'China's Strongest Grandma': 63-Year-Old Shanghai Retiree Finds New Life Through Powerlifting

In a gym packed with young lifters, 63-year-old Wang Huiping grips a barbell loaded with more than 100 kilograms and pulls it smoothly off the ground.

Videos of the Shanghai retiree squatting, bench pressing and deadlifting alongside athletes decades younger have turned her into an online sensation, earning her the nickname "China's strongest grandma."

Three years after taking up powerlifting, Wang now ranks 31st in the world in the women's 60-64 age group, 56-kilogram raw division.

Yet when Shanghai Daily met her on a Tuesday afternoon, she was wearing an apron and had just finished lunch at home. Far from embracing the online hype, Wang seemed amused by the title.

"I'm definitely not the strongest," she said with a laugh. "I just train to stay healthy."

A plate of braised pork in brown sauce, cooked by Wang herself, sat on the dining table. Nearby were dumbbells, lifting belts and yoga mats. The woman known online for deadlifting 135 kilograms effortlessly switched between discussing training routines and sharing cooking tips.

Fitness equipment is scattered throughout her apartment, but so are signs of her many other hobbies. An oven in the kitchen is dedicated to baking, while outside, grapes, kumquats, cucumbers and tomatoes grow neatly in a small garden she tends herself. She also enjoys knitting, traveling and caring for flowers and vegetables.

"After retirement, you may have more free time, but you can't let yourself become idle," Wang said.

Her days begin before sunrise. Around 5 am, she wakes up and follows workout videos on Douyin for an hour before breakfast. Then come the household chores, cooking and gardening. In the afternoon, after some rest, she heads to the gym for strength training three times a week.

For Wang, staying busy is nothing new. She recalled that in her younger years, life was far more physically demanding than any gym routine. Besides working, she raised children, cared for more than 20 pigs, farmed the land and handled endless household chores.

"Compared with those days, training for one or two hours now is really nothing," she said.

Just a few years ago, however, Wang had never exercised seriously. She did not join line dancing groups like many retirees and rarely participated in sports. By early 2023, her weight had climbed to 70 kilograms, and she developed health problems including high triglycerides and fatty liver disease.

The turning point came from a small home gym in the family attic.

Her son, one of the founders of the CEP fitness team, had loved sports since college. He bought a gym membership with his first paycheck and later installed basic lifting equipment at home. Watching him train sparked Wang's curiosity.

"These things didn't look that difficult," she recalled thinking. "Maybe I could try too."

She started with 40 kilograms – a 20-kilogram barbell with 10 kilograms added on each side. Years of farm work had given her natural strength, even though she had never touched a barbell before.

Her son soon became her coach. He planned her meals, supervised her workouts and constantly encouraged her to improve.

"I treat it like homework," Wang said. "I don't slack off, but I also don't push recklessly."

The results came steadily. Over three years, Wang dropped from 70 kilograms to 52 kilograms. Her body fat percentage fell to 18 percent – exceptionally low for someone her age. Her fatty liver disappeared, and her triglyceride levels returned to normal.

Her first competition came in November 2023, though she almost did not go. Her son persuaded her by framing it as a trip rather than a contest.

"He told me, 'Just think of it as traveling,'" Wang said with a smile.

Standing on the competition platform for the first time, she realized she was capable of far more than she had imagined. By January 2026, she had entered the world rankings for her age group. In April, at a competition in Yangzhou, she updated her personal best deadlift to 135 kilograms.

Despite the growing online attention and increasing invitations to competitions, Wang remains calm about achievement.

"If I can lift it, I lift it. If I can't, I stop," she said. "You should never compare yourself to others or blindly chase heavier weights. That's how injuries happen."

To her, powerlifting is not about proving strength but about improving quality of life.

At the gym, Wang has become something of a celebrity. Young lifters often stop to watch her training sessions in amazement. Some quietly film her as she squats 75 kilograms, bench presses 30 kilograms and deadlifts 105 kilograms during practice.

Her husband stands nearby loading weight plates and recording videos. When she fails an attempt, he encourages her to try again. Inspired by her passion, he has also started strength training.

"We help each other load the weights," Wang said. "My husband is actually very strict with my training."

Their son, meanwhile, can deadlift 240 kilograms. Fitness has become the family's shared language.

Most of Wang's workout partners are now much younger than she is.

"We train together and chat together," she said. "Being around young people makes me feel younger too."

Although Wang has built an impressively muscular physique and regained her health, she says longevity itself is not her goal. What matters most is living well.

Days after the interview, Wang traveled to Shandong Province for another powerlifting competition. But winning was not the thing she looked forward to most. She was more excited about climbing Mount Tai.

Later, videos posted on her Douyin account showed that her competition results were less than ideal. Still, the upbeat retiree remained cheerful.

"At least I managed to lose weight down to 52 kilograms – a number I've never seen in my life!" she joked.