A 63-year-old woman who became a bodybuilder in her seventh decade wants to prove that life doesn’t end for women after 50.
Ilene Block, from Maui, Hawaii, spent most of her life dieting and fashioning to have the perfect body. But in 2020, at the age of 61, she decided to pursue bodybuilding to stay fit.
Ilene, who now trains six times a week, has competed in two figure competitions and is currently preparing for more competitions next year.
The sexagener has won bodybuilding competitions thanks to her toned physique. She said being on the show changed her perspective on what women in their 60s can achieve
When she turned 60, Ilene decided she wouldn’t be dieting in her 60s, which resulted in her gaining up to 30 pounds.
But after stumbling upon stunning before-and-after pictures of Joan MacDonald, a 76-year-old fitness fanatic, on social media, Ilene said she noticed and knew she had no excuse when her 61st birthday hit approached.
Ilene, who now trains six times a week, has competed in double digits and is currently preparing to compete again next year.
Ilene added: “Joan started her fitness journey at 70, so I had no excuse for my 61st birthday to be approaching.
Ilene Block of Maui, Hawaii, gained 30 pounds the year she turned 60 after giving up dieting. But in 2020, at the age of 61, she decided to pursue bodybuilding to stay fit. Pictured before
Ilene, now 63, has lost 40 pounds after starting bodybuilding in 2020 and feels more confident than ever
“So I signed up for a macro-based program in February 2020 and decided it didn’t matter how long it would take as long as it worked.
“In a year I lost 40 pounds and felt great.
“I’ve always wanted to do a bodybuilding show, but because of my trying career as a lawyer and raising my kids, I could never commit to doing it in my 30’s as the preparation is intense.
“So I decided to reach out to a coach who had been helping women in their 50s prepare and asked if he would be willing to coach a woman in her 60s to prepare for a show and from there everything started.
“Since then I have competed in two figure bodybuilding shows and am currently preparing my body for more shows next year.
After turning 60, Ilene, who spent her life trying different fads to stay slim, decided to give up her diet altogether
The 63-year-old, pictured earlier, felt inspired to make a change after coming across the social media accounts of a 73-year-old fitness fanatic
Irene, previously pictured, admitted she always wanted to compete in a bodybuilding show but life took over
“Even now, I can’t believe I made it. As I walked on stage in my bikini, posed and felt confident, I was like, am I really doing this?
‘It is wonderful. A friend of mine told me that women become invisible when they turn 50 and I totally disagree.
“I want to prove that stereotypes are wrong and that women of any age can do whatever they want.
“I started my preparation for my shows in January 2022 with a mini build for my muscles and in June I started cutting.
“I lost 24 pounds in 25 weeks during my preparation for the show and was down to 120 pounds by the time I got on stage.
Ilene began toning her body, left before reaching her bodybuilding goals, and regained the weight she was when she got married decades ago, right
“I could not believe it. When I got married in my early twenties I weighed about 120 pounds and I couldn’t believe I was that weight again.
Ilene decided to enter two tournaments within two weeks and was the oldest competitor in both.
Competing in bodybuilding shows in her 60’s changed Ilene’s view of what is possible for women when they reach a certain age.
She said: “Although I used to play sports, I never pushed myself outside of my comfort zone and was caught in a dead end with what I was doing.
Ilene’s body became more toned and she lost 40 pounds within weeks of starting bodybuilding
Ilene shows off the weight she lost shortly after taking up bodybuilding as a hobby in 2020 at the age of 61
The 63-year-old pictured, whose workout includes weightlifting, said she feels fitter than ever
“Now I train six days a week with a focus on weightlifting. It’s amazing to feel so fit and healthy at this age.
“I am now fitter and healthier than I have ever been in my life. How exciting is that?
“When I first wanted to step onto the stage, I panicked for a moment.
“But I busted my ass to get that position and I wanted to celebrate my moment.
“I also had a lot of posing training because I wanted to feel confident, comfortable and like I belonged on stage.
Ilene, who is now pictured exercising six times a week, said she was amazed that she felt “so fit and healthy” at her age
The 63-year-old said it’s “fascinating” to see how her body is responding to the workout despite being in her 60s and post-menopausal
After competing in bodybuilding in 2022, Ilene wants to spend this year toning her body with the goal of competing in new competitions in 2025
“I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this because I thought it was something that had slipped my mind years ago, but here I was in my 60s and just getting started.
“Even though I’m older and past menopause, it’s fascinating to see how my body is responding to exercise and diet and I can’t wait to see what I can achieve for the next show.
“I’ll be spending this year focusing on building my physique before going back to editing for the shows that will be around my 65th birthday.”
Ilene wants to challenge society’s image of women in their sixties because they can achieve anything they set their minds to.
She said: “It’s never too late and you’re not too old. I want people to know that.
“My outside now corresponds to what I feel inside.
“Women come to me and say they look like me in my before pictures and that I gave them hope, so my mission is to change the perspective of older women and to inspire as many people as possible.
“I have friends who spend their days playing Wordle, cooking and eating and while there’s nothing wrong with that, I’m just starting a new adventure in my life and there is so much more to discover and achieve.
“Life doesn’t stop when you turn 50.
“Whatever society and social media are telling you, find what you want for yourself and focus on achieving it.”