‘Granny Guns’ on Embracing Bodybuilding in Her 60s

At age 68, Marlene flowers begin with training every morning. “I’m addicted,” she declares with a smile. This wasn’t necessarily the case.

Ten years ago, Flower, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, found herself struggling with a variety of health issues.

“I live on a farm. I have horses, they were on the hill and I had problems with the energy coming back to the hill. I felt weak,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m only 58. Why don’t I have any energy?”

A long-standing struggle of body image and past laxative addiction also hit her health, and she spent some time hospitalization In the past.

Realizing she wasn’t feeling her best, her son, Ryan Hickey 36 – Flowers Jokes, which impressively transformed his life from “couch potatoes to bodybuilder” – suggested that she would try beach body workouts at home. Taking inspiration, the flowers gave them a shot.

“I started with aerobics and light muscle strength training at home,” she says. After five years of living room workouts, she was ready to take things to the next level. Hickey encourages her to go to the gym by showing her a video of an older woman who was in very good shape. “I said, ‘Well, if she can do that, I can do that,'” Hana recalls.

She did it. Hana has now competed in multiple bodybuilding competitions, “has taken home seven impressive trophies in my age class, and even for young women. But despite those big wins, she is thinking of increasing her confidence to participate in order to be her biggest achievement. “Attach the stage in a bikini at my age! It was scary at first, but I did it!” she says.

Strong body, strong bones

Currently 68 years old, Hana feels stronger and more energetic than ever. She not only makes her feel better, but also helps prevent injuries, she believes in weightlifting. Recently, her 800-pound draft horse was scared and plunged into her, knocking her down in the process. “The doctor said if I hadn’t lifted the weight I would have broken my hips. It’s 100% guaranteed,” says Hickey. Flower also suffers from a malfunction in gym equipment, causing her to suffer a violent fall, but simply leaves with a bruise. “My bone density is incredible,” she says.

Create her own “Fit Family”

In addition to improving her health, weightlifting gave the flowers a new sense of community. She calls her gym friends her “fit family.” This is a group that includes MMA fighters and fellow bodybuilders.

“Everyone is so encouraging and constantly pushing each other to improve,” she says.

The acceptance of the weightlifting community has helped her mental health.

“If one day you feel sick, you’re going to the gym, start talking to people, everyone is exercising. That’s just the energy you have. You can’t get out of it negatively,” she says. In addition to feeling a good vibe, lifting up is a great boost to self-esteem, she says. “It gives you mental clarity and gives you a positive view. It makes you feel good about yourself and you’re not wrong,” she says.

“You’re never too old to start.”

Some believe that bodybuilding is dangerous to older people, but flowers are strongly opposed. “You can hurt yourself when you go overboard, but as you start slowly, lift the light weight and gradually build up, your muscles and bones become stronger,” she explains. She also has more seniors at the gym accepting more seniors at the gym.

Hickey doesn’t make her easy just because she’s his mom. Her workouts feature a mix of chest, back, legs, arms, shoulders and even a push-pull routine. She warms up with aerobic exercise, cools down with rows, and finishes with stretches.

“I’m addicted,” Flowers says. “Every morning I start with an AB routine in the living room and relax. Then I head to the gym for an hour and a half to two hours.” A big change from the way she was initially afraid to exercise outside the house.

“I was nervous at first. I wondered if people would judge me,” she admits. “Now you can’t keep me out of it!”

Eat like a bodybuilder

Weightlifting encouraged flowers to embrace other health areas, including more nutritious dietary priorities. She eats “like a bodybuilder” with a focus on “a lot of chicken, fish, beef, cauliflower and tons of vegetables,” according to her son.

She also uses social media to insist that eating for strength doesn’t have to be boring. Flowers love to make sugar-free, healthier versions stuffed with proteins of their favorite comfort foods and desserts, such as cookies, cakes, and candy bars. Her reliable motto? “Don’t forget about protein!”

And while she appreciates her hard-earned tone physique, flowers aren’t just about their appearance. Her lifestyle helps manage the forms of blood cancers she has fought over the past decade. “It’s incurable, but diet and exercise keep it down and keep it down,” explains Hickey.

Hana says her doctors are surprised at how she was able to prevent her condition from progressing. “Some days are tough,” she admits. “But after a good sweat session, I always feel better.”

Virus inspiration for others

When Hickey and Hana began documenting her fitness journey on social media, they never thought that many people would tune. “Grandma’s Gun” Online, platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok have over 4 million followers, tailored to training videos, recipes and motivational speeches. “It’s amazing to think a lot of people are seeing me and feeling inspired,” she says. She receives DMS from her fans every day and is proud to have people come to her at the gym asking for photos and serve as an inspiration for people to embrace an active lifestyle at all ages.

Of course, Hana still has fangirl moments. Like when she once noticed Arnold Schwarzenegger working next to her at an outdoor gym in Venice Beach, California. Flowers joked that she took a shot between the reps and walked over to tie the carved arm together with him. “He’s a really nice guy,” she says.

Flower advises weightlifting, who hesitates to start, “Don’t be blackmailed. Find something you enjoy. Do it for yourself and don’t worry about others.”

She also says that even though she feels terrified of picking up those weights for the first time in a busy gym, everyone is doing the same thing. “You’re there for you. Focus on improving your health and wellness,” she says.

If you want to be strong, the flowers suggest that they have begun to be smaller: “Lip the light weight and work gradually. Try aerobic exercise, rowing, or stretching.

What is her biggest advice to get started? “You’ll find something you enjoy and you’ll stick to it.”