There's life after retirement for 'China's strongest grandma'

In a gym packed with young lifters, 63-year-old Wang Huiping grips a barbell loaded with more than 100 kilograms and pulls it smoothly off the ground.

- Zhu Ying

Videos of the Shanghai retiree squatting, bench-pressing and dead-lifting alongside athletes decades younger have turned her into an online sensation, earning her the nickname "China's strongest grandma."

Three years after taking up powerlifting, Wang now ranks 31st in the world in the women's 60-64 age group, 56kg raw division.

Yet when Shanghai Daily met her on a Tuesday afternoon, she was wearing an apron and had just finished lunch at home.

Far from embracing the online hype, Wang seemed amused by the title.

"I'm definitely not the strongest," she said with a laugh. "I just train to stay healthy."

A plate of braised pork in brown sauce, cooked by Wang herself, sat on the dining table. Nearby were dumbbells, lifting belts and yoga mats. The woman known online for dead-lifting 135kg effortlessly switched between discussing training routines and sharing cooking tips.

Fitness equipment is scattered throughout her apartment, but so are signs of her many other hobbies. An oven in the kitchen is dedicated to baking, while outside, grapes, kumquats, cucumbers and tomatoes grow neatly in a small garden she tends herself. She also enjoys knitting, traveling and caring for flowers and vegetables.

"After retirement, you may have more free time, but you can't let yourself become idle," Wang said.

Her days begin before sunrise. Around 5am, she wakes up and follows workout videos on Douyin for an hour before breakfast. Then come the household chores, cooking and gardening. In the afternoon, after some rest, she heads to the gym for strength training three times a week.