'I was 63 when I started powerlifting - now I'm in the best shape of my life'

It was quarantine that made Kitty Duffy assess her health and fitness. It started with long walks by the sea – easy enough for the Brighton-based 67-year-old – then Joe Wicks workouts for strength training. So far, so familiar.

But when Kitty (@stillliftingat67) started to use small weights, something clicked. Soon, she had graduated to bigger barbells – and didn’t stop there. "In lockdown I did a lot of eating and a lot of drinking," laughs Kitty. "But I was also doing a lot of walking, and when I did Joe Wicks because my grandchildren were doing it, I realised that I really liked doing it."

For Kitty, it was the attraction of lifting weights that triggered the transition from living room workouts to powerlifting – a type of strength training consisting of three lifts: squat, bench and deadlift. "It’s the aesthetic of lifting heavy things," she explains. "I started with a personal trainer, and I realised I was quite strong – not just strong for my age, but strong. And that gave me a boost."

With this burgeoning confidence, Kitty decided to change careers in her early sixties. "I was a Director of Children’s Social Care, then it was suggested I retrain as a personal trainer," she says. "I finished the personal training course when I was 62. I was the oldest on the course, and that was fine!" It was during this period that Kitty heard about a powerlifter called Betty Gray, who’s "a little bit younger than me". She was intrigued. "I'd never heard of powerlifting," she says. "I found a coach. He has the wonderful name of Delroy McQueen, and he’s a superstar – and I got into powerlifting when I was 63."

Pushing past boundaries

What if your main hurdle is a lack of confidence in your body or ability? Astonishingly, Kitty felt the same. "I was intimidated at first! We all think people are judging us, or we're not very good, or we're doing it wrong."

Fortunately, Kitty got past this (it’s fair to say that – for a lot of us – one bonus of ageing is that experience teaches us to care less about what others think). And while gyms can look daunting, most establishments are friendly, including where Kitty trains and coaches. "I'm based at Kings Gym Brighton, and there are some lovely people here – once people come in, they're likely to stay," she says.

One of her clients is 70, while her powerlifting clients range from 15 to 63 – proving that you’re never too old to start. "And I have one client who’s been obese all her life – we work with what she brings, and we've reduced her insulin need very significantly," says Kitty. "That's because if you increase muscle, you become more insulin resistant so it’s excellent for people with diabetes."

Prepping your body

Diet is an important part of Kitty’s life. The right food allows her to train harder and potentially suffer fewer injuries. But even without training, protein should be an essential part of every woman’s diet. It's needed to maintain muscle mass and bone density.

"I make sure that with every meal there's a protein source," says Kitty. And I supplement, because – particularly as we get older – our need for protein increases. I put protein powder in my porridge, and that gives me an extra 22 grams of protein to start the day."

Certain supplements are also useful to support training. Kitty takes creatine, for example. "It’s cheap, with virtually no side effects, and it allows you to train a bit harder," she says. "There’s also some interesting data coming out about creatine and brain health."

When Kitty isn’t training herself or others, or winning competitions, she takes some of her clients to events so they can get used to competing. ‘I'm taking seven women to Iron Maidens,’ she says. While the word ‘competition’ may conjure memories of school sports days and cause some of us to break out in a cold sweat, Kitty insists that these are inclusive and supportive environments. "One woman has two young children and disturbed sleep because of this, and a busy job, but she's coming along, and she'll be competing,’ says Kitty. "It doesn't matter that she'll probably lift less than everybody else there. Everybody is very encouraging of whatever you’re doing for you."

How to stay focused

So, what’s the secret of Kitty’s success in her autumn years? "You have to be disciplined, and it has to be habit-forming. You're not going to get that in a couple of weeks," she advises. "You have to say to yourself, this is what I do because it’s setting me up for when I'm properly old, and I need to use the stairs, and I need to pick up my grandchildren. I want to be able to run around! I think, if we're over 50, we have to start planning and thinking about what we're doing this for."

There's been a significant increase in women who powerlift, including older women. Numerous studies have shown that both resistance and strength training are key to healthy ageing and longevity, and are particularly beneficial for menopausal women.

Being disciplined is essential, but most of us will give up if something doesn’t hold our attention, so finding an activity you love is crucial. "I do it because it makes me feel really good. I train four days a week and if I had the time I’d do it every day, but I think my family would divorce me!" says Kitty, who’s not only a mum of three, but a grandmother of five.

"It’s literally been life-changing. I feel grateful and lucky every day, and I’ll carry on doing this until I can't move."

How to get into powerlifting

• Practice the compound lifts: "With powerlifting, you want to lift the most you can, possibly move for one repetition of squat, bench and deadlift. These are the three compound moves," she says.
• Start light if you're a beginner: "You can start training with just resistance bands or your own body weight to build muscle," says Kitty.
• Consider a coach: "I think it's important to have some training sessions, and it's also important to have a programme, otherwise you start to feel stronger, and you continue at that level, when you need to increase the intensity or the volume or both, to push yourself a little bit harder," she says.
• Explore your options: "If you can't get a coach, most gyms give inductions, and they show you what to do,’ says Kitty. "If you can't get to a gym, then weights at home are fine as long as you progress. Or you can do strength training in a class as long as you’re encouraged to progress."