Ernestine Shepherd: The Bodybuilder Who Started Training at 56

Ernestine Shepherd

Ernestine Shepherd is the Baltimore woman who took up exercise in her mid-fifties and, by her seventies, was named by Guinness World Records as the oldest competitive female bodybuilder. Born in June 1936, she did not start training until about age 56. Her late start, her strict routine and her cheerful insistence that it is never too late have made her one of the most shared fitness stories on the internet.

This piece looks at who she is, how she started, what her daily routine has involved, and what her story does and does not tell the rest of us about staying strong as we age.

The viral meme that made her famous

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Many people first met Shepherd through a meme that put two women side by side. On the left she flexes in a gym; on the right an unnamed older woman sits by a window. The caption claims both are 74 and that the difference is a choice.

The image works as motivation, but it is worth reading with some care. Health in later life depends on genetics, illness, disability, income and luck as well as effort, and the woman on the right is a stranger whose circumstances we know nothing about. The fairer lesson from Shepherd's life is narrower and still powerful: regular strength and cardio training can bring big gains even when you start late.

A late start, and a promise to her sister

Ernestine Shepherd

Shepherd's turning point came in her fifties. According to her biography, she and her older sister, Mildred Blackwell, were trying on swimsuits and did not like what they saw. The two began aerobics classes together and then moved into bodybuilding, competing under the nicknames Velvet and Ernie.

In the early 1990s her sister died of a brain aneurysm. Shepherd has described a period afterwards when she lost interest in looking after herself, and she has said in interviews that health warnings, including high blood pressure, pushed her back to the gym. She kept training partly to honour the plan the two sisters had made together.

She tells her own story in the video below.

From first workout to a Guinness title

Ernestine Shepherd

Within a few years of starting, Shepherd was competing. Guinness World Records recognised her as the oldest competitive female bodybuilder in 2010 and again in 2011. In 2012 that particular record passed to Edith Connor, who was 77 at the time, so it is more accurate to say Shepherd held the title than that she still holds it.

Ernestine Shepherd

Older stories often add that she won two bodybuilding titles. The names of those contests are not well documented, so treat that detail as her own account rather than a confirmed record. What is not in doubt is the physique she built in her seventies, visible in the back and shoulder definition in the clip above.

Ernestine Shepherd

She has also written about her approach in a 2016 book, Determined, Dedicated, Disciplined to Be Fit, and made a brief appearance in Beyoncé's film Black Is King.

Ernestine Shepherd

Competition photos like this one, taken in a posing suit, show the muscle definition judges look for. Shepherd was in her seventies when she competed.

Her daily routine and diet

Ernestine Shepherd

Shepherd's schedule became part of her legend. In interviews over the years she has described waking at around 3 a.m., starting with stretching, then heading out to run before a session of weight training. Her biography puts her running at roughly 80 miles (about 130 km) a week, a volume many younger athletes would find hard.

Her diet was just as disciplined. Reports describe about 1,700 calories a day built around boiled egg whites, chicken, vegetables, a liquid egg drink and plenty of water. That level of control suited a competing bodybuilder with a coach; it is not a plan to copy without guidance.

The coach behind the comeback

Ernestine Shepherd

For years Shepherd trained with Yohnnie Shambourger, a former Mr. Universe. He helped her turn determination into a structured programme of lifting, cardio and nutrition, and the pair often appeared together in photos and interviews.

Her motto, repeated in almost every profile, is to keep going: be determined, dedicated and disciplined, and do not give up.

What her story means for the rest of us

You do not need to run 80 miles a week to benefit from Shepherd's example. Research on ageing consistently shows that muscle and bone strength decline with age but respond to training at any age, and that strength work helps balance, independence and everyday tasks such as climbing stairs or carrying shopping.

• Start where you are. Shepherd began with group aerobics, not heavy weights. Short walks and simple bodyweight exercises count.
• Train with someone. Her sister and later her coach kept her accountable. A friend, class or trainer can do the same.
• Build gradually. Increase time, distance or weight a little at a time, and allow for rest days.
• Get checked first. If you have high blood pressure, heart problems, joint pain or another health condition, talk to a doctor before starting a new exercise programme.

Shepherd reached her nineties still training, according to her biography, though no longer competing. Her story is less about one record than about the years of steady effort behind it.

Sources: Wikipedia: Ernestine Shepherd; her official site, ernestineshepherd.net. Photos courtesy of Ernestine Shepherd; meme image via Facebook. Story first shared by True Activist.

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