Meet the 62-year-old vegan powerlifter who is breaking world records

Read Time:   |  16th October 2017


Vegan Food & Living may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only ever share brands that we love and trust.

ADVERTISEMENT

A 62-year-old, vegan, record-breaking powerlifter from Arizona is defying expectations and breaking world records… 

Photo: Sedona Red Rock News

Rocky Luedeker of Oak Creek started lifting competitively four years ago, after wanting to follow in her family’s footsteps.

“I was sitting there and was like, ‘Why am I sitting here? I have arms and legs. I can do that, too,'” she told AZ Family.

Luedeker has 13 world records and 26 state and national records.

“My best curl is 45 pounds, my best squat is 124 pounds, my best deadlift is 184. It feels good knowing you got that weight up, putting it back down, seeing the white lights knowing you got it,” Luedeker said.

This 62-year-old vegan powerlifter in Arizona is breaking world records

Plant-based diet 

Rocky achieves her fitness goals by following a plant-based diet. When it comes to food, she’s a big fan of bean and rice and eats lettuce every day.

“A common myth is we don’t have enough protein, and we have more than enough protein,” she said.

Inspiration

However, Leudeker knows that reaching your goals takes more than just protein to become a high-performance athlete. It takes the right attitude: “If I don’t get it this time, I will practice harder and get it next time,” Rocky said.

Rocky has passed her positive attitude down to her daughter, Bianca Luedeker.

This 62-year-old vegan powerlifter in Arizona is breaking world records

“Definitely, lifting has greatly increased my confidence,” Bianca said.

Bianca is a vegetarian and is currently in training for the 2024 Olympics. She said she is proud to be part of the “Lifting Luedekers,” and proud of her powerlifting mum.

“Her deadlift is twice her weight,” Bianca said. “Her weight is 90 pounds. She’s deadlifting 182, and I think about how long it took me to get to that point. It was really hard.”

Rocky hopes that she can inspire other women to get active and reach their fitness goals, saying: “I’m doing it! If I’m doing it, they can do it! It’d be nice to see more ladies my age doing things. I’d really like to see that.”

Rocky will be competing in Las Vegas in November, and is hoping to break the bench press record.

Photos: AZ Family.

Written by

Vegan Food & Living

Vegan Food & Living is a magazine dedicated to celebrating the vegan lifestyle. Every issue is packed with 75 tasty recipes, plus informative features.

We use cookies to give you a better experience on veganfoodandliving.com. By continuing to use our site, you are agreeing to the use of cookies as set in our Cookie Policy.

OK, got it