This 75-year old grandmother may be Australia’s oldest bodybuilder but she’s a keen competitor and one who says she has no plans to slow down. Ms Janice Lorraine is a grandmother from Granville, Sydney.
She took up bodybuilding at the age of 55 and already has a stunning 23 titles to her name including Ms Universe, Ms World, and Ms Olympia, even if she started bodybuilding at a late age. She will take to the stage again in 2019 to compete in another natural bodybuilding competition and will likely be the eldest in her category.
Her main goal is smashing perceptions of ageing. She is indeed an amazing woman!
No matter how old you are, choosing the best workout accessories is a must when working out. Janice Lorraine has proven that age doesn’t matter when it comes to being fit!
Janice Lorraine: The Bodybuilding Grandmother
Lorraine’s defining moment came when she had watched an older woman struggling to walk without assistance. She doesn’t want to end up ‘like her’ and that has become her motivation.
‘My aim is to show what’s possible and to motivate and encourage women of any age, to live the life they want to live and not be bound by traditional stereotypes and roles and the expectations of others,’ the former psychologist told The Daily Telegraph.
Ms Janice Lorraine said she first turned to bodybuilding 20 years ago as a way to stave off frailty that comes with retirement. Recently, she shared her training regime, her ‘nude food’ approach to diet and why she thinks it’s important to be a role model to all women.
She remembers “marching into the male-dominated weights room” in order to start Weight Resistance Training (WRT) after her Epiphany. ‘I had heard that WRT was good for bone density and that it had been shown to be effective in preventing osteoporosis and so, in January 1998 I began WRT and decided that I would become a natural bodybuilder,’ she told The Daily Telegraph.
She explained she worked hard for 15 months at first before she competed in a competition in Sydney in 1999. Like any athlete, Janice Lorraine’s diet forms the core of her routine; a strict diet and workout regime that ensures she’s in top form.
Her main focus is health and fitness. Whether she’s preparing for a competition or not, her diet still remains.
‘Natural Nude Food’
She calls her diet ‘natural nude food’. A food without condiments or sauces.
Her food composed mostly of unprocessed food, salads, and a small serving of microwaved sweet potato. Protein is a combination of either grilled chicken, grilled fish and eye fillet steak.
One biscuit and a single square of 90 percent sugar-free chocolate each day is basically her treats limitation. She takes her evening meal with a glass of wine, though takeaway meals are strictly a no-no.
You would have thought running in the park is one of her exercise routines. Nope, she trained six days a week with Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays dedicated to major muscle groups.
While doing an 8km walk as well as 30 full push-ups, 30 triceps push-ups and 30 back legs raise and two minutes of ab work are her exercise routines on alternate days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). She may be old for this kind of competition but that doesn’t stop her to break the traditional views of age and ageing.
‘My aim is not to rival those younger than me. My aim is to show what’s possible and to motivate and encourage women of any age,’ she said.
“Amazing” Relationship with Her Partner of 27 Years
Ms Janice Lorraine has an “amazing” relationship with her partner of 27 years, who is 24 years younger than her. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia previously, Ms Lorraine said she is determined to ‘make a statement’ and to do as much as she can to change perceptions of ageing.
‘When I compete in competitions in Australia and abroad, people say that they’re amazed to see a woman over 50 wearing a bikini. I don’t know when I’ll stop bodybuilding,’ she said. I’ll keep going until I no longer want to. I’m out to make a statement. I’m trying to change people’s perception of what a 70-something-year-old should be. I think my bodybuilding is a great message to put out there.’