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Cynthia Martin Is 69 Years Old. She's Also A Weightlifting Champion.

Jesper Aggergaard
/
Unsplash
National weightlifting champion Cynthia Martin began lifting barbells at age 64. Since then, she has only grown stronger.

Weightlifting didn't appear on Cynthia Martin's radar until age 64, when she picked up barbells for the first time through a Cross Fit program. Just a few years later, the Marion native won the 2018 National Weightlifting Championship in Buffalo, New York. 

On this segment of Talk of Iowa, the weightlifting champion joins host Charity Nebbe to share her fitness journey. Although athletic opportunities were negligible for girls when Martin was young, she has stayed in shape through activities like walking. After trying barbells, she got hooked on the workout.

"I really like the idea of getting stronger," Martin says. "As long as I stay strong and get stronger, I can stay active much longer than I would have had I never started." 

Martin says her bone scans have shown an increase in bone density since beginning weightlifting. As she prepares to turn 70 later this year, Martin continues to grow stronger with her early morning workouts.

Guest:

  • Cynthia Martin, national weightlifting champion
Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa
Matthew was a producer for IPR's River to River and Talk of Iowa