When it comes to entering those Golden Years, some people like to indulge in hobbies like golf, gardening, and cuddling the grandbabies—others like to lift, sweat, and squat.
Sylvia Leichter speaks in a soft, pleasant voice. Sitting on the floor at the Western Village gym where she works out, her hair is neat, her outfit well put together, and her overall demeanor can definitely be called sweet. The 72-year-old grandmother and new-bodybuilding competitor laughs as she recalls her first hesitant introduction to the gym.
“I never wanted to come to the gym; I didn’t like the gym; I hated the gym in my mind,” Leichter said.
Walking was her main activity, and she walked a lot, but even with all the walking she wasn’t losing weight. In fact, she was gaining weight. Her husband, who was working out regularly with trainer David Hull at Western Village, talked her into coming in and giving the gym a try.
That was at the end of 2012.
It didn’t take her long to make working out at the gym a regular part of her routine, and she was hitting the gym once or twice a week. Occasionally she would work with Hull and slowly she got comfortable in the gym. Then in 2013, Hull showed her how to use some of the weight machines and she incorporated those exercises into her routine. But even that wasn’t helping her see the kind of weight loss she wanted. That’s when determination kicked in. She wasn’t about to give up. “I was getting kind of discouraged and I decided, ‘I can do this,’” she said.
She enlisted Hull’s help.
Training with Hull was beneficial because she noticed she was getting stronger. She was able to do simple household things like walking up a flight of stairs holding her grandbaby and gardening with ease, but the downside remained the lack of significant weight loss. That’s something that frustrates a lot of regular gym devotees, Hull said.
“You’re gaining muscle, and your body fat is maybe going down a little bit but you’re not getting the big weight loss.”
Hull helped Leichter change her way of eating. She began keeping track of everything she ate, and the amount.
“Then I started seeing the weight fall off. Then I got into working out more and more and more. Now I’m here six days a week,” Leichter said.
She was already eating healthfully but her portions were too large. So she only needed to make small changes, mostly limiting processed foods, and making sure she was getting enough protein in. She sees the eating changes as more of a lifestyle, which she said works better than if she had gone on a crash diet.
Hull agreed. “She still eats chocolate. You don’t need to be on a crash diet eating shakes that taste nasty. She eats what she likes,” he said.
Leichter went from 170 pounds in 2014 when she first stepped foot into the gym, to 120 pounds in April, and she lost a little more than 8 inches off of her waist.
Though she was pleased with her results, entering a bodybuilding competition still wasn’t on the horizon—or so she thought. Hull often teased her about entering, and each time she dismissed the thought.
Then he switched her workouts and she began seeing muscle definition.
“And then I thought, ‘Oh, this might be kind of fun,’” Leichter said.
She entered the Iron Gladiator competition and was the only female, of any age group, who entered. Of course, she took first place in her class.
Though she received a lot of support from other competitors, it took a lot of courage to just take the stage.
“I mean here I am what, 72, and I’m getting spray tanned in a booth with 20-year-olds, and then I’m back stage in just the skimpiest, skimpiest piece of clothing and I thought, ‘What am I doing?’”
Getting competition ready wasn’t easy. Leichter worked out six days a week, twice a day performing an hour or so of strength training and high-intensity interval training in the morning, followed by cardio in the afternoon. The routine was a commitment that was easy for Leichter to follow she admitted, because as she said, “I have the time, I’m retired.” She added that she could see how such a schedule might be more difficult for someone also working and raising a family.
Hull said that Leichter’s training was not just about aesthetic or competition, it’s also a lifestyle that can help keep people fit into their senior years. He stressed that strength training is also about being able to perform simple tasks, like standing up from a chair, without difficulty.
Leichter said the experience overall has been an incredible journey, not to mention an inspiring one. She said, her journey has given “even the young women in the gym, the women in their 50s and 60s,” the motivation to reach their strength and fitness goals. And she decided she’s going for another competition this summer.
“The whole thing has really rejuvenated me,” she said.
Editor Shelly Cone can be reached at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 5-12, 2016.