77-year-old cancer survivor makes powerlifting to restore health

When he was diagnosed with an inoperable ovarian tumor two years ago, Dr. Jan Hammill, an Australian septuagenarian, was determined to overcome obstacles and defend himself.

Since then, she went to health thanks to the world of powerlifting.

It started as a new idea suggested by his friend and training partner, Dr. Paul White, to improve his mobility and quality of life.

But since then, Hammill has gone from someone who could barely lift a broom or bend his knees to that of breaking the world record of the single lift (72.5 kg) for a woman in his category. weight and age.

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As one of the three so-called "aunts" natives, the retired nurse was transforming the university trains twice a week at Brisbane's Fortitude Barbell weight room, under the watchful gaze coach Jonny B Bad and followed a strict diet.

"I am a ketone diet and drink four bottles of water a day," Hammill said.

"I've cut all the sugars and eaten very little bread except the day I get up because it's at that time that you need a carbohydrate intake.

"I eat mostly vegetarian-type protein, and even though I have bacon and eggs, I have so much that I tend to get enough of it."

Hammill makes 20 "pull-downs" with weights of 30 kg, followed by 10 pumps and a few bench presses.

She was never a fan of gym and was not interested in hardcore diets before her diagnosis.

"I had a very large, slowly growing ovarian cancer that had invaded most of my lower abdomen," said Hammill.

"Even though I had surgery to remove most of it, some is still present in the blood vessels, but they could not do anything about it.

"It responds to tamoxifen, the bad cancer drug, and even though the biomarker, CA125, remains under 30, I'm fine, we know it's not active."

Paul White, a training partner, said that much research has shown that exercise is one of the keys to helping people survive cancer.

"Resistance training [lifting weights] seems to be the best exercise, "said White.

"It's easy to do with seniors and vulnerable people. Getting them accepted is something they are all used to.

"We started training Jan and two or three older Aboriginal ladies twice a week and gradually increasing their mobility and getting them moving.

White said his training partner was "irrepressible", even sneaking up to train alone.

"Jan drives us until we throw her out," he joked.

"One of our biggest problems is keeping it from lifting things that it should not.

"She slips pounds off the bar and thinks no one noticed it, and then gets it back.

"She's just going to continue lifting heavier weights – I do not know where she's going to stop."

Jonny Nelson, owner of the gym, said his training goals for Jan were very simple.

"I wanted her to be able to move better," Nelson said.

"At first, it was just his cell, teaching him functional movements to improve his daily lifestyle."

When she arrived for the first time, said the owner, his last recruit was struggling to sit on a bench and was rather weak.

"The first goals are simple: we teach you to squat, move around the gym and use your own weight, as well as use some dumbbells and light machines. Jan is rather stubborn and wants to be good in things, "he chuckled.

"Over time, we introduced the movements of powerlifting. At the end of her first year of training, there was a show of hands.

"I am very pleased with her progress and training and I knew it would be safe for her to lift to death.

"We taught her to lift the objects thoroughly, and we took her nice, light and conservative – and she raised about 70 kilograms, setting an Australian record (for) her age and age category. weight.

"She has come a long way."