Granny, get your guns: Local grandma-to-be bodybuilder takes TikTok by storm
Katherine Mansfield
Before hitting the weights, 65-year-old bodybuilder Marlene Flowers stretches. Flowers began working out at age 58 and entered her first bodybuilding competition last year.
Katherine Mansfield
Marlene Flowers was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but manages her condition through diet and exercise. The 65-year-old bodybuilder said lifting isn鈥檛 for everyone, but there is a form of exercise for everyone.
Marlene Flowers spends about two hours a day in the gym, stretching before completing a lifting circuit with her son, Ryan Hickey. Flowers began bodybuilding at age 65 and encourages others to exercise on TikTok, @65_strong.
Katherine Mansfield
Marlene Flowers posts short videos of her workouts and words of encouragement 鈥 鈥淚鈥檓 65 and killing it. You can too!鈥 鈥 on TikTok under @65_strong, where she鈥檚 amassed more than 83,000 followers and her content regularly receives thousands of views. Flowers entered her first bodybuilding competition last year.
Courtesy Ryan Hickey
She didn鈥檛 take home first place, but Marlene Flowers, of Washington, returned home from her first bodybuilding competition last fall with some hardware. Flowers began working out nearly seven years ago and entered her first bodybuilding competition at age 65.
Courtesy of Ryan Hickey
TikTok鈥檚 favorite Granny Guns puts in the work at Planet Fitness, where she spends hours each day gaining strength, muscle and confidence. Flowers entered her first bodybuilding competition last year at age 65.
Courtesy of Ryan Hickey
She takes lifting seriously, but Flowers also has a lot of fun working out. The 65-year-old bodybuilder鈥檚 spunk and dedication to fitness has made her TikTok famous: Granny Guns, @65_strong, has more than 83,000 followers, and some videos have been viewed millions of times.
Marlene Flowers wasn鈥檛 looking for attention. She was just trying to get in shape.
Almost overnight, the 65-year-old grandmother-to-be from Washington is TikTok famous, with more than 120,000 followers who affectionately call her 鈥淕ranny Guns.鈥
Flowers鈥 videos 鈥 workout montages set to trending tunes and quick motivational speeches 鈥 are liked and shared across various platforms. A recent TikTok video encouraging followers to get to the gym was viewed more than 12 million times.
鈥(My son) just told me this morning that 鈥 one of the TikTok responses was, 鈥楳y mother and my grandmother are going to the gym now. They鈥檙e starting to work out because of you.鈥 And I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h. wow. That鈥檚 really great,'鈥 said Flowers, before a workout at Planet Fitness on a recent Saturday. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad 鈥 I can do that for people and get them going and do things that it took me 65 years to get to. If you start younger, you鈥檒l live longer. You鈥檒l be happier. And that 鈥 this world needs happiness.鈥
These days, Flowers鈥 happy place is the purple and yellow gym near her home. Her fitness journey is inspiring 鈥 who takes up bodybuilding at age 65? 鈥 but it鈥檚 her journey from working mom to Granny Guns that is, perhaps, even more incredible.
Flowers started working out seven years ago, for health reasons. As a kid, she was active. The oldest of seven, Flowers studied hard and competed harder.
鈥淚 was a diver, I was on the swim team. I loved gymnastics,鈥 said Flowers, who graduated from Chartiers Valley High School in 1975. 鈥淚 was top of the class in my school, a straight-A student. My parents never gave me positive feedback. It was expected.鈥
The pressure mounted. Flowers developed an eating disorder, compounded by self-image issues. The 58-year-old autobody shop owner鈥檚 wake-up call came when she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and found herself in the hospital for issues stemming from a lifetime of disordered eating.
鈥淭hat was kind of like, well, OK, I have to stop,鈥 said Flowers. 鈥淭he doctors told me if I don鈥檛 stop doing what I was doing, that I was going to have more serious problems.鈥
When she returned home, Flowers became more conscious of what she was eating. One evening her younger son, Ryan Hickey, showed his mom an online workout video. The woman in the video was about Flowers鈥 age, and in great shape.
鈥(Ryan) said, 鈥楽ee, you can do this!鈥 And that got me started,鈥 Flowers said.
Flowers worked out for a few years before Hickey invited his mother to the gym.
鈥淚 was like, yeah, I don鈥檛 want to go to the gym. I don鈥檛 want to exercise in front of all those people,鈥 Flowers scoffed. 鈥淭here鈥檚 that self-conscious thing again.鈥
Now, she says, 鈥測ou can鈥檛 keep me away.鈥
Flowers鈥 casual lifting routine is a healthy habit, and she entered her first bodybuilding competition last year. She won a trophy in every category for her age group but didn鈥檛 bring home first place. Flowers is looking forward to applying what she learned last year at a Pittsburgh bodybuilding competition this fall.
She made international news last month when she announced her run for Ms. Muscle and Fitness 2022. Support from family, friends and the greater Pittsburgh community propelled Flowers to the top five in her age group, and when voting for the Muscle and Fitness HERS magazine cover competition closed June 2, Granny Guns finished third in her group.
Flowers was disappointed. But true to character, she took the loss 鈥 which wasn鈥檛 really a loss at all, if you consider her story spread beyond North America 鈥 on the chin.
鈥淓ven though I didn鈥檛 win Miss Muscle and Fitness 2022 I won so much more through the experience and through positively impacting the lives of so many people,鈥 Flowers wrote on Facebook June 3. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to continue to push forward and try new things.鈥
New things include modeling fitness apparel, a dream she鈥檚 actively working toward. Hickey is working to connect his mother with national talk show hosts 鈥 Flowers would love to share her story with the nation.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 made to sit around and do nothing,鈥 Flowers said. 鈥(Working out) makes you feel better, and people should feel better.鈥
Already she has appeared on local news and TV stations. She also landed a guest appearance on Grade A Nation podcast (the episode aired last month) and is already booked on another podcast later this summer.
Recently, a gym member approached Flowers during her workout. He had seen her on the local CW, and told her the interview was wonderful.
鈥淭hat is so uplifting, that people saw me and they know who I am. Compliments, it just keeps me going. It鈥檚 not so much the recognition as it keeps me motivated,鈥 Flowers said. 鈥淚t gives me more energy. This is something I never had 鈥 I鈥檓 influencing people.鈥
She鈥檒l continue influencing people to be their best, and continue bodybuilding, for as long as her body allows.
鈥(A podcaster) asked me, are you going to get to a point where you鈥檙e going to have to quit? I鈥檓 like, well, of course I am, I鈥檓 not going to live forever, but that鈥檚 not now,鈥 said Flowers. 鈥淚鈥檓 nowhere near ready to quit. I鈥檓 just getting started.鈥