{"id":30806,"date":"2025-07-29T20:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T20:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/30806\/"},"modified":"2025-07-29T20:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T20:36:12","slug":"at-82-osteoporosis-left-her-struggling-to-walk-then-she-started-lifting-weights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/30806\/","title":{"rendered":"At 82, osteoporosis left her struggling to walk \u2013\u00a0then she started lifting weights"},"content":{"rendered":"

When journalist Clare Johnston interviewed renowned physical therapist and strength coach Chris Reis for her YouTube channel (\u2018The Honest Channel<\/a>\u2019), which explores healthy ageing<\/a>, she decided to start weight training ASAP. Hearing about the dramatic results Reis had seen in older people who\u2019d started lifting weights, Johnston was keen for her 82-year-old mum Rhoda to try weight training<\/a>, too. The results surprised everybody. <\/p>\n

In just six months, Rhoda, who had suffered severe muscle loss<\/a> in her back due to osteoporosis<\/a> in her spine \u2013 and could not walk for more than 30 seconds unaided \u2013 can now hold her back up straight and walk at speed for three minutes. <\/p>\n

\u2018My mum is proving that it’s possible to reverse frailty in later life through weight training,\u2019 Johnston says of the \u2018jaw-dropping\u2019 difference in Rhoda\u2019s posture and ability to walk briskly in this update video<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Brisk walking<\/a> can have numerous health benefits, including building stamina, burning excess calories, and making your heart healthier, according to the NHS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to walk for hours to reap the health rewards, either. The NHS says that a brisk 10-minute daily walk has many health benefits, and counts towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, as recommended in the physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64<\/a>. Well, at 82, Rhoda hopes to get there and possibly beyond, with Johnston writing in a recent post<\/a> that she\u2019s now determined to be able to walk upright again unaided for much longer periods of time. <\/p>\n

By building muscle<\/a> later in life, then, Rhoda has also improved her mobility, essentially reaping double rewards. So, how did she do it, and what routine does she follow now?<\/p>\n

The importance of compound movements<\/p>\n

Aware of Reis\u2019s work with 98-year-old Merce Hershey, who improved her bone density through weight training, Johnston’s parents were keen to try a similar programme, in which compound movements are key. <\/p>\n

As Johnston explains in a two-month follow-up<\/a> of Rhoda’s strength training programme, a compound movement \u2018basically means working multiple muscle groups with one exercise, which is one of the best ways to build all-over strength<\/a> \u2013 and in our experience, that happens pretty quickly.\u2019 <\/p>\n

The barbell<\/a>, she adds, has also been key and helped Johnston herself see more progress than a year of working out at the gym three times a week. \u2018Although I was going through the motions and doing leg presses and curls and seated overhead presses and pull downs, I didn\u2019t make half the progress that I have using compound movements with a barbell<\/a>, where I\u2019m covering several muscle groups at once and just gradually increasing the weight week to week,\u2019 she says in the video.<\/p>\n

Rhoda\u2019s workout routine<\/p>\n

Rhoda has been training under Reis\u2019s guidance via online video training sessions.<\/p>\n

MondaysWeighted vest squats<\/p>\n

As outlined in Clare\u2019s recent write-up<\/a> of her parents\u2019 strength training<\/a> routine, Rhoda uses a weighted vest<\/a> rather than the bar for this exercise. She began with 1kg added to the vest, squatting<\/a> down to a bench. When she progressed to around 18kg on the vest, Rhoda slightly lowered the bench height and vest weight, squatting<\/a> a bit deeper, but with 15kg of weight. She\u2019s now working towards full-depth squats using the bar. <\/p>\n

Asked in the follow-up video whether she had surprised herself after eight weeks of training, Rhoda says: \u2018I surprise myself most times we train. The thing is, we train together, and when I see what he [her husband Michael] is doing, I think to myself, how am I going to do that when it comes to my turn? But so far, I\u2019ve done what I\u2019ve been asked to do.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"aClare Johnston \/ Oliver Johnston<\/p>\n

Rhoda is now working towards full-depth squats using the bar<\/p>\n

Bench press<\/p>\n

As part of her Monday workout, Rhoda also does the bench press. She warms up with lighter weights before pressing her top weight (which is currently around 18kg), and progresses by about 1kg each week.<\/p>\n

\"an<\/p>\n

Clare Johnston \/ Oliver Johnston<\/p>\n

Deadlifts<\/p>\n

Rhoda finishes the Monday session with deadlifts<\/a>. After warming up with lower weights, she will deadlift whatever her top weight is, which is currently an impressive 32kg.<\/p>\n

\"aClare Johnston \/ Oliver Johnston<\/p>\n

Compound movements like deadlifts have helped Rhoda, 82, improve her posture and mobility<\/p>\n

Thursdays<\/p>\n

On Thursdays, Rhoda follows a similar routine, but swaps out the bench press for a rack press. According to Clare\u2019s recent update<\/a>, Rhoda warms up<\/a> with lighter weights, before lifting her top weight \u2013 currently doing 7 sets of 2 reps, with adequate recovery time between sets, which is crucial.<\/p>\n

\"anClare Johnston \/ Oliver Johnston<\/p>\n

On Thursdays, Rhoda and her husband Michael swap out the bench press for the rack press<\/p>\n

What differences has she seen?<\/p>\n

Even after just eight weeks of training, Rhoda reported seeing several improvements in her everyday life. \u2018The first thing I noticed was, when I was doing my cleaning, for instance \u2013 cleaning the house \u2013 I noticed that I could go further and longer without being tired,\u2019 she says. \u2018I\u2019m noticing that I can get up and down the stairs much more easily without being out of breath and my heart<\/a> pounding, and my limbs, my back, my legs are much stronger and can carry me further.\u2019<\/p>\n

Later on, Rhoda also became able to stand upright again to wash her hair in the shower, and she can now sit up independently from a lying position on the bench. While she continues to notice small improvements every day, Rhoda says her aim is still to be able to hold her upper back straight for longer periods.<\/p>\n

\u2018When I first shared videos of them lifting weights right at the start, I had a couple of people say they thought my mum looked frail and they were asking should she really be doing this,\u2019 says Johnston<\/a>. \u2018And I would say this is proof that you can overcome frailty<\/a> and see big improvements in just a short period of time, at any age.\u2019<\/p>\n

Indeed, provided you take the correct safety measures and train with expert guidance, it\u2019s generally never too late to benefit from weight training. Age-related muscle mass loss \u2013 otherwise known as sarcopenia \u2013 is common and can lead to impaired mobility, falls and general frailty. Women can be at a higher risk of sarcopenia from a younger age due to factors including menopause-related hormonal changes<\/a> and the fact that we tend to have less muscle and more fat than men in early and middle age. <\/p>\n

So, while 82-year-old Rhoda may have shown that it\u2019s never too late to start strength training, there\u2019s also no better time than the present \u2013 the earlier you start lifting weights, the earlier (and longer) you\u2019ll benefit.<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Nutrition Writer across Women\u2019s Health UK\u00a0and Men\u2019s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner\u2019s World\u00a0and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She\u2019s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When journalist Clare Johnston interviewed renowned physical therapist and strength coach Chris Reis for her YouTube channel (\u2018The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":30807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[64,63,28973,538,137,28974],"class_list":{"0":"post-30806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fit-at-any-age","11":"tag-fitness","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-weight-training"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}