For more than 30 years, chronic neck pain served as the constant, relentless backdrop to Jo Jones’s life. “I used to wake up every day and immediately know that the pain was still there,” the 62-year-old from Cheshire tells me. For Jones, every day was shaped by discomfort. “Simple things like drying my hair was painful. Anything that involved putting my arms or hands above my head was just impossible – it was almost like my arms were too heavy for me. It affected me a lot.”
Despite years of physiotherapy and steroid injections, nothing had worked for her. “It was a chronic pain – and it was getting worse and worse and I wasn’t able to find a way of overcoming it,” she says. Her condition had become so bad that her neurosurgeon proposed another MRI scan, warning that she may have to undergo surgery. “Nobody wants to get their neck operated on, if they can help it,” she says. Now, less than two years later, Jones’s pain is a thing of the past. “My pain has completely gone – and I can lift more than my own body weight.”
As awareness of the health benefits has grown – particularly in mid-life and beyond – more women are embracing strength training. While Jones had always been active, her fitness was confined to aerobic exercise and yoga. Although she was completely new to lifting weights, she was tempted to try it after reading the emerging literature that suggests it can be particularly beneficial for post-menopausal women. “In the past, I’ve fractured a wrist and both ankles and was in the osteopenic range of bone density,” she says. “But weight training is very good for bone strength.” At this stage, Jones was 61 years old and semi-retired following a career in neurophysiology.
Her interest coincided with the opening of Elysium Personal Fitness Studio near her home. While the new space hadn’t officially opened when Jones reached out, trainer and Elysium co-owner, Steve Chaney, invited her to come to another studio and try some complimentary one-to-one sessions so she could get a feel for the equipment and he could assess her ability. “I immediately explained to him that my neck was really bad and that I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to lift anything,” she said. “But he was great and said it was worth assessing me and that we could work around the pain.” Jones continued to work out with Chaney regularly and, extraordinarily, after about six weeks and decades of discomfort, her pain disappeared. “I telephoned my doctor and said, ‘I don’t need an MRI, because I don’t have neck pain anymore’,” she says. “By building up strength around my neck, shoulders and back, it somehow stabilised everything – and the pain that I’d struggled with for 30 years vanished.”
Once the fitness studio opened, Jones summoned the courage to join a group strength class. “I was a little bit nervous because I was definitely the oldest person there,” she recalls. “Sometimes, if I was doing something a bit outside my comfort zone, I’d say, ‘I’ve got five grandchildren, you know!’ as a bit of an excuse,” she laughs. “But even though everybody was younger than me, they were really friendly and the atmosphere was so encouraging. And because I was the oldest, they’d really encourage me and be like, ‘Come on, Jo!’ Since then, older people have joined and I’m not the oldest one anymore.”
The class Jones attends is called Group PT [personal training]. “It’s an hour-long class that incorporates a warm-up, strength training and a mini-workout that’s a mix of strength and aerobics,” she says. “We have great music playing and the hour flies by.”
Despite the remarkable and swift effect on her pain, Jones’s strength progress happened gradually. “Even if you only progress by a kilogram, it doesn’t matter – it’s still progression, and the trainers start you off very gradually to make sure you’re comfortable,” she says. “But the sense of achievement when you lift something is just great. When I first joined, I was deadlifting about 15 or 20kg, but my personal best now is 60kg. Well, I only weigh 55kg and I’m 5ft 2in, so that’s pretty impressive. The day I lifted that, I could have cried – I was so proud of myself. I was on such a high.” Jones’s friends and families have also been amazed by the transformation. “They absolutely love it,” she says. “I go home and say, ‘Oh, you should have seen what I did today!’ My husband is dead proud of me.”
Jones maintains that having the right trainer who “knows their stuff” is essential. “You need someone that’s watching you all the time, making sure your form is right and who knows your weak points,” she says. “And the reassurance they offer – that they know what they’re talking about – makes all the difference, because you feel confident to try things you might not otherwise.”
In addition to the complete absence of pain, Jones’s life has changed immeasurably as a consequence of her weightlifting journey. “I’m more confident now,” she says. “Now, I’m so proud of the way I look. I strut through the village in my leggings and top – I just don’t give a damn. When I turn around, people might think, ‘God, she’s old enough to be my grandma’, but I feel strong and know my clothes look great on me.”
She continues: “I also think it improves your posture, which is a big thing at my age. And I don’t feel as vulnerable – I feel strong and confident. Nobody wants to be frail and old. I always say it’s better to be the oldest one in the gym than the youngest one in the care home.”
Lifting weights has also made Jones feel more independent. “It’s your shopping bags, your suitcases when you go away. My son lives in London, and I often travel down with a small suitcase. I often get nice gentlemen saying, ‘Would you like some help?’ when I’m navigating the steps, and now I just say, ‘It’s OK, thanks – I do weights at the gym’. It’s the confidence to be able to look at something and think, ‘Yeah, I can lift that, no problem’. It’s so nice to feel you can do things for yourself and you’re not relying on anyone else. And when you’re as small as I am, people don’t expect it, so it can be quite funny.
She adds: “And it’s not just about carrying things – it’s about everyday movement. You need your strength for everything, don’t you? I can play with grandkids and get down on the ground, squat and stand up again easily. I can lift them up. I’m probably fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been in my life.”
Joining Elysium has also opened up Jones’s social life in unexpected ways. “As someone who is retired, it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning – a routine,” she says. “If I don’t speak to anyone else all day, I’ve had an hour in the gym where I usually get told off for talking too much. And I’ve made new friends. I never would have imagined that I’d be friends with people nearly half my age and go out with them, but the social element is really nice.”
As well as changing her view on ageing, Jones is looking towards the future with excitement. “I’m retired and I don’t feel my age at all – I feel like I’m in my mid-forties,” she says. “Unless something catches me you can’t account for, I’m looking forward to the next 20 years, because I feel I’m going to be healthy and strong enough to enjoy them. I just feel better in every way, mentally and physically.”
And her advice for other people in their sixties and beyond considering trying something outside their comfort zone is unambiguous. “It’s never too late to start,” she says. “I think it is important that people realise that there’s a lot of life to be had once you retire. You just have to get out there and try things. Slowing down shouldn’t be an option.”