LARAMIE — Suzanne Luhr didn’t set out to be a competitive weightlifter.
The 68-year-old Laramie resident had always been active, but strength training wasn’t part of her routine — that is, until a bike accident in 2011 changed her life.
“I worked on campus and I live south of campus, so I was heading home at lunch,” Luhr told Cowboy State Daily. “I was distracted. I was in a hurry. I stopped, looked both ways, and a woman in a big SUV stopped for me. I checked both directions twice, thought I was good, took off, and a truck came on the other side of the big SUV.”
The crash sent Luhr flying, with severe injuries. A rod replaced a broken femur, and her pelvis was fractured in three places, but months of physical therapy helped her to walk again.
However, a few years ago, those old injuries started to impact her quality of life.
“I was having trouble climbing while hiking and even climbing up stairs with my left leg,” she said. “So, in a quiet panic — I was picturing myself handicapped by age 70 — I went back to physical therapy, and that's where I was introduced to the deadlift.”
Lifting For Life
Luhr said she started building back muscle while working with High Country Physical Therapy in Laramie. It’s also where she began building strength in her legs again.
“My left leg had lost most of its strength, and I was just compensating with my right leg and didn't realize it,” she said.
But it was a free class at Altitude Fitness in Laramie in 2024 that started her on the road to competitive lifting.
“This class here in Laramie, offered to seniors for free, brought me into the gym once and for all,” she said. “Once I started learning the equipment, learning how to use it, and learning my body, things went great from there. I cannot not show up to class now.”
For the next year and a half, Luhr learned more about strength training and continued to build her body. A coach and fellow gym-goer suggested that she step it up a notch and try powerlifting.
“My coach said, ‘If you ever want to train, I'll train you, because you're freakishly strong for your stature,’” she said.
Powerlifting Champion
After a few months, Luhr decided to take the coach up on his offer to train her, which is when she decided to enter her first competition.
“I did a meet in Evanston, across the state, in the spring,” said Luhr. “And then the Senior Games came along, and I decided to do that.”
Because there aren’t very many Wyoming seniors competing in power lifting, Luhr’s first foray into competitions made her a champion at the 2025 Senior Olympics in Cheyenne.
“Seven signed up, four showed up,” said Luhr. “And being small, I'm in a weight category all my own, so I didn't have much competition there.”
Despite the small number of participants, Luhr said the actual experience of competing is empowering.
“It's been fun watching my body drop in pounds, which I needed to lose a few, and just gaining strength,” she said. “The meets are fun, because the energy's going, the adrenaline's going, and you feel like you can lift 1000 pounds, even though I haven't tried.”
Luhr said that compared to other age and weight classes, her numbers might not seem very impressive. In the meets that she’s competed in, 205 pounds is her upper limit for deadlift, 145 for squats, and because of her shoulder problems, she can lift 80 pounds in bench press.
But she said her satisfaction comes from more than the competitions.
“Everything's better,” said Luhr. “I feel stronger than ever, even back when I was young and fit. Adding in a little good nutrition has helped me. I'm a vegetarian, so I have to add more protein in.”
Fitness Lifestyle
Luhr’s story caught the attention of the AARP’s “Senior Planet” program, which highlights older adults who embrace fitness and movement. She was one of five seniors from across the country selected to represent the program, as examples of how age does not need to be a barrier to wellbeing.
“One of the gals in our gym came to me with the link to the application for this, and said, ‘You should apply for this,’” said Luhr. “I only had two days to apply, so I wrote up a story and sent it in. Now I'll be writing some blogs, and teaching classes, and it is going to be a whole new experience for me.”
Luhr keeps up her training by hitting the weights at least four days a week and staying active in other ways.
“Our class is Tuesdays and Fridays, and I go to the gym usually Thursdays and Sundays at the local rec center,” she said. “And I try to walk when I can. I walk around town to appointments or meetings, because Laramie’s small. Occasionally I swim, but I haven't been sticking with that like I'd like to.”
Luhr said it helps that her husband is active, as well. A lifelong athlete, she said Wes is a serious weightlifter himself, as well as a competitive racer.
“He's out on a 20-to-25-mile bike ride right now, training for RAGBRAI in Iowa (an annual bicycle race across the state of Iowa), which he did last year,” said Luhr. “So he's serious about this. I'm just small potatoes compared to him.”
Prescription For Health
From her perspective, strength training has been a huge benefit to Luhr’s life and health. And while she acknowledges that competitive weightlifting isn’t for everyone, she has advice to every person facing age-related physical issues: just get out and move.
“Just do something — move your body, stretch your muscles,” she said. “Learn how to stretch correctly. Find someone that knows what they're doing in the gym, start these exercises slowly and add small weights, and just go for it. That's the key.
“Keep your body moving.”
Wendy Corr can be reached at wendy@cowboystatedaily.com.
