Iris Davis , who is 80 years old, sure has an impressive resume. She’s won countless fitness awards, including the Fittest Senior in the USA in 2006 by Nintendo. Davis is a professional bodybuilder with the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation —a sport she didn’t pursue until her 50s—and is now one of the world's oldest active female bodybuilders. She’s even become a personal trainer, helping others transform their bodies at any age.
Davis, who is from Ireland, didn’t get into fitness for attention or even to change how she looked. She initially started working out as a way to manage crushing depression. When she was 18 years old and a year after she was married, Davis’s son died of pneumonia. When she was 22, her husband died. Overwhelmed with grief, Davis started going on walks.
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“Ireland in the very early ‘60s was not a great place to live. [I had] no prospects, no ambition, was lonely and very depressed. I started walking to save my own life. I had no idea I would end up a bodybuilder. All I know is exercise was the only way I could cope with trauma,” Davis says. At the time, she says that exercise was not something women did. There were hardly any gyms and the existing ones wouldn’t admit women.
Flash-forward to her 50s when Davis—who was living in London—entered her first bodybuilding competition at the encouragement of her personal trainer. “There was one other woman in the show, in a different category, and I was told I had to compete with the men or go home,” Davis says. So, she competed against the men—five total, all under the age of 25. “I took second place and was thrilled with the outcome. I broke the barrier at that show having to compete with the men in 1994 in London,” she explains.
Today, Davis still competes in bodybuilding competitions. How does she stay in such great shape? Here, she shares her favorite workout moves.
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The Workout an 80-Year-Old Fitness Trainer and Bodybuilder Does To Stay Fit
You may assume all bodybuilders lift heavy at the gym, but Davis says she prefers doing lots of reps of light weights (typically five-pound dumbbells) versus fewer reps with heavier weights.
In terms of how she splits up lower body and upper body weight lifting, she says it depends on the clients she has that day because she does the workouts with her clients. “If they’re doing a move, I do it too,” she shares.
If Davis has an afternoon with no clients, she’ll spend three to four hours in the gym. Of course, she recognizes not everyone can (or wants) to spend that long in the gym.
Below are her favorite workout moves, ones she herself does every day:
Bicep curls
1. Hold a dumbbell with your palm facing up. (Davis uses 5 pound dumbbells, but use what feels heavy-yet-doable for you.)
2. Bend your elbow to curl the weight up. Then, lower it back down to the starting position.
3. Davis does three sets of 50 reps, but recommends beginners start at a much lower number, such as one set of 10.
One-arm shoulder press
1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Lift your arms to each side of your head and bending the elbows 90 degrees (goal post position).
2. Slowly, press the weight up until your arms are extended up straight. Slowly come back down to the starting position.
3. Davis does six sets of 20, but recommends beginners start with one set of 10.
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Hammer tricep curl
1. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. The dumbbells should be vertical. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees.
2. Extend your elbows and straighten your arms, as if you are hammering. Come back to the starting position.
3. Davis does six sets of 20, but recommends beginners start with one set of 10.
Oblique crunches
1. Lie on your back with your legs out straight. Put your hands behind your head.
2. Bend your left knee while simultaneously lifting your left shoulder off the floor, bringing them close to each other.
3. Come back to the starting position. Then, bend your right knee while simultaneously lifting your right shoulder off the floor, bringing them close to each other.
4. Do two to three sets of 10 to 15 crunches.
Standing oblique crunch with bar
1. For this exercise move, you will need a weight bar or a broom. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Take the bar or broom and put it behind your neck, holding it in place by stretching your arms out straight on either side and placing your hands on top.
2. Twist your torso to the right while keeping your hips facing forward. Come back to the starting position. Twist your torso to the left while keeping your hips facing forward.
3. Davis does between 200 and 300 torso twists, but recommends beginners start with 20 to 30.
Cardio
In addition to weight lifting, Davis also does some form of cardio every day. All forms of cardio benefit the body, so choose an activity you like , such as walking, pickleball, dance aerobics, biking or another activity that gets your heart rate up. The American Heart Association recommends engaging in at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of heart-pumping physical activity per week.
Davis hopes to serve as an inspiration, showing others that it’s never too late to take control of your health. What’s most important, she says, is to take that first step and then be consistent. After a while, she says living healthy becomes a way of life. “Just start by walking,” she says. “That’s what I did and it led to a whole lifetime of fitness.”
Next up, this is the best exercise to do regularly if you want to live to be 100, according to personal trainers.
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