Culture
70-Year-Old Grandma Goes Viral Overcoming Arthritis By Lifting Heavy Weights
70-year-old Roshni Devi Sangwan from India is going viral after overcoming arthritis through weightlifting.
Once limited by painful knees, she now lifts weights heavier than many young gym-goers. Her transformation from pain to strength has inspired thousands, proving arthritis doesn’t always mean slowing down.
Her journey began at 68, when Sangwan was diagnosed with arthritis in her knees, making walking and even standing unbearable.
Encouraged by her son, she stepped into a gym for the first time. “I was skeptical at first because I’d never heard of anyone joining the gym at my age,” Sangwan said.
Her son, Ajay Sangwan, was in his forties running an export business when his love for fitness pushed him to become a certified trainer in 2019.
By 2023, he quit business entirely to train his mother full-time. “Mum was miserable after her arthritis diagnosis, and I felt helpless,” he said.
In 2024, Roshni took part in a deadlift competition organized by a local gym and won the gold medal.
She has also been invited to compete in the World Championships for Strongman, hosted by the World Strength Games in the US next May, and is now training for the event.
For Roshni, the real victory is living pain-free. She can walk without fear, sit cross-legged, and move with ease.
“Now I have so much energy. My joints don’t hurt, my posture is better, and I feel more confident. Even heavy chores no longer leave me tired,” she said.
