they run during menopause inspired her to start lifting weights during the UK’s lockdown.
After being taught how to deadlift by a University of Warwick colleague, who is also a personal trainer, she began to explore her potential.
“I have seen such a huge change in my own physique and my capabilities — I am sure that my body is at least 20 years younger,” Barons told the BBC.
Credit: Mike Powell/Getty
The 65-year-old academic from Stratford-upon-Avon has been dubbed “the deadlift grandma,” according to the outlet. She became a three-time world champion after winning the AWPC World Powerlifting Championships in the 65-to-85 age group on Sept. 14.
Over 450 competitors from 16 different countries took part in the six-day event, per the organization’s Instagram.
“When they invited me to the British and European Championships, I thought, ‘Well, I have been invited it would be rude not to go’, but who thought it would lead to this? I didn’t,” Barons told the BBC.
The grandmother is seen in a reel on Instagram standing on a podium as she’s congratulated on her win, while she’s seen flexing her biceps in another snap.
Back in May, Barons gushed to her followers that she had completed 16 powerlifting competitions in the 28 months since she picked up a barbell for the first time.
While she started weightlifting mostly for fun, she described the journey that the sport has taken her on in recent years to the BBC as “so exciting.”
“I have learned so much, I have met people all around the world, and it has been delightful,” she said.
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Barons advises people who are wary of stepping into a gym to improve their strength by exercising “gently at home with some resistance bands and a program.”
She emphasized to the BBC that strength training has been a game changer for improving her quality of life.
“If I need to move furniture at home, I can do that, I can toss my grandchildren in the air, I can play games with them,” she said. “My posture is better and I just feel more capable and more confident in everyday life.”
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