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A Kamloops, B.C., powerlifter who started breaking records in his 60s says it’s never too late to start strength training.

Larry Daoust, 66, specializes in the bench press and holds records with the B.C. Powerlifting Association and Canada Powerlifting for his age and weight class, having benched as much as 200 kilograms in competition.

He began lifting when he was just 13 years old, but didn’t get involved in competitions until after he retired as a forestry worker. 

Daoust is preparing for the Canadian Powerlifting Nationals in St. John’s, N.L., in March. He says if he does well there, he could move on to the world championships in May.

He spoke to CBC News about his passion for powerlifting while also offering advice for beginners looking to get stronger, regardless of age.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

What do you think is important about going to the gym?

Age has no limit here. You’ll notice in the gym there’s many guys that are spotting me when I lift heavy and they’re in their 70s. There’s people in their 80s, people in their 90s, there’s younger people. There’s a whole mix. So, I mean, it’s for everybody and today is the day to start, so to speak.

So age is just a number. Just come in, keep within your abilities and yeah, you’ll do fantastic.

The big key about all of this is to show up. Consistency and intensity is what I try to do, but I’m in the competitive line. But if you were just coming just to stay in shape, consistency is the big one.

How often would you find yourself at the gym?

I’m here at least five days a week … I have lots of time to do what I like to do, which is lift. So I’ve done it for a long time since I was probably about 13 years old. But since I was retired, I thought, you know, I think I could break the provincial record. So I thought, instead of talking about it, I should just try to do it. So in April [2025] I went into my first competition.

What made you want to do that? Was it retirement and you had more time on your hands?

I have all the time that I want to train and if I need rest and all that, I can do that … and then I thought, you know, my wife and I, we can make these competitions a little holiday as well. The last one was in Victoria. We can go to the competition and then tour Victoria, so we’re having lots of fun with that.

I have gym experience, but it’s a total different experience than competition … Going to the competition, I just have to be prepared for the cues and the commands that the referees give you so that takes some getting used to … I’m basically in what I call a flow state or where I’m just zoned right in and it doesn’t even feel like I’m actually doing the lifting. I’m so psyched up, so to speak. It’s kind of my autopilot.

What’s your advice for people heading to the gym in the new year?

I think you come to the gym with the expectation of just being better every day. So when you have these lofty goals that you made in the new year … take [it] step by step and just work out, learn. There’s a lot of excellent athletes here that’ll help you. You can socialize with them and they’ll give you pointers.

It’s about step by step rather than trying to make these leaps. That’s where you progress. In fact, that’s the methodology I use for my programs … every day is just a little bit more.