Video of a grandmother deadlifting 225 pounds in a gym has become an Internet sensation, and even earned her kudos from the two-time NFL defensive Player of the Year.
Shirley Webb, 78, calls her gym in Wood Lawn, Illinois, her "second home,"
according to ABC News. Several videos posted online this week caught the granny in beast mode, lifting a 225-pound barbell off the ground three times.
"When I first started, if I was on the floor, I couldn't even get up without the help of a chair or someone to help me up," Webb, from East Alton, Illinois, told ABC. "And the stairs? I could barely get up holding onto the railing."
Webb said after a few weeks of training, she was able to get up and down much better and a few months later, took up the much bigger challenge of deadlifting.
Her trainer John Wright
told ESPNW that it took Webb about six months to build up enough strength to get up to the 200-pound range. She originally started with just 40 pounds. Webb, who began going to the gym with her granddaughter, is now working out twice a week.
"She's gotten to the point where everybody greets her and is just absolutely impressed," Wright said. "She inspires everybody that goes to the gym and it's fun to see that."
On Tuesday, Webb's latest feat caught the attention of the Houston Texans' J.J. Watt, the reigning NFL defensive Player of the Year. He tweeted his admiration.
Others joined Watt on Twitter in marveling over Webb's achievements.
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