The oldest bodybuilder. The oldest female bodybuilder in the world: her advice. Daily routine and results

A 75-year-old bodybuilder named Ernestine Shepherd runs 10 miles every morning. Until the age of 56, Ernestine led a normal life. But one day she went on a picnic with her sister and was embarrassed by her appearance in a bathing suit. After that, Ernestine began to engage in bodybuilding.


Guinness World Records: Ernestine Shepherd is the oldest female bodybuilder.

The 2012 Guinness Book of Records recognized 75-year-old Ernestine Shepherd as the oldest female bodybuilder in the world.

The amazing American from Baltimore, who remains a bodybuilder at 75, is proud of her perfect abs, still teaches fitness to women, and also works as a model, according to the Washington Post.

For this unusual grandmother and real strong woman age is nothing more than just a number, and her husband Collin Shepherd, with whom they have been together for 54 years, admits that "it is difficult for him to drive men away from his wife."


The oldest bodybuilder in the world also has a 53-year-old son and a 14-year-old grandson, who are very proud of the achievements of their mother and grandmother.

Ernestine Shepherd wakes up every day at 3 am to meditate, and then runs to the park, where she runs about 10.5 kilometers before lunch.

The record holder eats only brown rice, lean chicken breast and vegetables, and he also drinks a glass of raw egg white three times a day. She opposes steroids, preferring a strict but natural diet.


All the food is prepared by her husband, who also goes shopping so that his wife has more time to train.

The female bodybuilder not only does not eat sweets, but, according to her, she does not even want to treat herself to sweets.

The oldest bodybuilder in the world was a repeated guest on television shows, she was written about in many magazines. She has won two bodybuilding competitions and has run 9 marathons in the past 18 years.

Incredibly strong and determined, Shepherd said on the Mo'Nique Show that anyone can be in great physical shape, but it takes "decisiveness, dedication and discipline."


The most interesting thing is that Ernestine stated that she was not always in great shape, but decided to intensively do fitness only at the age of 56, when she and her older sister, Mildred, discovered that their bodies began to become soft and flabby.

Both became so interested in sports that after a while they began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.

However, soon after Mildred died suddenly from an aneurysm, Ernestine barely survived the loss, but vowed to achieve even greater results for the sake of her sister, whom she loved very much.

Ernestine Shepherd is happy to set an example for other women, trying to convince them not to be afraid of strength training, but to do everything possible to keep the body in good shape.

Fun fact: Shepherd has a ringtone on her cell phone - music from the movie "Rocky", and she says that Sylvester Stallone is her idol.

British Angela Graham is 68 years old, she has two adult grandchildren - but she continues to work out every day in the gym.

In the mid-70s, Angela Graham from Leeds was a fashion model, her pictures were often published in local newspapers. The guy she was dating often bought Muscle & Fitness magazine, where Angela saw a photo of Lisa Lyon, the future American bodybuilder.

I said, "I want to look like her." And my boyfriend said, “Don't dream. You don’t have the passion, the endurance, the motivation to do it.” And that was the motivation I needed.

Now Angela's biceps are 36 centimeters in circumference, and she easily lifts her own body weight. Angela still works out in the gym almost every day - for about an hour and a half. It happens that men in social networks write offensive comments to her: “Could you lift me up? How about winning arm wrestling? - but Angela prefers not to worry about someone else's opinion:

I have always had a principle: if you don't like the way I look, don't look at me. And if you don’t like what kind of person I am, just leave, the bodybuilder explains.

Daily workouts in the gym were not without injuries: for example, last year my grandmother went to the surgeon twice because of carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. But in general, even passers-by often compliment her - and no one can guess her age.

I recently stopped pretending that I am 48. Now I just ask you to guess how old I am, and no one has given more than 52 yet, says the 68-year-old Briton.

Ernestine Shepherd is the oldest female bodybuilder in the world. Lives in the USA. In 2016, Ernestine turned already 80 years old, but at the same time she does not quit playing sports, and looks much younger than her years.

While most other 80-year-old grandmothers do housework, babysit their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, spend time in the country, and so on, Ernestine Shepard still goes to the gym. At eighty, she looks 40-50 years old. Even young people can envy her slender, toned and muscular body. By his own example, Ernestine proves that sport is really useful and can give a person almost eternal youth and excellent health.

Until now, Ernestine Shepard gets up early in the morning to make a planned run for 16 kilometers. After jogging, she goes to the gym, where she pumps iron and gets in shape. Today, Shepard is considered the oldest female bodybuilder in the world.

Ernestine began bodybuilding at the age of 56, which, you see, is a rather late date, however, as we can see, it is never too late to go in for sports. For the first time, she began to go to the gym with her sister to improve her figure. Ernestine herself admits that at first she did not want to go to the gym regularly, and she did it only out of solidarity with her sister's aspirations. After the death of her sister, Ernestine abandoned classes for a couple of years, but after the late sister dreamed about her and asked her to continue classes, Ernestine decided that this was a sign from above and even found herself a coach for more effective training. Was it really an indication from above of Shepard's unusual fate or just a dream, but at 71 she first took part in bodybuilding competitions. In 2010, Shepard entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest female bodybuilder in the world. In the 20 years that Shepard has been involved in sports, she has run 9 marathons and won two bodybuilding competitions.

Currently, the bodybuilder grandmother works as a trainer at the Baltimore Fitness Center, and is also raising her 14-year-old grandson. Her husband Colin Shepherd laments that "Guys just stick to her and I have to literally drive them away from my beautiful wife."

The oldest bodybuilder photo

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Age is not a hindrance to a fulfilling life, and there is a lot of evidence for this. We present to your attention nine amazing grandmothers, in their declining years, doing such things that young people never dreamed of.

1. Grandma drummer (63 years old)

The affectionate nickname "Grandma Drummer" was given to an elderly lady who frequented the Coalition Drum Shop in La Crosse, Wisconsin. There is even a viral video with her on the Internet. 63-year-old Mary Hvisda began playing drums at the age of 15, already played in bands at 16, and she stopped performing only in 1990 - then she simply could not find a new group in which she could play, and left. Soon after, Mary sold her drum kit, but she didn't lose her love for playing, so she still comes to the music store and plays the drums, thus satisfying her passion for music.

The store gave Mary a new drum kit, and soon she will have a gift. After all, she's younger than several of the Rolling Stones, and they're still playing.

2. Granny bodybuilder (90 years old)

A 90-year-old Australian great-grandmother has earned the respect of gym goers half her age. Edna Shepard regularly visits the Broadmeadows Leisure Center in Melbourne, where she does aerobics, tai chi and bodybuilding.

She alternates water gymnastics with ballroom dancing, and at the same time does fitness every day. Edna herself says that exercise is for her the same as knitting for other grandmothers. When she's not at the gym, she attends dances and goes for a walk every Wednesday with other walkers.

Edna admits that she simply cannot live without movement and does not feel any desire to have a little rest.

3. Tattooed grandmother (101 years old)

No one can say about this woman that she is old. Mimi Rosenthal, 101, decisively put her cane aside and sat down in a black leather chair. Her height is only one and a half meters, and her legs did not touch the floor when sitting in a chair, and to get her third tattoo, she wanted to get comfortable.

"Then let's find something for your feet," tattoo artist Michelle Gallo-Colas, a longtime friend of the Rosenthal family, who was honored to tattoo Mimi, told her.

Mimi made the decision to get her first tattoo in the form of a tiny blue butterfly about the size of a 10-ruble coin at the age of 99. Gallo-Colas recalled that the grandmother had meticulously examined the finished design on her skin and announced that it was too small. At the age of 100, Mimi demanded to make her another one, this time much larger and on the other leg. She liked the flower the size of a silver dollar better, but to make it visible, she had to lift the leg, so Mimi decided to make her third tattoo on her arm.

4. Grandma pulling a truck (73 years old)

Her name is Wang Xiaobei and she is 73 years old and is from Jinan City, Shandong Province in eastern China. In 2006, my grandmother, who at that time was 72 years old, pulled - with her teeth! - a four-ton truck with people. The following year, she surpassed herself by dragging two vehicles with a total weight of five tons by several meters with her teeth.

5. Judo grandmother (99 years old)

Keiko Fukuda became the first female judoka to be awarded the highest tenth rank black belt, and earned the honor of being called the most famous woman in the history of judo. She began to practice martial arts at an age when girls usually comprehend the secrets of the Japanese tea ceremony and calligraphy.

At the age of 21, Keiko was invited by judo founder Jigoro Kano to join as a coach at the newly formed world's first judo school, the Kodokan. Keiko trained women in the art of judo and later opened her own dojo.

Keiko died on February 9, 2013 in San Francisco at the age of 99. She taught judo until almost the last weeks of her life.

6. Grandmother skydiver (93 years old)

A 93-year-old woman has become Britain's oldest skydiver: great-grandmother Pat Oakes took over the title from the previous record holder, who was just 60, jumping from a plane flying at an altitude of three kilometers.

Pat, originally from the town of Solihull in the West Midlands, has done courageous deeds all her life: 13 years before the jump, she and her grandson participated in a charity rappelling, as a result of which she fell into a coma, falling headfirst from a height of 15 m, but after recovering, she made two more descents.

7. Grandmother is a master of yoga (83 years old)

Yoga instructor Betty Kalman may be 83 years old, but she's still strong enough to teach an ancient Indian discipline. The nimble grandma pulls off incredible stunts, and in her pink tracksuit with flowing hair and pearl earrings, she looks as glamorous as Greta Gabo.

Australian Betty has been teaching yoga for 40 years and is living proof that regular yoga practice will help you stay flexible like rubber for a lifetime.

8. Graduate grandmother (98 years old)

Eighty years ago, Josephine Belasco was forced to drop out of school to take care of her sick sister and support her family. All she regretted in her life was that she never finished high school. But in 2006, the 98-year-old grandmother finally received her diploma.

She worked as an accountant for 36 years and enjoyed a long and happy marriage. She has a son and three grandchildren, her own apartment on the top floor in Nob Hill, and she still goes into town to chat with friends over a glass of margarita.

Wearing a white cap and gown, holding a rose like the rest of the young graduates, Mrs. Belasco finally graduated from Galileo High School - 80 years after entering.

9. Grandmother - the killer of wolves (56 years old)

A Russian grandmother told how she killed a wolf with her bare hands and an ax after he attacked a calf. Aishat Maksudova was tending her cows and sheep in the village of Novy Biryuzyak in Dagestan when a wolf attacked her herd. The 56-year-old woman managed to save the calf, but then the wolf attacked her, grabbing her arm with his teeth.

In the hospital, during the dressing, Aishat said that she was not even scared when the wolf attacked her. The brave grandmother at first wanted to strangle the wolf with her bare hands, but was forced to hit him with an ax because she could not pull her hand out of his jaws.


Meet Ernestine Shepard from Baltimore, she is 80 years old, and she is a personal trainer, professional model, current bodybuilder and just a wonderful woman. In 2010, she entered the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest female bodybuilder. But Ernestina wasn't always so muscular.

In her youth, Ernestina was a pampered girl and had little interest in any sport. By the age of 56, she had become a sedentary, plump woman who worked as a school secretary, who did not play sports a day in her life. And the very moment came that changed her life and made an example for many older women.


One day, 56-year-old Ernestina went with her sister Velvet to buy swimwear. When they began to measure them, they began to laugh at each other. They suddenly realized that it was time to put themselves in order. Ernestina and her sister signed up for a fitness club and started exercising together.

Some time later, Velvet died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm. Ernestina grieved so much that she quit the gym. After a few months of mourning, the woman took some friendly advice and decided that her late sister would like her to continue studying. Ernestine returned to the fitness club even more determined to get results.

Smoothly starting to practice and strengthening the body step by step, for a certain time, Ernestina transformed not only her body, but also her life. She felt happier than ever. Now she trains older women and inspires them to reach their physical potential.

Ernestina loves to compete in 5K and 10K races, as well as marathons. She gets up at four in the morning to run 16 kilometers, and when she trains for a marathon, she runs 128 kilometers a week.

In addition, she does strength training four times a week and more often. In 2007, when she was 71, she asked Jonny Shamburger, a former "Mr. Universe", to train her so that she could compete in bodybuilding competitions. At the first competition - Natural East Coast Tournament of Champions - she took first place in her category, beating women who are decades younger than her.

Despite all the training, according to Ernestine, nothing hurts her and she has never been injured in all 17 years of her new life. The height of the athlete is 165 centimeters, weight is 59 kilograms, the percentage of body fat is 9-10%. Usually such indicators are in the professional sports elite at the peak of their form. Ernestine is not taking any medication. She loves her new job, feels much more energetic and successful than when she was younger.

What is Ernestine's secret? On her way to the goal, she followed several principles. Ernestina started gradually under the supervision of an experienced personal trainer and gradually transformed her body. Realizing the importance of quality nutrition, including adequate amounts of protein and micronutrients in the diet, Ernestina turned to a nutrition specialist.

She is fully supported by her husband Colleen, who is 52 years old. He prepares meals and makes sure that the refrigerator always has balanced small portions of dishes, enough for seven meals.


The most pumped-up grandmother in the world celebrated her 80th birthday
Ernestina rests as long as her body needs. She tries to be positive about everything, considers her workouts as entertainment, and considers work "a long happy journey." Ernestina knows perfectly well what she is striving for and what she wants to achieve. She believes in inspiration, support from loved ones and family and preaches the following as a mantra: "Determined - Purposeful - Disciplined to be healthy."

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