The Weight of the World

Posted July 1, 2008, 11:36 am in Weightlifting by Growing Bolder


She's just 6 months away from retirement age, but when we asked Iris Davis if she's slowing down, her answer was, "no way!" It's the type of reaction you might expect from a woman who's been pushing her body past physical limits for 40 years.

Davis is a bodybuilder, and she's so good that she trains men and women more than half her age. She's 64 years old, but Davis says she's ageless. So does Nintendo. The company honors 100 seniors every year, and this year, Davis is one of them. She can leg press 940 pounds -- not something even the beefiest beefcakes at your local gym can do -- and she's actually lifting the same amount now as she did when she was in her 30s. Davis says she's stronger in her 60s, both physically and mentally.

"It's like breathing to me. It's my life, it's my hobby, it keeps me going. It's my existence," Davis tells Growing Bolder. At 5'1" and 110 pounds, Davis says she maintains her frame by eating a sensible diet and drinking lots of water. But that can't be her only secret, because if that's all it took, we'd all look like Iris!

In fact, Davis has faced a very bumpy road on her trip through training. In her mid-40s, doctors diagnosed her with a virus that attacks the brain. She was left paralyzed for five months, and after a bout of encephalitis while living in London, Iris thought she might end up in a wheelchair. But thanks to her mental toughness, and her dedication to fitness, today Davis is back in the gym and looking better than ever.

And as for that retirement? Davis loves her job, and says she doesn't plan to go anywhere. And she may be coming out of retirement when it comes to physical fitness competitions. She walked away in 2005, saying she was done. But just three years later, Davis says she has learned to never say never. "I've got to get up there and prove I've still got it!"

To hear Iris Davis on the Growing Bolder Radio Show, click here.

To send Iris Davis a note, click here for her Growing Bolder profile.

To see Iris Davis in action, click play on the videos below.













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