At 72, She Hired a Trainer for the First Time — Eight Months Later She Won Two Bodybuilding Medals

Evelyn Foulkner, 72 and retired from healthcare, had exercised consistently since her 20s but began focused competition training in November 2023 — about eight months before stepping on stage. She hired a personal trainer, attended posing classes, and had a custom $400 competition bikini made.

Her prep diet cut out sweets, chips, and alcohol in favor of high-protein, limited-carb meals — chicken with rice and green beans, salmon with sweet potato, steak with asparagus, salads with chicken, Greek yogurt with apple, and homemade protein smoothies — on top of daily weightlifting and 15-20 minutes of cardio several times a week, plus local trail hikes.

At the Supernatural Bodybuilding and Fitness Organization competition near Atlanta in July 2024, Foulkner competed in a sparkly blue bikini and glass high heels — there was no age-specific category — and won two bronze medals, placing third in both the novice and masters divisions.

"I was not intimidated by them because I held my own," she said. The result made her a minor local celebrity, recognized at the post office and grocery store, and she has said, "We have no control over how old we are. But we have control over how we can live our lives." She doesn't plan to compete again but continues training rigorously.