Her mantra is ‘Determined, Dedicated, Disciplined To Be Fit.’
And at 77-years-old, Ernestine Shepherd is living true to those words FOR SURE!
The official Guinness World Record holder for oldest female bodybuilder, Ernestine is a site to be seen! Her body is incredible and she’s trained incredibly hard to get it!
But as impressive as her physique may be, her personal story is far more moving than her muscles.
Ernestine’s path toward becoming a bodybuilder started with her sister Velvet over twenty years ago. The two decided they needed to get involved with some sort of exercise program. Velvet had dreams of breaking the record as the oldest bodybuilder but they ended when she died of a brain aneurysm in 1992.
After her sister’s death, Ernestine stopped working out and was soon right back to the bad health she found herself in before she started training. She explained:
“After my sister died, I ended up with high blood pressure, panic attacks, high cholesterol, you name it, I had it.”
She never thought she would lift again, but Ernestine says her sister came to her one night in a dream and motivated to get back in the gym!
And she did just that.
She trained. She competed in her first bodybuilding competition. And she won!
But the biggest accolade of all came when Guinness called Ernestine to inform her she had broken the record as the world’s oldest professional bodybuilder! Her sister’s dream finally came true!
Now, Ernestine is still training – waking up at 2:30 am, eating egg whites and running 10 miles with her 83-year-old husband!
She’s working at a local gym as a personal trainer where she teaches other super seniors about the importance of healthy living!
Talk to some of those in her class and there’s no doubt, Ernestine is exactly where she belongs on this Earth!
Such an inspiration!
Watch the full video profile on this remarkable woman below!
You go, Ernestine!