It’s hard to imagine starting bodybuilding at 71, but Ernestine Shepherd did exactly that and dominated. Now 89, she’s the world’s oldest living female competitive bodybuilder, still flaunting sculpted muscles and even coaching fans on building six-pack abs.

“89 years young,” she said in a recent Instagram abs workout video that she uploaded a week ago. The video starts with her introducing herself, followed by:

• 9 reps of ab crunches
• 9 reps of reverse curls
• 9 reps of oblique exercises
• Planks

Now 89, she began working out at 54, and it was all thanks to her older sister, Velvet, who introduced her to the world of weightlifting. “Once I started lifting weights, I noticed it didn’t bother my legs at all. We enjoyed it together. We met a trainer named Raymond Day who got us into top shape.”

Even at this age, the grandma could give modern bodybuilders a run in their own game. She won her first title at 71, an age when the bodybuilding greats were retired from the sport.

However, her record as the oldest female competitive bodybuilder was broken by Edith Wilma Connor back in 2012. Nowadays, she doesn’t compete much and is more dedicated to teaching young people about bodybuilding.

And a physique like hers wouldn’t be possible without a disciplined diet. So let’s take a look at it.

Ernestine Shepherd’s Diet

Apart from her workouts, what really keeps her in such good shape is her disciplined diet. The grandma can easily outlift anyone after having 10 scrambled egg whites and a handful of walnuts.

On top of that, she drinks at least 16 ounces of water every day. Throughout the day, she plans small meals consisting mainly of chicken and vegetables. All in all, she consumes a total of 1700 calories a day.

Apart from being a certified trainer and bodybuilder, she has run 11 marathons.

“Not everybody wants to be a bodybuilder. Not everybody wants to be a runner,” she told Huffington Post. “But find what you like to do. I say to my senior ladies — and the men — ‘Don’t forget: Age is nothing but a number and you can get fit.'”

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Joyita Das