These Pennsylvania women take healthy aging to a new level as they compete in weightlifting in their 60s and 70s

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On a rubber court in the middle of a large indoor sports complex in Lancaster County, Martha MacAdam squatted close to the ground.

With a weightlifting belt cinched around her waist, MacAdam, 72, gripped the long barbell in front of her. Round rubber-coated cast-iron plates attached to each side added up to 215 pounds.

“Come on, Martha!” shouted her teammates, standing just a few feet away all wearing bright orange shirts with the words ‘Sally’s Iron Mustangs’ on the back. All of them were competing in the Lancaster Senior Games.

MacAdam shifted and steadily began to rise. A head of curly gray hair framed her face and her cheeks puffed out with exertion.

“Go, go, go!” the team yelled as a crowd of other weightlifters and spectators gathered. “Pick up, pick up!”

With her arms straight and the barbell hovering a couple feet off the ground, MacAdam stood tall and locked her hips, completing the deadlift. She was soon pulled in for hugs and high-fives.

Personal trainer and coach Sally Winchell clapped with excitement.

“It makes my heart sing,” she said.

Sally’s Iron Mustangs is a group of older women in Lancaster County who are proving that age is really just a number when it comes to physical prowess and strength.

These retired teachers, nurses, finance workers, grandmothers and matriarchs in their late 50s, 60s and 70s show no signs of slowing down as they train and compete in weightlifting events throughout Pennsylvania.

Most recently, members set some personal records Monday, May 5, while competing in bench press, deadlift and bicep curl events at the Lancaster Senior Games.

“Society says you’re old, you’re not useful anymore, you don’t have the strength,” said Winchell, who is 67. “Well guess what? I totally dispute that. That’s not it.”

Exercise is considered a key part to healthy aging. Research shows it can help prevent cardiovascular disease and falls, maintain bone mass, improve mental health and protect against cognitive decline.

Sally’s Iron Mustangs take that to a whole new level. Members train at Bright Side Opportunities Center and McMillan Training Systems in Lancaster.

MacAdam didn’t know anything about weightlifting before she started taking some simple strength and conditioning classes a couple years ago.

“In my case, an awful lot of weightlifting is between my ears,” she said. “Because if I have any doubts, I’m not going to make it. If I have an ‘Uh, oh’ moment, it’s not going to work either.”

Teammate and friend Deb Lindemuth was lifting 250 pounds in the deadlift event. She’s 74 years old.

“I never thought at my age I’d be doing something like this, I can tell you that much,” she said.

As a bodybuilder, fitness instructor and personal trainer, Winchell said she wanted to introduce the world of weightlifting to a whole new group of people and create an opportunity for them to explore their abilities in strength.

The other big benefit, Winchell said, is that the group creates a sense of purpose, camaraderie and friendship.

“We’re just girls. We’re just girls doing something that’s badass and amazing,” Winchell said. “That to me is health — building muscle and community.”

It’s not all about the competition. Judy Harding said doing these events are fun, but this kind of strength training has a lot of other practical uses.

“Just living, you have to be able to lift things,” she said. “If you have kids, you have to lift them. They get heavier and heavier.”

“Groceries, kids. Kids and groceries at the same time,” Cassandra Mimidis added, with a laugh.

Out on the rubber court, Mimidis hyped herself up, gripped the barbell and stood straight before a judge signaled that she was clear.

“Oh, woah!” Winchell exclaimed from the sidelines. “Oh, granny!”

The 200-pound deadlift is a personal record for the 64-year-old retiree. Her young granddaughter rushed out onto the floor for a big hug. Mimidis said she already wants to be just like her nanny.

“She comes to the house and she picks up the weights, I have 2-pound weights, she goes right over and she goes, ‘Let’s do muscles, Nanny, let’s do muscles,’” Mimidis laughed.

The Lancaster Senior Games run through Friday, May 9. More older adult competitions in other Pennsylvania counties, including Bucks County and Delaware County, kick off next month.