Winnipeg senior sets provincial weight lifting record
81-year-old Ron Brunner may not look like a typical weight lifter, but the Winnipeg senior is one of the most powerful in Manitoba.
On Saturday, Brunner set a new provincial bench press record in his age and weight category as part of "The One Powerlifting Classic" event held at Glenlawn Collegiate.
He was competing against people 70 years and older and managed to lift 71.5 lb, or 32.4 kg.
Brunner said he only started lifting weights seriously around a year ago.
"I started with small weights, working all the way up," he said. "Deadlift I started with 40 lb (18 kg). And I'm up to 120 lb (54 kg) now!"
Brunner lives in a retirement home and works out about four days a week. He said when he began his weight lifting journey, residents laughed at him and told him not to pursue his dreams.
Supporters cheer on Ron Brunner during "The One Powerlifting Classic" event held at Glenlawn Collegiate on March 16, 2024
"You're going to kill yourself, you're going to injure yourself," Brunner recalled, but he said he didn't listen to the naysayers.
"I said,' No. Why don't you come and join me?'"
Brunner added that he never felt as if his age would stand in the way of his training. His coach Kyla Camire agreed.
Camire said while Brunner is her oldest client, he isn't the only senior she has guided.
"People think as they get older they need to stop moving, which is the complete opposite of what they need to do," she said. "To maintain their bone density, you want to stay as mobile as possible."
Other competitors said they were motivated when they saw Brunner competing.
"I'm an older lifter, but I'm not that old," said Ryan Menard. "It's so inspiring seeing people who are a generation older than me that are still at it!"
Brunner said he plans to keep at it for the foreseeable future.
"My goal is to be in good shape," he said. And if he continues to lift weights, Brunner joked, "Maybe I'll live another hundred years!"
Ron Brunner , 81, competes at "The One Powerlifting Classic" event held at Glenlawn Collegiate on March 16, 2024. (Jon Hendricks/CTV News Winnipeg)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.