Anne Marie Chaker: 50-yr-old bodybuilder

Anne Marie Chaker: 50-yr-old bodybuilder

From AGING with STRENGTH® by Paul von Zielbauer

June 22, 2025 · 18 min

About this episode

Anne Marie Chaker shares her journey from journalist to bodybuilder, overcoming personal challenges along the way.

Not many professional bodybuilders start in their late forties. Fewer do it after overcoming a drinking problem. Almost none started out as a newspaper journalist — trust me on that one. Anne Marie Chaker is that rara avis who overcame a large amount of personal adversity to inadvertently reinvent herself, a story is captured in her just-published book, “ Lift .” In this 18-minute conversation, Chaker reveals the road she traveled to become not only physically strong but also a more powerful person, and the many different ways in which her muscle-building lifestyle helped turned her life around. Time-stamped highlights: 0:51 — “I remember being in the car, craving a drink,” and how a chance meeting with another hockey mom motivated Chaker to stop ignoring nutrition and start working out in a gym. 02:15 — How Chaker’s 2020 first-person essay in The Wall Street Journal, titled, “ I never thought I’d write this: I’m a female bodybuilder ,” launched the idea for “Lift.” 03:15 — “I just didn’t feel like I needed the booze anymore.” And, “I performed at my best when I was well fed, when I was strong.” 05:02 — Going from “meh” to “Girl, you look good !” 05:29 — “Aging Beastfully”: What…

People in this episode

Host: Paul von Zielbauer

Guest: Anne Marie Chaker

Topics covered

  • bodybuilding
  • personal transformation
  • nutrition
  • aging
  • overcoming adversity

Keywords

  • bodybuilding
  • nutrition
  • personal growth
  • female bodybuilder
  • aging

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Wall Street Journal

Books & works: Lift

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