She’s one of the strongest septuagenarians around.
On July 25, 2023, powerlifter Mary Duffy shared an Instagram video of herself finishing off a two-minute wall sit. The 56-kilogram athlete wrote that the she had 97.5 kilograms (215 pounds) worth of weight plates on her lap while sitting against the wall in the clip. Based on the tenor of Duffy’s post and her recent tidbits on social media, this wall sit appeared to be her way of ringing in a recent 74th birthday. For any strength sports athlete, this would be quite the individual fitness showcase, regardless of the time.
Given that the video captures Duffy in the final seconds of her two-minute sit, it doesn’t seem like the athlete struggled much performing her weighted wall sit. If anything, it seemed to be an excellent demonstration of the balance, core, and leg strength Duffy has cultivated during her consistent training. For the athlete to do it after 74 revolutions around the sun could be seen as even more impressive.
This wall sit is not the first time Duffy has made headlines for her gym proficiency as a septuagenarian.
In late July 2022, Duffy finished a trap bar deadlift with 113.4 kilograms (250 pounds) loaded on the bar and an additional 50 pounds of chains adorned to the sides. The weight was 2.4 times Duffy’s usual powerlifting competition body weight of around 56 kilograms. Roughly a year later, in late May 2023, Duffy built on that deadlift when she pulled 140.6 kilograms (310 pounds) raw with chains while utilizing a traditional barbell from a conventional stance. That massive feat was nearly triple her usual competitive weight class.
Now Duffy can add a demonstration of core and leg power to her ever-growing catalog of achievements in the gym.
As for Duffy’s resume with a sanctioned competitive context, the now Amateur Masters 70-74 athlete has lost just once in her eight-year string of contests. As a five-time International Powerlifting Association (IPA) Connecticut State Powerlifting champion (2015-2017, 2019, 2022), such a record is nothing to sneeze at for an athlete who began lifting in her mid-60s.
Duffy has already established herself as a tornado of strength. It’s likely only a matter of time before she pulls off another notable gym milestone that will be evergreen regardless of age.
Featured image: @mduff2404 on Instagram
