Never too late! 68-year-old woman with rock-hard abs shares secrets to perfect body
Photo: 68-year-old woman proved that it's never too late to exercise (istock.com)
Many people see their 60s and 70s as a time to slow down, but Marlene Flowers is not one of them. At 68, she is a competitive bodybuilder with steel abs and impressive biceps, proving that age is just a number.
How she manages to stay in such amazing shape, informs The Guardian.
Marlene Flowers' story
In 2021, at the age of 64, Marlene Flowers competed in her first bodybuilding competition.
Oiled up, tan, and dressed in a bikini, the auto shop owner from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, found herself under bright lights on stage, showcasing her toned muscles alongside people half her age.
Overall, she has been into fitness for the past 10 years.
"I feel so much more self-confident and better about myself. I can look in the mirror and I'm happy with what I see, which is something I couldn't do all my life," says Marlene.
Marlene Flowers in the gym (photo: instagram.com/granny__guns)
Now, Flowers shares her top fitness tips:
"If you can stay physically fit, you'll be healthier in the long run, live a longer life, and it's great for your mind," she noted.
Create a workout plan and stick to it
According to Marlene, the most important thing is to develop a workout schedule that matches your needs and goals and feels achievable.
Known for her triceps and biceps, Flowers trains her arms with exercises like skull crushers with dumbbells, tricep dips, overhead tricep extensions, dumbbell curls, rope curls, and standing cable curls, among others.
68-year-old bodybuilder in the gym (photo: instagram.com/granny__guns)
She does four rounds of each exercise, consisting of 8-12 reps with short breaks in between. However, when you're just starting, the key is to simply get your body moving.
Willpower
The hardest part of working out is finding the mental strength to get off the couch and lace up your sneakers. A 2023 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showed that it takes about six months to become a regular gym-goer.
"You have to have the desire and the drive inside your head and in your heart. It doesn't matter what you're doing or what your goals are, but you need to get started in order to form a habit," she said.
Age is just a number
She also has notable fans, including bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, who follows her Instagram account.
"Being older only means I need a bit more recovery time, but otherwise, age is just a number in your mind," she says.
This material is for informational purposes only and should not be used for medical diagnosis or self-treatment. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate information about symptoms, causes, and methods of detecting diseases. RBС-Ukraine is not responsible for any diagnoses that readers may make based on materials from the resource. We do not recommend self-treatment and advise consulting a doctor in case of any health concerns.
