Powerlifter proves it's never too late to start

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Ryan DeCamp
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  She is a 38-year-old mother of two who stands less than five and a half feet tall. She works out four to five times a week at the Luke Air Force Base Fitness Center and works at Lowe's in receiving lifting palettes and heavy equipment.

Her co-workers agree, 'Yep, that's Lucy." Now the rest of Luke knows too.

Lucy Keith won as the strongest woman overall in the Oct. 24 powerlifting competition on base. Her mark of 225 pounds in the dead lift is also a base record for females. She is tied for the second and third highest amounts in the dead lift as well. Her lifts of 165 and 155 pounds in the squat stand at second and third place for the base.

"My husband Derrick and I went to a national competition in Arizona and saw women who were older than me lifting more weight than I could," she said. "The competition had everyone from teenagers to people in their nineties, so it's for everybody. My husband saw the powerlifting signs posted at the Luke gym and said let's go check it out."

Her effort at her first competition in the Spring of 2008 resulted in her taking first place. She also won the May powerlifting event at the base as well.

"If it wasn't for my husband I wouldn't be doing this; he's my motivation," she said.

Derrick Keith, a retired sailor, competes in state competitions.

"He has a state record in his age group and that's something I'd like to do too," she said. "I think it's attainable."

Lucy Keith is working to return to the amounts she lifted before the birth of her second daughter six years ago.

"Before I found out I was pregnant, I was doing more than I am now," Lucy Keith said. "I had to stop and give it a couple of years for my kids, then I started working out just to drop the baby weight."

Keith said her motivation shifted from working out to lose baby weight to entering powerlifting events when she found out about the competitions at Luke.

She's now preparing for the next Luke competition which is Jan. 23. When asked what exercise she will focus on next, Lucy Keith said she wanted to keep that a surprise.

She has advice for others thinking of entering powerlifting events.

"The only advice I can give is, no matter what age you are, you can achieve whatever you want. I had to start from scratch when my daughter was born. I just gave myself goals and started working toward achieving them."

Lucy Keith, like her husband, is a former sailor and says fitness is important to her family.

"When I workout my older daughter who is 15 works out with me and my younger daughter has an orange belt in Taekwondo," she said. "Derrick and I use powerlifting to encourage fitness with our children. Staying fit in mind, body and soul is a family thing, It's always been like that."