"As she got older, however, everyday tasks became harder. I got to the point where I didn't have the strength to prune my roses, she says. Becoming frailer was frustrating. Worse, she was tired of being treated as incapable by those around her. Aged 81, she read about a local CrossFit gym and went along to ask for help it was the start of what would become 15 years of on-and-off training with its owner, Cheryl Cohen."
"Training focused on movements that would support her day-to-day life, including getting up and down from the ground, and walking while carrying 4kg kettlebells. Each session, the weights increased gradually. Soon, she was doing full-body pressups, keeping pace with women 10 years younger. She could hold a plank long enough for another member of the senior group to tell a two-minute story. By 83, she could deadlift 70kg."
Jean Stewart, now 96, regained strength and independence through on-and-off CrossFit-style training begun at age 81. She focused on functional movements such as getting up and down from the ground and walking while carrying kettlebells, with gradual weight increases leading to full-body pressups and a 70kg deadlift by 83. Her progress was interrupted around age 90 by MRSA, a severe car accident that caused loss of feeling in her feet and legs, and subsequent falls and a hip fracture requiring surgery. Stewart continued exercising through rehabilitation, adapted her program when necessary, and still trains twice weekly despite spinal stenosis.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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