A woman has revealed how she ‘reversed’ her parents’ signs of ageing by teaching them to lift weights – and people think their progress is AI.
Clare Johnston had been growing more and more concerned as she watched her parents decline with age.
Her mum, Rhoda, 83, was relying on a walking stick to get around and her dad, Michael, 81, had lost pace and confidence after surgery.
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Determined to bring some zest back into their lives, she decided to start a project.
Now, the pair weight train two times a week with Clare, 53, who is guided by a specialist online strength coach.
And their remarkable progress has become such a hit, with one clip racking up 4.6m views and over 302,000 likes, that people believe their progress is AI.
“I don’t think people can believe that someone in their 80s can reverse frailty or tackle heavier weights,” the healthy ageing journalist, who boasts a combined 235,000 followers, from Edinburgh, told What’s The Jam.
“I’ve watched them transform in a way I once thought was impossible.
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“My mum has radically improved her mobility, balance and safety.
“And she’s also helped her bone density.
“While she still has some way to go before completely ditching the walking stick, she’s regained so much function.
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“She’s able to walk much further and faster now unaided.”
Clare began the project, Rebuilding Mum and Dad, in January 2025.
Before they started, Rhoda was unable to hold herself upright and had been diagnosed with osteoporosis.
As the years went on, she couldn’t walk far without any support.
She said: “I remember her saying it felt like the elastic in her back had gone.
“It left her walking hunched, breathless and in pain.”
A scan revealed Clare’s mum had lost 80% of the muscle in her back.
Rhoda said: “I was horrified.
“I was so frail-looking.
“I couldn’t stand up and shower.
“I was bent all the time.
“Cleaning the house was very difficult and I just lived on painkillers.
“I just saw my future going downhill – getting worse and worse.
“And I was told that it would be very difficult at my age, whatever exercises I did, to improve my condition.
“I wasn’t given much hope at all.”
Michael had just undergone hernia surgery, which knocked his confidence.
He said: “It unnerved me because it was a physical decline that the surgeon identified as most likely the cause of it.
“Along with the fact you’re living when a lot of people your own age are doing very poorly – if they’re still here.
“So it’s not always far from the mind.
“One thing that niggled me a bit was that I was walking awfully slowly.”
He had previously used a rowing machine, though found it “tedious” with limited results.
And despite remaining active, the pair were in search of a solution.
With Clare’s help, they began strength training in the garage of her home.
They follow a programme that works all the major muscle groups using four compound movements; the squat, deadlift, overhead press and bench press.
Before, their heaviest deadlifts were 30kg for Michael and 12kg for Rhoda.
Now, he’s able to lift 94kg and she can do 45.5kg.
In the clip, Clare shares their results one year on.
The pair are shown before, struggling to get around and then it cuts to show them lifting weights – at the start of the journey vs now.
Their frailty has been “reversed”, with Michael able to run upstairs and tackle big DIY, as well as gardening, projects.
And Rhoda is now able to walk unaided for at least six minutes.
She captioned it: “What a difference a year makes.
“My parents didn’t slow down.
“They rebuilt strength, confidence and independence – in their 80s.
“Muscle doesn’t have an age limit and strength changes everything.”
Users have flocked to the comments to share their reactions.
“A 93kg deadlift at that age is insanely good,” Maxi said.
Someone else added: “This is so inspiring. I’m 82 and started strength training twice weekly after a hip fracture. I know I’m going in the right direction.”
“Cool that gramp can deadlift more than me. What an inspiration,” Flora commented. [sic]
Adam said: “Nice, but it looks like AI I hope it is not.”
“This is so amazing to see!! Proof that it’s never too late to get stronger,” somebody else commented. [sic]
She added: “Muscle is truly the fountain of youth.
“Very few people of their generation, even mine, think about building muscle later in life as a way of supporting health, independence and mobility.
“The difference in them has been nothing short of miraculous.”
Rhoda added: “I feel much more robust.
“I feel much stronger and I’m very pleased with my walking, not because it’s more upright, but because it’s much faster and without pain.
“I can shower, wash my hair – standing up – and I very rarely take a pill now for my back.
“It’s that feeling of getting better rather than declining
“I don’t think about ageing anymore.”
