By Nolan Baker
When Blaine resident Jennifer Deshaies took up weightlifting, the former English teacher was simply looking for a way to feel strong and find a consistent regiment at the gym.
A few years later, her husband, Grant Dalgliesh, joined her.
Cut to nine years after that first weightlifting session, Deshaies has set multiple Washington state records in the PowerLifting United Federation. On May 17, Deshaies set a national record for the 50- to 54-year-old age group at the 2026 Powerlifting United National Championships.
Dalgliesh is also preparing to compete for a chance at qualifying for the national competition in June.
Both are in their 50s, and both are extolling the benefits of weight training and how it has transformed their health and confidence.
“It’s addictive enough that it pulls you back in,” Dalgliesh said. “You get twitchy, almost like you want to get under a bar.”
Dalgliesh was quick to show off his health data on his smart phone, which tracks his “metabolic age,” a measure that compares your metabolism to the average person of your age. Dalgliesh started weight lifting at 45, and today at age 50, his metabolic age is 45.
“I’m aging backwards,” Dalgliesh said with a smile.
When Deshaies looks back at her near-decade-long weightlifting journey, she gives credit to trainer Meghann Myers of Lynden, who trains out of Club Barbell in Ferndale. She says Myers kept her on track and thinking positive.
Like most people starting out with a new workout plan, Deshaies said she dreaded going to the gym at first. What helped her stay consistent was working out with a group of like-minded women who all wanted to feel strong.
“I knew they were counting on me,” Deshaies said.
Deshaies was an athlete her whole life, but said she finally found her sport with weightlifting.
“My whole life, I did sports, I did athletic things, I’ve done a triathlon and all kinds of things, but I was never really consistent,” Deshaies said. “This is the first time in my life that I feel like an athlete.”
Now competing in national and state level events, Deshaies said that most of her focus is on not being in her own head before she steps up to the mat.
“I would say 90 percent of it is mental,” Deshaies said of competition weightlifting. “If you think you can or you think you can’t, that’s what’s going to happen.”
Deshaies said having a good trainer who can allow you to get out of your own head is extremely helpful.
Both Deshaies and Dalgliesh said that anyone can start weight training, and that the benefits can be even more pronounced for older people. The Mayo Clinic reports that introducing a weight training regiment roughly three times a week can help prevent osteoporosis, manage weight, help with balance, and even support brain function.
Starting small and finding a good trainer who can ensure correct lifting form is key, as preventing injury is the best way to stay consistent, both said.
And you don’t have to go setting state and national records to see improvements — but it does take time and consistency.
“You have to do the work,” Dalgliesh said.
One aspect that both seem to love about weightlifting is the “lack” of competition. Meaning, not only are they normally not competing with a ton of other people in their age brackets, but the sport is inherently about trying to beat yourself, improve on your best lift, and beat your previous record.
“You can’t compare yourself to others,” Deshaies said. “But it’s silly to do that in life anyway, right? And that’s a lesson best learned young, perhaps.”
