This Windsor powerlifter picked up the hobby in her 60s. Now, she holds world records

In her early 60s, semi-retired Windsor lawyer Jeanine Watt joined a gym — thinking she needed to work out a bit more than her thumb on a TV remote in retirement. 

Now, at 69, Watt has claimed three world records for her age category as a bench press specialist, and will aim to add more hardware to her collection this month when she heads to the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. 

She spoke with Windsor Morning's Amy Dodge about learning to weightlift and the strength it gives her. 

I can't believe that you're over 60. What do you think the Jeanine Watt from 10 years ago would think of everything that you've achieved?

Well, it's been a ride. I do things that other people just, try not to do, or don't do, or think it's too hard to do. And I treat it as a challenge.

So have you been like that your whole life?

Kind of, yeah. I do strange things. I also worked as a stand up comic. I was a hypnotist. I have a lot of unusual things in my past.

Of the weird things, as you call them, in your past that you've done, how does it compare to weightlifting? 

They're all different. They're all challenging. I just choose to do bench pressing because that's my favourite lift and I'm actually better at it than most women are.

But I'm actually going to the Arnold in a different strength discipline, which is called arm lifting, and arm lifting is a grip competition.

You're trying to pick up very heavy things, but with weird implements. So one of the things that I'll be picking up is a three by four Saxon bar — if you thought of a two by four piece of wood square, that's what it basically is.

Then they stick weights on the end of it and you're trying to pick it up with your hands in a very awkward position. So it measures grip strength. 

How do you train for something like this?

I do a lot of grip exercises with the hand crushers. My trainer actually has a Saxon bar ... and we practice that. There's an overhand grip, which is a two inch grip around a deadlift bar so that you can't close your hand around it.