Ernestine Shepherd

Ernestine Shepherd (born June 16, 1936) is an American bodybuilder who is best known for being, at one point, the oldest competitive female bodybuilder in the world, as declared by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2010 and 2011; , she is years old and still an active, albeit no longer competitive, bodybuilder.

Life Shepherd was a model in Baltimore for years, but at age 56 she and her sister Mildred Blackwell went to try on swimsuits and found their bodies were out of shape; they then started taking aerobics classes. Her sister began competing in bodybuilding shows under the name Velvet, and Ernestine followed under the name Ernie.

She appeared briefly in Black Is King by Beyoncé.

Record broken In 2012 at age 77, Edith Connor was declared the oldest competitive female bodybuilder by the Guinness Book of World Records, beating Shepherd’s record.

Diet and exercise Her diet consists of 1,700 calories a day, mostly from boiled eggs, chicken, vegetables, and a liquid eggs drink, and she runs about 80 miles a week. She is trained by former Mr. Universe Yohnnie Shambourger.