As people age, they often step back from building strength and developing muscle. Women over 50 were generally considered more fragile than men. But recently, a new wave has swept the scene, and women are becoming more health-conscious and even stealing the spotlight on the bodybuilding stage.

Let’s learn about the 4 female bodybuilders above 50 who have raised the competition standard with their victories. 

Iris Davis

To cope with pain, Iris Davis started going to the gym after losing her son and husband. She said, “I suffer from terrible depression to this very day and have been hospitalized a few times because of it.”

Till now, she has won numerous awards under her name, such as:

• 15 first-place wins at the National Physique Committee
• Pioneer Award by the Women’s World Leadership Congress
• Guinness World Record for the oldest professional female bodybuilder

Davis also owns a gym now and enjoys training athletes of all ages. She believes “Bodybuilding will keep you youthful, your brain active, and make you stay involved in things.” 

Lesley Maxwell

A doctor's visit has changed Lesley Maxwell's whole life. At 46, she was hospitalized with pneumonia and asthma. There, she watched a 60-minute segment of a bodybuilding competition. 

She said, “I saw these strong women who looked glamorous because they had b****** on, and I thought, Wow, that’s my thing!” For the next week, she started training on her own in the gym. 

After that, there is no going back. Now, Maxwell works as a personal trainer. She is in her 60s and has won more than 30 bodybuilding titles. She is preparing for her next competition, which will take place in September.

Marianne Dait

By profession, Marianne Dait is a doctor. She started working out because she “wanted to look good at the beach.” As her muscles grew, her trainer suggested that she compete in bodybuilding competitions.

First, Dait hesitated to debut, but within three months, she was ready to go all in. Dait won that competition, securing first place, and two weeks later, she secured another title under her name.

She said, “Bodybuilding has helped me in my everyday life and my practice…. Age is not a limiting factor. We just need to know how to train smarter.”

Dait used to sleep at 7 pm because she woke up at 3:30 am to train and perform her prayers, and at 7 am she started seeing her patients.

Wendy Ida

Wendy Ida started working out for the first time in her 30s. It includes:

• Abs exercises
• Jogging on the treadmill

At 43, she began working out with a trainer and said, “Seeing my body change was the first time I felt like I owned my body.” Over the next two years, she lost 80 pounds. 

Ida decided to compete in a bodybuilding competition at age 55. She competed in three categories and won medals, including:

• First in the 45-and-above category 
• Second place in the 18-and-above category

With the help of a disciplined meal plan and structured training, she believes that “If I commit, I’m going to do it right.”

Age doesn’t define your strength and power, but consistent effort and the power of showing up daily do, as these ladies have done.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil