95 year old Powerlifter

Following on from the post the other day about the elderly body-builders, I saw this referred to on Lou Schuler's blog:



95-year-old muscles her way into power lifting - With 95 years of living under her belt, Symie Sermay is gearing up for a whole new challenge — competitive power lifting. The Las Crucen will take on all comers in the Natural Athlete Strength Association's New Mexico State Powerlifting and Power Sports competition in Rio Rancho on April 26. It will make her the oldest contestant ever to compete, according to her trainer, Richard Kahle, owner of Kahle's Gym, where Sermay trains three days a week. The previous record was an 88-year-old competitor, he said. Sermay can curl a cool 30 pounds, bench press 45 pounds, and in the deadlift (her favorite event) she can heft 60 pounds. She may face some competition from youngsters — she's entered in the 75-and-up division.

I like a comment at the end of the article regarding her attitude to life:

The workouts and vitamins may keep her healthy, but she attributes her ability to go full-throttle at 95 to a more philosophical factor.

"It's laughter, be happy," she said with a wink after working out. "It's a sense of humor."