Among the greatest Masters powerlifters in the world, Shelly Stettner founded the belief that no one is ever too old to become the best in what they want. Now, she is once again continuing to prove her statements, having just landed new squat and bench press Personal Records (PRs) at the age of 72-years-old. In addition, Shelly shared both of her new achievements on Instagram.
The first PR that Shelly Stettner locked out was the squat of 265 pounds (120.2 kilograms). She did so by putting on a pair of knee sleeves and a lifting belt, dropping under the barbell, and easily squatting 265 pounds (120.2 kilograms).
Shelly Stettner then scored another personal record on the bench press. After a few warm-up sets, Shelly ramped up to a 155-pound (70.3-kilogram) bench, the heaviest she has ever lifted. Although it did not look as easy as her squat PR, the bench press still looked quite comfortable for Shelly.
Watch the lifts here:
Shelly Stettner is currently preparing for the 2023 Powerlifting America (AMP) Masters Raw Nationals, which is set to take place on June 2-3, in Phoenix. Shelly won the AMP Nationals last year as well, and is now coming back to defend her title.
Apart from her National title, Shelly Stettner has also claimed other titles which lifted her to the status of the sport’s greatest athlete. Most notably, Shelly won the 63-kilogram weight class of the 2022 IPF World Masters Classic & Equipped Powerlifting Championships. In addition, Shelly also set four new masters IPF World Records at the Masters’ Championships.
So, Shelly Stettner hopes to defend both her National and World titles this year, but judging by her new PRs, she also has the potential to break some more World Records.
Overall, Shelly Stettner has taken part in nine sanctioned powerlifting competitions and won eight of them. Still, the most impressive factor is that she began competing at 68-years-old, and is now better than ever before.
Shelly Stettner’s Competition PRs
- Squat: 115 kilograms (253.5 pounds) — (2022 AMP Nationals)
- Bench Press: 68 kilograms (149.9 pounds) — (2022 IPF World Masters Classic & Equipped Powerlifting Championships)
- Deadlift: 147.5 kilograms (314.1 pounds) — (2021 USAPL Virginia Pro)
- Total: 325.5-kilogram (717.6-pound) — (2022 IPF World Masters Classic & Equipped Powerlifting Championships)
Related: Rudy Kadlub Lands 524-lb Raw Deadlift Two-Rep PR On His 74th Birthday
Shelly Stettner’s Competition History
Personal Bests
| Equip | Squat | Bench | Deadlift | Total | Dots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 253.5 | 149.9 | 253.5 | 717.6 | 361.06 |
Competition Results
| Place | Fed | Date | Competition | Division | Total | Dots | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | IPF | 2022-10-08 | World Masters Classic & Equipped Powerlifting Championships | Masters 4 | 717.6 | 361.06 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | AMP | 2022-06-18 | Nationals | FR-M4 | 688.9 | 344.97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | USAPL | 2022-03-04 | Arnold Masters of Iron Pro | FR-M4 | 696.7 | 349.6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | USAPL | 2021-12-04 | Virginia Pro | FR-M4a | 711 | 357.13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | USAPL | 2021-06-14 | Raw Masters Nationals | FR-M4 | 701.1 | 349.35 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | USAPL | 2020-08-01 | Motor City Summer Showdown | FR-M3b | 666.9 | 332.56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2 | USAPL | 2020-08-01 | Motor City Summer Showdown | FR-O | 666.9 | 332.56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | USAPL | 2019-10-12 | Michigan Rookie Rumble | FR-M3b | 628.3 | 313.96 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 | USAPL | 2019-10-12 | Michigan Rookie Rumble | FR-O | 628.3 | 313.96 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Data Source: Open Powerlifting. Last Updated: April 12, 2023
Shelly Stettner has encountered some difficulties during her preparation for the 2023 AMP Nationals. She has had to work around problems with injuries and new rulesets for some time now. However, none of these setbacks were enough to stop Shelly, who now set new PRs in the bench press and the squat.