This story is based on an interview with Barbara Phillips, 75, a former tech writer who splits her time between Seattle and Saxony, Germany. It has been edited for length and clarity.
In March 2025, I was recovering from a serious complication to my second hip replacement surgery and scrolling through Instagram.
I saw a few posts from the recent Arnold Sports Festival — the annual meet in Cincinnati that includes bodybuilding and powerlifting — and was intrigued by images of a woman around my age deadlifting a heavy weight.
It was so fascinating, I threw down the gauntlet to myself. “You should try that,” I thought.
I increased my gym training
A few weeks later, as soon as my doctor said I was done with treatment, I booked a plane ticket to a power-lifting competition in Woodstock, Virginia.
I managed to deadlift 185 pounds with very little experience. It was very rewarding, and I decided to improve my performance by increasing my gym training.
I’d always been into rough and tumble as a child, especially because I had three brothers who treated me no differently for being a girl.
It was before Title IX, when girls were allowed to play competitive sports in school, but my parents recognized my aptitude for running early on.
They sued the local school district to let me participate in the boys’ track and field program. It was ahead of its time, and the suit went nowhere.
A healthy diet was a priority
I got on a fast-pitch softball team while working in Arizona in my early to mid-20s. Then I started running and entering road races when they were still in their infancy and considered eccentric.
The training was hard, but it paid off. I received a stipend from Nike to help cover travel expenses.
I ran competitively for 20 years until my joints started hurting and I suffered stress fractures. I did a lot of bike riding to keep my cardiovascular fitness high without beating my body up as much.
Meanwhile, my diet was a priority. I made every effort to eat whole, organic, minimally processed food.
In my early 40s, I joined the Seattle Fire Department as a firefighter because it was diversifying to attract women. They let me go after a year, which knocked my confidence.
It was then that I decided to try yoga after buying VHS videos from the bookstore and copying the moves. My body felt great. After a few weeks, I realized it was helping change my inner state, too.
I particularly enjoyed hot yoga, qualified as an instructor, and did it for about 30 years. I stopped my regular sessions when chronic arthritis in both hips made them painful, but I still go to the yoga studio a few times a month.
I had arthritis in both my hips
It might sound strange given my history, but I didn’t train at a formal gym until 71, when I enrolled in a body balance class near my home in Saxony, Germany, where I live for half the year.
A personal trainer showed me how to use the equipment, and it wasn’t long before I was hooked.
Unfortunately, my arthritis got worse, and I underwent hip replacements in 2023 and 2025. I got a septic infection after the second surgery and stayed in the hospital for five days.
Still, the highlights from the Arnold Sports Festival motivated me to get well. Competitive power lifting seemed like an exciting new step in my recovery. I’ve enjoyed every contest I’ve entered so far and have been recording my journey on Instagram.
At the moment, I go to the gym 6 times a week, where I mix cardio and strength training. In addition to the occasional yoga class, I go to country and western line dancing three nights a week.
I’ve trained consistently for over 50 years
It’s a great way to do 1,500 steps an hour — counting toward my goal of 10,000 steps a day — and incredibly social and fun.
My blended family of 5 kids and 10 grandchildren compliments me on my physique. I tell them I have a lot of muscle definition at my age because I’ve eaten well and trained consistently for over 50 years.
I think it makes them proud because not many people can make that claim.
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