Kitty Duffy had to think about her health and fitness during quarantine. It started with long walks by the sea, which were easy for the 67-year-old from Brighton Then he did Joe Wicks workouts to build strength. So far, so good overall.
But when Kitty started using small weights, things started to make sense. She soon moved on to bigger barbells and didn’t stop there. Kitty laughs, During lockdown I ate and drank a lot But I was also walking a lot and when I did Joe Wicks because my grandkids were doing it I realized that I really liked it.
Kitty moved from working out in the living room to powerlifting which is a type of strength training that includes three lifts the squat, the bench, and the deadlift She was drawn to the idea of lifting weights. She says It’s the look of lifting heavy things I started working out with a personal trainer and found out that I was very strong, not just for my age. And that made me feel better.
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Kitty decided to change jobs in her early sixties because she was becoming more confident. She says I was the Director of Children’s Social Care, and then someone suggested I retrain as a personal trainer I finished the course to become a personal trainer when I was 62. That was fine with me that I was the oldest person in the class. Kitty heard about a powerlifter named Betty Gray during this time. Betty is a little bit younger than me. She was interested. I had never heard of powerlifting, she says. I got a coach. His name is Delroy McQueen and he’s a superstar. I started powerlifting when I was 63 years old.
Kitty is in a powerlifting competition and has a medal.
Not everyone will want to compete, but Kitty says that competitions are a welcoming and helpful place for everyone.
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Going beyond limits
What if your biggest problem is that you don’t trust your body or your skills? Kitty surprisingly felt the same way. I was scared at first! Everyone thinks that people are judging us, that we’re not very good, or that we’re doing it wrong.
Kitty was able to get over this it’s fair to say that one good thing about getting older is that we learn to care less about what other people think. And even though gyms can seem scary, most of them are nice, even the one where Kitty trains and coaches. I’m based at Kings Gym Brighton, and there are some great people here. Once people come in they usually stay she says.
One of her clients is 70 years old, and her powerlifting clients are between 15 and 63 years old. This shows that you can start at any age And I have one client who has been overweight her whole life We work with what she brings and we’ve cut down on her insulin need a lot, Kitty says proudly.
Getting your body ready
Kitty’s diet is a big part of her life. The right food lets her train harder and maybe get hurt less often Protein should be a necessary part of every woman’s diet, even if she doesn’t work out. It’s necessary for keeping bone density and muscle mass strong.
I make sure that every meal has a source of protein Kitty says. And I take supplements because our need for protein grows especially as we get older I add protein powder to my porridge which gives me an extra 22 grams of protein to start the day.
Some supplements can also help with training. For instance, Kitty takes creatine. It doesn’t cost much it doesn’t have many side effects and it lets you train a little harder, she says. Some new information about creatine and brain health is also coming out.
How to keep your mind on track
So, what does Kitty do to be successful in her later years? You need to be disciplined, and it needs to become a habit. She says You won’t get that in a few weeks You have to tell yourself This is what I do because it will help me when I’m really old and need to use the stairs and pick up my grandkids I want to be able to run! I believe that if we’re over 50 we need to start making plans and thinking about why we’re doing this.
There are a lot more women who powerlift now, and that includes older women. Many studies have shown that both resistance and strength training are important for staying healthy and living a long time especially for women going through menopause stage.
It’s important to be disciplined but most of us will quit if something doesn’t interest us so it’s important to find something you enjoy doing. I do it because it makes me feel great I train four days a week but if I had the time I’d do it every day. I think my family would divorce me Kitty who is a mother of three and a grandmother of five says It’s literally been life-changing. I feel grateful and lucky every day and I will keep doing this until I can’t move.
How to start powerlifting
- Practice the compound lifts In powerlifting, you want to lift as much as you can, maybe even move for one rep of the squat, bench and deadlift. These are the three compound moves, she says.
- If you’re new to working out, Kitty says You can start training with just resistance bands or your own body weight to build muscle.
- Think about getting a coach I think it’s important to have some training sessions and a program Otherwise you start to feel stronger and stay at that level when you need to increase the intensity or the volume or both to push yourself a little harder she says.
- Look into your options Kitty says If you can’t get a coach, most gyms give you an introduction and show you what to do. If you can’t get to a gym, weights at home are fine as long as you make progress. You can also take a class to do strength training as long as you are pushed to get better.
