Granny, get your guns: Local grandma-to-be bodybuilder takes TikTok by storm
Katherine Mansfield
Before hitting the weights, 65-year-old bodybuilder Marlene Flowers stretches. Flowers began working out at age 58 and entered her first bodybuilding competition last year.
Katherine Mansfield
Marlene Flowers was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but manages her condition through diet and exercise. The 65-year-old bodybuilder said lifting isn无毛视频檛 for everyone, but there is a form of exercise for everyone.
Marlene Flowers spends about two hours a day in the gym, stretching before completing a lifting circuit with her son, Ryan Hickey. Flowers began bodybuilding at age 65 and encourages others to exercise on TikTok, @65_strong.
Katherine Mansfield
Marlene Flowers posts short videos of her workouts and words of encouragement 无毛视频� 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 65 and killing it. You can too!无毛视频� 无毛视频� on TikTok under @65_strong, where she无毛视频檚 amassed more than 83,000 followers and her content regularly receives thousands of views. Flowers entered her first bodybuilding competition last year.
Courtesy Ryan Hickey
She didn无毛视频檛 take home first place, but Marlene Flowers, of Washington, returned home from her first bodybuilding competition last fall with some hardware. Flowers began working out nearly seven years ago and entered her first bodybuilding competition at age 65.
Courtesy of Ryan Hickey
TikTok无毛视频檚 favorite Granny Guns puts in the work at Planet Fitness, where she spends hours each day gaining strength, muscle and confidence. Flowers entered her first bodybuilding competition last year at age 65.
Courtesy of Ryan Hickey
She takes lifting seriously, but Flowers also has a lot of fun working out. The 65-year-old bodybuilder无毛视频檚 spunk and dedication to fitness has made her TikTok famous: Granny Guns, @65_strong, has more than 83,000 followers, and some videos have been viewed millions of times.
Marlene Flowers wasn无毛视频檛 looking for attention. She was just trying to get in shape.
Almost overnight, the 65-year-old grandmother-to-be from Washington is TikTok famous, with more than 120,000 followers who affectionately call her 无毛视频淕ranny Guns.无毛视频�
Flowers无毛视频� videos 无毛视频� workout montages set to trending tunes and quick motivational speeches 无毛视频� are liked and shared across various platforms. A recent TikTok video encouraging followers to get to the gym was viewed more than 12 million times.
无毛视频�(My son) just told me this morning that 无毛视频� one of the TikTok responses was, 无毛视频楳y mother and my grandmother are going to the gym now. They无毛视频檙e starting to work out because of you.无毛视频� And I无毛视频檓 like, 无毛视频極h. wow. That无毛视频檚 really great,'无毛视频� said Flowers, before a workout at Planet Fitness on a recent Saturday. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 glad 无毛视频� I can do that for people and get them going and do things that it took me 65 years to get to. If you start younger, you无毛视频檒l live longer. You无毛视频檒l be happier. And that 无毛视频� this world needs happiness.无毛视频�
These days, Flowers无毛视频� happy place is the purple and yellow gym near her home. Her fitness journey is inspiring 无毛视频� who takes up bodybuilding at age 65? 无毛视频� but it无毛视频檚 her journey from working mom to Granny Guns that is, perhaps, even more incredible.
Flowers started working out seven years ago, for health reasons. As a kid, she was active. The oldest of seven, Flowers studied hard and competed harder.
无毛视频淚 was a diver, I was on the swim team. I loved gymnastics,无毛视频� said Flowers, who graduated from Chartiers Valley High School in 1975. 无毛视频淚 was top of the class in my school, a straight-A student. My parents never gave me positive feedback. It was expected.无毛视频�
The pressure mounted. Flowers developed an eating disorder, compounded by self-image issues. The 58-year-old autobody shop owner无毛视频檚 wake-up call came when she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and found herself in the hospital for issues stemming from a lifetime of disordered eating.
无毛视频淭hat was kind of like, well, OK, I have to stop,无毛视频� said Flowers. 无毛视频淭he doctors told me if I don无毛视频檛 stop doing what I was doing, that I was going to have more serious problems.无毛视频�
When she returned home, Flowers became more conscious of what she was eating. One evening her younger son, Ryan Hickey, showed his mom an online workout video. The woman in the video was about Flowers无毛视频� age, and in great shape.
无毛视频�(Ryan) said, 无毛视频楽ee, you can do this!无毛视频� And that got me started,无毛视频� Flowers said.
Flowers worked out for a few years before Hickey invited his mother to the gym.
无毛视频淚 was like, yeah, I don无毛视频檛 want to go to the gym. I don无毛视频檛 want to exercise in front of all those people,无毛视频� Flowers scoffed. 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 that self-conscious thing again.无毛视频�
Now, she says, 无毛视频測ou can无毛视频檛 keep me away.无毛视频�
Flowers无毛视频� casual lifting routine is a healthy habit, and she entered her first bodybuilding competition last year. She won a trophy in every category for her age group but didn无毛视频檛 bring home first place. Flowers is looking forward to applying what she learned last year at a Pittsburgh bodybuilding competition this fall.
She made international news last month when she announced her run for Ms. Muscle and Fitness 2022. Support from family, friends and the greater Pittsburgh community propelled Flowers to the top five in her age group, and when voting for the Muscle and Fitness HERS magazine cover competition closed June 2, Granny Guns finished third in her group.
Flowers was disappointed. But true to character, she took the loss 无毛视频� which wasn无毛视频檛 really a loss at all, if you consider her story spread beyond North America 无毛视频� on the chin.
无毛视频淓ven though I didn无毛视频檛 win Miss Muscle and Fitness 2022 I won so much more through the experience and through positively impacting the lives of so many people,无毛视频� Flowers wrote on Facebook June 3. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 going to continue to push forward and try new things.无毛视频�
New things include modeling fitness apparel, a dream she无毛视频檚 actively working toward. Hickey is working to connect his mother with national talk show hosts 无毛视频� Flowers would love to share her story with the nation.
无毛视频淲e weren无毛视频檛 made to sit around and do nothing,无毛视频� Flowers said. 无毛视频�(Working out) makes you feel better, and people should feel better.无毛视频�
Already she has appeared on local news and TV stations. She also landed a guest appearance on Grade A Nation podcast (the episode aired last month) and is already booked on another podcast later this summer.
Recently, a gym member approached Flowers during her workout. He had seen her on the local CW, and told her the interview was wonderful.
无毛视频淭hat is so uplifting, that people saw me and they know who I am. Compliments, it just keeps me going. It无毛视频檚 not so much the recognition as it keeps me motivated,无毛视频� Flowers said. 无毛视频淚t gives me more energy. This is something I never had 无毛视频� I无毛视频檓 influencing people.无毛视频�
She无毛视频檒l continue influencing people to be their best, and continue bodybuilding, for as long as her body allows.
无毛视频�(A podcaster) asked me, are you going to get to a point where you无毛视频檙e going to have to quit? I无毛视频檓 like, well, of course I am, I无毛视频檓 not going to live forever, but that无毛视频檚 not now,无毛视频� said Flowers. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 nowhere near ready to quit. I无毛视频檓 just getting started.无毛视频�