{"id":514618,"date":"2026-01-14T03:40:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T03:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/514618\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T03:40:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T03:40:15","slug":"this-74-year-old-did-her-first-pull-up-aged-63-now-she-can-do-17-heres-her-message-on-strength-and-ageing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/514618\/","title":{"rendered":"This 74-year-old did her first pull-up aged 63 \u2013 now she can do 17. Here’s her message on strength and ageing"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sooner you start resistance training<\/a>, the more time your body has to build resilience and counter age-related muscle loss, known as sarcopenia. However, most experts will attest that it\u2019s never too late to pick up a weight for the first time \u2013 the exercise has potentially life-altering benefits, including improved mobility and independence, even if you don\u2019t start lifting until your 60s or 70s.<\/p>\n

Someone who knows this to be true is Virginia MacColl<\/a> from North Carolina, USA, who learned to do a pull-up<\/a> for the first time at age 63. The now 74-year-old was inspired to begin strength training<\/a> after watching her athlete daughter, Jessie Graff, compete in American Ninja Warrior. <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019d never been in a gym before, and I\u2019d never done any kind of sports,\u2019 MacColl said during an interview with evry.day club. \u2018When I saw my daughter doing American Ninja Warrior I said to her, \u2018how can I get stronger?\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Jessie\u2019s recommendation? Do pull-ups. It\u2019s solid advice \u2013 research<\/a>, published in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, shows that resistance training is an important intervention technique for treating sarcopenic older adults due to its ability to facilitate significant muscle strength and mass. Pull-ups are a compound exercise<\/a>, meaning they engage multiple major muscle groups simultaneously, while also supporting improvements in posture<\/a>, core strength<\/a> and stability, and functional fitness<\/a>, making everyday tasks feel easier to complete. <\/p>\n

It took MacColl nine months to get her first unassisted pull-up. Now, 11 years later, she says she can do 17. Yes, you read that right. Her new skill even won her a Guinness World Record when she became the oldest female to complete an American Ninja Warrior obstacle, following in her daughter\u2019s footsteps. Impressively, she has participated in four American Ninja Warrior competitions. \u2018It just opened the world up to me so I can get my message out there that you can get stronger as you age,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not all about the accolades for MacColl, who claims that lifting weights consistently for two years helped her to reverse osteopenia \u2013 bone density loss considered a precursor to osteoporosis. \u2018The doctor will say \u2018well, it\u2019s the ageing process\u2019, but we have to fight that all the time, and you can overcome many things,\u2019 MacColl says in the interview. \u2018We just can\u2019t let it get the better of us.\u2019<\/p>\n

MacColl considers nutrition to be key for helping her hit her performance and health goals. \u2018My diet is basically Mediterranean<\/a>,\u2019 she says in a separate interview with podcast host Max Helmer. \u2018Because I\u2019m on the coast in North Carolina, I get a lot of fresh fish<\/a>. I have fish maybe three, four times a week.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Protein<\/a> is an important focus for MacColl. The nutrient aids in muscle repair and recovery, essential for both progressing in your training and slowing down age-related muscle loss. \u2018I try to have my plate that\u2019s half protein, half vegetables,\u2019 she says.<\/p>\n

MacColl hopes to inspire other women to begin resistance training \u2013 regardless of their age. \u2018In my generation of women, we weren\u2019t encouraged to lift weights,\u2019 she tells evry.day club. \u2018There\u2019s the old stereotype that you don\u2019t want to get too bulky, because it\u2019s not feminine. Or it\u2019s all downhill after 50 \u2013 it\u2019s not. Weightlifting<\/a> makes me stronger, makes me more independent as I age. Muscles are the organ of longevity, keeps you younger.\u2019<\/p>\n

MacColl lives by the motto never too old, never too late. \u2018I want people to know you can get stronger as you age,\u2019 she says.
<\/p>\n

Losing fat while building muscle is the goal for many fitness fans \u2013 and while it isn\u2019t easy, it<\/strong> is<\/strong> possible, says FIIT personal trainer and coach<\/strong> Laura Hoggins<\/a>. In this four-week plan \u2013 created exclusively for<\/strong> Women\u2019s Health<\/strong> COLLECTIVE members \u2013 you\u2019ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to improve body composition in 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ready to build and burn? Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to the<\/strong> WH<\/strong> app, find the plan and start training today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Abbi Henderson is Acting Nutrition writer who covers health, fitness, women\u2019s sport and lifestyle for Women’s Health and Men’s Health. Before settling in a British seaside town, she spent a couple of years living in Canada, where she contributed to publications such as Best Health, Foodism and Canadian Living, and discovered she is, in fact, a little outdoorsy. With a desire to help make healthcare, exercise and sport more accessible to women, she writes about everything from the realities of seeking medical support as a woman to those of being a female athlete fighting for equality. She has a personal trainer qualification, a couple of medals from her short time in competitive Irish dancing, and an Arsenal Women season ticket. When she\u2019s not in front of a screen working, she enjoys weightlifting, going for walks and stopping for little treats (matchas and pastries), and trying new recipes (that are almost always pasta-based).\u00a0<\/p>\n