Oprah Winfrey celebrated her 72nd birthday with a strength–training session — and she says Adele is the one who first put deadlifts on her radar.
Winfrey shared a video on Instagram on Jan. 29 showing herself deadlifting a barbell as her trainer coached her through the set.
“I didn’t know what a deadlift was. I remember Adele told me she was deadlifting and I didn’t — I pretended to know what she was talking about,” Winfrey said after the workout, before cutting to a clip from her 2021 interview with the “Hello” singer. In that interview, Adele said she had been deadlifting up to 170 lbs.
“I love it,” Adele said, adding that at her peak she felt “I could have been in the Olympics.”
In the new video, Winfrey completed five reps with steady breathing and strong form. When she finished, she celebrated with a quick, satisfied “Got it!”
In her caption, Winfrey reflected on how her approach to fitness has evolved. “Life at 72 is looking different than every other decade,” she wrote, noting that after two summers and two new knees, she decided to add strength training to her routine. She explained the goal was to build and maintain muscle as she gets older.
“I can’t say I’m ready for the Olympics like Adele, but I sure feel stronger 💪🏽,” she added. “So in honor of another trip around the sun for me, go try something new. You never know where it will lead you.”
A deadlift, as CrossFit explains, is a straightforward but demanding lift: you raise a barbell from the floor and stand tall with it held at arm’s length. It’s considered a full-body movement that engages muscles throughout the body.
The post is the latest glimpse into Winfrey’s ongoing wellness journey, which she has continued to share publicly in recent months — including her perspective on using GLP-1 medication as part of weight management.
“Let the people say what they will.”
