Cheng Chen Chin-mei on Saturday beamed broadly as she hoisted a 35kg weightlifting bar to her waist, dropped it and waved confidently to the enthusiastic crowd in a competition in Taipei.
Cheng Chen, 90, has been pumping iron since last year, encouraged by her granddaughter to take up the sport after she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She credits the regimen with helping to fix her posture.
Three generations of her family were among a couple of hundred people watching Cheng Chen and 44 others aged 70 or older in the weightlifting competition.
Photo: Chui Kwan Ho, AF
In the three-round event, Cheng Chen lifted as much as 45kg using a hexagonal-shaped bar that is supposed to provide the lifter more stability and options for gripping.
“I want to tell all the old people to join the workout,” Cheng Chen said after the competition. “You don’t need to work extremely hard, but this is to stay healthy.”
Cheng Chen was not the only nonagenarian in the competition. The oldest participant was 92.
Taiwan is projected to become a “super-aged society” next year, with 20 percent or more of its 23 million people aged 65 or older, National Development Council data showed.
The government has set up fitness centers across the nation with equipment suitable for older people, to encourage them to train, said the Health Promotion Administration, which encourages healthy lifestyles.
“The hex bar deadlift is an easy workout. It is similar to squats or sitting down and standing up,” said Cheng Yu-shao, head coach at LKK Wellness, which organized the event.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The exercise can help prevent muscle loss and minimize the risk of falls, he said during a training session with Cheng Chen last week.
During the workout, Cheng Chen said weight training had helped with some of her health issues.
“My shoulders have become lighter after some time of continuous workouts,” she said.
Cheng Chen won only a medal and a certificate for her performance, but received the adulation of the crowd and the chance to wave like a superstar.
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