Powerlifting grandma is setting records and beating women half her age

Kelly Schlobohm had been a distance runner for 30 years. Now she's a powerlifting grandma, one of the strongest women in the world who out-lifts women half her age.

Schlobohm, 51, is the national record holder in the Masters 2 age group (50-54) in the 148-pound weight class for single-ply equipment. She ranks fourth in the world among all powerlifting federations. And she ranks 28th in the U.S. and 180th in the world among women of all ages.

"It surprises me that I'm very competitive with 20-year-olds. That's not too shabby for a grandmother of two."

KELLY SCHLOBOHM

"It surprises me that I'm very competitive with 20-year-olds. That's not too shabby for a grandmother of two," Schlobohm said.

The Bunnell resident has been powerlifting for just three years. Before that she was a distance runner. She had been running for 30 years. When her husband Joe Schlobohm began training her in 2019, she weighed 115 pounds. Now, she weighs between 145 and 150. And she's all muscle.

"I went from being a gazelle with long muscles to what I look like now with short muscles. It was quite a transformation," she said.

Joe was a competitive powerlifter before having to give up competition for health reasons. He weighed as much as 327 pounds. He has trimmed down to 250. He and Kelly were looking for an activity they could do together. First, they tried boxing, but that didn't work out.

"We were getting our (butts) beat," he said. "So I said, 'I know powerlifting. Let's try that. She literally started with (just) the bar."

They crowded their garage with equipment. Then, during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, Just Train Fitness of Palm Coast loaned them some equipment. Suddenly, their garage wasn't big enough, so they opened a private gym they call, "The Freak Show," on North State Street in Bunnell. Kelly and Joe, and some of the Schlobohms' friends, train there.

"It's more of a social club," she said.

All of the equipment is designed for powerlifting. Joe has re-engineered several pieces of equipment to focus on the sport's three lifts — bench press, deadlift and squat.

Kelly Schlobohm competed in an American Powerlifting Federation meet over the Memorial Day weekend at the Perfect Storm Hardcore Gym in Holly Hill. It was an equipped meet for single-ply and multi-ply powerlifters. Single-ply means lifters wear a suit with one layer of thick material.

"It compresses, so you can lift without fear of your joints going out," Joe said.

At the meet, Kelly squatted 423.5 pounds, benched 242 pounds and dead-lifted 440 pounds for a total of 1,105 pounds. She competed against women of all ages and placed third.

"Only a small percentage of people in the world can lift three- and four-times their bodyweight."

JOE SCHLOBOHM

"Only a small percentage of people in the world can lift three- and four-times their bodyweight," Joe said.

Her DOTS score of 536.47 moved her up from fifth to fourth in the world. Her goal is to be No. 1. DOTS is a relative rating comparing strength performance and bodyweight.

The APF did not have records in Kelly's age and weight class, so she set the standard. She did break a couple of Open Division records (all ages), and she is now on the cusp of breaking the world deadlift record in her age and weight class of 446.5 pounds.

Schlobohm, who graduated from Flagler Palm Coast High School in 1988, played softball and ran track in high school. She comes from a sports-minded family. Her grandfather, George Clark, was a NASCAR driver who raced on the beach. Her father, Eddie, was a racing official and a huge baseball fan, she said.

She said she will continue competing until she can't do it anymore.

"At this age I wonder, Why didn't I do this before? I'm so good at this."