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Roshni lifting over 100kg deadlift
The Grandmother Who Became a World Record Deadlifter — And Why Her Story Matters
Beginners Health and Fitness | Motivational

by | Nov 19, 2025

If you ever catch yourself thinking you're “too old,” “too unfit,” or “too far behind” to start training… I want you to hear this story.

I recently came across an incredible video shared by fitness creator @bdccarpenter on TikTok (source originally filmed by BBC News), and honestly… it stopped me in my tracks.

The video shows an elderly Indian woman — dressed not in gym leggings or sports gear, but in a salwar suit — calmly stepping up to a loaded trap bar. Not lightweight. Not symbolic. Not “just for show.”

We’re talking heavy plates — the kind most people in their 20s and 30s struggle to pull.

And she lifts it (over 100kg’s on that bar. I recon those plates are 10kg each and the bar is 30kg). Powerfully. Smoothly. She is truly someone who has rewritten every rule society ever tried to place on her.

Not only is this feat of strength impressive enough at 70 year olds, but she has trained hard for this after recovering from a fall which injured her spine after she was diagnosed with arthritis.

Take a look at her story here:

 

 

“Too old?” She started lifting at 68.

The woman in the video is Roshni Devi Sangwan — now widely recognised thanks to BBC News reporting — and she didn’t grow up an athlete. She wasn’t a powerlifter in her youth. She didn’t spend decades in the gym.

She began strength training in her late 60’s.

Let that sink in.

Most people reach 60 and feel like the fitness ship has sailed. By 70, many feel like their physical story is already written.

She decided to write a new chapter.

 

 

From lifting just 5kg’s…to over 100kg’s

Within a few years of picking up her first weight, starting out with lifting just 5kg’s, this remarkable grandmother wasn’t just “training” anymore…She was lifting weights at near world record achievements for her age category! To give you an idea of how impressive this is, the current world record holder is Toni Wolfe from Australia, who set an all-time world record deadlift of 145kg in the 70-74 age group female category (and Toni began her weight lifting journey when she was 30 years old).

When Ben Carpenter highlighted her story on his TikTok channel, he was absolutely spot on when he said…

“This is a way more powerful role model than most people realise.”

Because she’s not just lifting weights.

She’s lifting every limiting belief that people carry about age, fitness, and what’s possible.

 

 

What this teaches us about strength — the real kind

Here’s the part I want you to take away:

You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need to be young.
You don’t need the “perfect body.”
You don’t need to have started years ago.

You just need to start.

Strength doesn’t care about your birth date. Muscle responds to effort, not excuses. And resilience is something you build — one rep at a time — whether you’re 18, 38, or 68.

As a personal trainer working with amazing people here in St Albans every day, I can tell you this with absolute confidence:

Your body will always give you more than you think it can — if you give it the chance.

 

 

Why her story is so important for anyone training today

We often convince ourselves that fitness is linear — that if we didn’t start young, we’ve missed the opportunity. But stories like this prove the opposite. Fitness is not a timeline. It’s a choice.

This grandmother didn’t discover her strength. She built it. Slowly. Consistently. With courage that most people half her age never tap into.

And that’s exactly why this video is so powerful. It’s a reminder that:

  • Age is not a limitation — mindset is.
  • Strength can be built at any point in life.
  • Your best physical years might actually be ahead of you.

If she can break world records at an age when many people give up on their bodies… imagine what you can do with just 2–3 hours a week of structured training.

 

 

Final Thought: Let her be the reminder you needed today

Whenever you’re tempted to think you’ve “left it too late” or that you’re “too unfit to start,” think of her stepping up to that trap bar — calm, composed, focused — and lifting a weight that defies every expectation.

If she can do it, you can absolutely start.

As the old saying goes – 80% of success is just showing up.

And if you ever need guidance, structure, or someone in your corner…
That’s what StAPT is here for.

 

 

Sources & Credits

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