Genell: Hey there, and welcome back to RenewHer. Today, I have a story I've been wanting to share with you for quite a while. Back in July of 2025, I was reading the Minnesota Star Tribune. Yes, I'm one of those people who still has the newspaper delivered to my house. And I came across an article about a woman named Brenda Dockendorf.
Something about her story stopped me. She was over 50. She had taken on a physical challenge that at first glance seemed completely out of character for her, and she discovered that she was capable of far more than she ever imagined. At the time, I was thinking about starting a podcast, and I remember thinking, "I want this woman on my podcast."
I had no idea where that podcast would lead or eventually whether I'd ever actually get the chance to talk to Brenda, so I did something very old school. I cut the article out of the newspaper and saved it. Fast-forward to recently, when I pulled that newspaper clipping back out.
I found Brenda on Facebook and sent her a message. And because we weren't Facebook friends, I had no idea if she would ever even see it. But thankfully she did, and she responded. We've had one short conversation since then, and now here we are, and I am absolutely thrilled to have her with me.
Brenda Dockendorf is a competitive powerlifter and mother of six and grandmother of 11. She began her powerlifting journey at age 60, and today she holds 10 Minnesota State powerlifting records for her age and weight class. She's also a member of the Minnesota Senior Sports Association Hall of Fame and hopes to inspire women over 50 to conquer fear and embrace new beginnings. But I don't want to tell you Brenda's story.
I want you to hear it from her because I think there's something in her story for all of us who have ever wondered, "What else might be possible for me?" So Brenda, welcome to RenewHer. I am so glad you're here
Brenda: Thank you. I'm happy to be here
Genell: So as I just mentioned, I want you to tell your story rather than me telling it. So let's start there. Take us back maybe to when you first walk into the gym or wherever it needs to start. What was going on in your life at that point, and what led you there?
Brenda: Okay. All my children have grown now. I'm finally at a point where I can do things for myself and not feel guilty about it anymore. I had gotten extremely overweight. I was 340 some pounds, and had to do something about that. And I had the time now to work on that. So, our gym had a 21-day fitness challenge. And I thought, great place to start.
So I met up with the trainer, who I still have today. I love him. His name is Trent Bard. He's from Immortal Fitness. We just got along perfectly. I mean, joking and just having fun all the time. He made it fun.
And on our first workout, he kept saying, "Wow, you're strong." And I never felt I was strong. I was just a mom. At the end of our meeting that day, he just went, "This is gonna be so fun." And I just kept coming back. And well, let's see, about two years in, I started when I was 58, going to the gym. And at age 60, I had been watching a power lifting young woman in her 20s, and I just told my trainer, "I'd like to try that." And he goes, "You can do it. You're strong enough to do this." And we started the next day.
Genell: That's fabulous
Brenda: It took me about, oh, another year to feel confident that I was actually strong enough to do a competition. And in the meantime, I have lost over 100 pounds in that period. So I just felt better in my body.
Genell: Yeah. Yeah.
So was it, would you say, your health that prompted you, or what prompted you, if you will, to kind of go on this, this journey or, or take this challenge?
Brenda: Okay, yes, I had diabetes. I was diagnosed with diabetes and I was put on a pill, metformin. And after a little while, that wasn't enough 'cause I had still gained more weight, and they, they wanted to put me on more. And it was getting more and more expensive. And finally went, "I have to do something."
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: And so my trainer, he's like, "We're gonna get you off this medication." And he wanted me to cook for him if he got me off medication. So that was part of that story you were talking about.
Genell: Yeah
Brenda: Well, he did. I don't take any diabetes medicine anymore. And I cook for him to this day. It's been, four years.
Genell: Oh my gosh. So, well, first of all, congratulations. That's a huge feat, something to be proud of. And so for four years I mean, you're bringing meals every day, or how often is that?
Brenda: Five days a week.
Genell: Oh my gosh.
That's, that's very fun. So what would you say... So you had tried to lose weight before. So what was different this time, and why do you think it stuck? Because you've been doing it now a number of years
Brenda: Right What was different? I think I was just having fun.
Genell: Okay
Brenda: It wasn't like a chore. I was just, I met a lot of people. And everybody was so encouraging. And it, was just fun.
Genell: Okay
Brenda: We talked about eating well. We talked about, you know, great exercises for different parts of your body, and, it was just fun.
Genell: So at what point did you realize like, "God, something is really changing here"? How long into the process would you say?
Brenda: I would say at least a year I really felt like I was gaining confidence. I was
Genell: Okay
Brenda: feeling good about, like, I'd walk into the gym and I'd just go up and talk to people. Well, before I was, like, in the background.
Genell: Uh-huh
Brenda: And then people started noticing that, "Wow, you bench really well. You bench heavy." And you know, they'd just say little things and it, it just made me more confident to just go up and talk to people.
Genell: Okay. 'Cause that's one of the questions I was gonna ask you is if you felt more confident in yourself. So did you start seeing yourself differently at that point as well?
Brenda: I think so. I just, again, more self-confidence. I was just more outgoing now.
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: I would never have done a podcast a couple years back. Never. I was too shy or, but,
Genell: Okay.
Brenda: I've gotten over that pretty well.
Genell: So when you... So in addition to the weightlifting, it sounded like, did he work with you on your nutrition and kinda changing some of your lifestyle habits as well?
Brenda: Yes, absolutely. We worked on getting more protein in, less carbs, but keep it doable.
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: It wasn't like, "Don't eat any carbs. Don't do this. Don't do that.."
Genell: Right
Brenda: It was all like, "What will work for you? What can you commit to?" That type of thing.
Genell: Mm-hmm. That's so important, yeah, to, to do that. Was there a moment, I guess you could say, that maybe you surprised yourself with what you could do? Like, "Wow, I can really, I can really do this. I can really lift the weight"?
Brenda: Yeah. I think my bench press is probably my favorite lift,
Genell: Okay
Brenda: And for my age, I'm good at it.
Genell: Yeah. So can you just maybe, out of curiosity, when you started bench pressing, let's just take that, what did you start at and where are you now?
Brenda: I started at, with just the bar at 45 pounds, now my one rep max was 95, 195.
Genell: 195. That's quite a difference in weight. I just think it's so fabulous. As you mentioned, you lost a significant amount of weight. You went off your diabetes medication. I'm curious, what did your doctor say as he watched all of this happen?
Brenda: Okay. I am still overweight.
Genell: Okay. Yeah, but
Brenda: I'm not where I wanna be yet. But now he asks me what weight I want to weigh. He goes, "What do you want to weigh for your next competition?" Instead of, "You gotta get down to this to be healthy."
Genell: Mm-hmm
Brenda: It's, he knows I exercise six days a week. I do the lifting to keep my bones strong. He's just very accommodating, I guess.
Genell: That, yeah
Brenda: He's not so worried about a number on the scale.
Genell: Right
Brenda: As to what I'm comfortable with and what I feel good competing at.
Genell: So you mentioned that you work out six days a week. What's involved? Like, how long are you working out? What's involved in your training?
Brenda: I do about an hour of power lifting, so it, it, that could be, bench press, deadlift, or squats, bar squats. And then I do about a half hour of cardio, walking, treadmill, biking. Different, yeah, different things.
Genell: Okay
Brenda: that type of stuff.
Genell: So leading into this, when you decided to start going to the gym, taking on the challenge, had you been one previously to be active, like in sports or anything along the way, or was this something very new to you?
Brenda: This was very new. I never did anything more than walk around my block.
Genell: Okay.
Brenda: Before I went to the gym, that's what I started with. I just started walking around the block. The first time I could only make it to the end of our block and back. Then I started walking a little bit more and a little bit more and, and then I felt okay to start this challenge.
Genell: Right. So what... Oh, let's see. I have so many ideas or questions floating through my head. So you were about, you said about two years in when you had decided that, hey, this is something I wanna do, that is as far as more of a competition-based powerlifting, right?
Tell me about your first meet. Like, what was that experience like, I suppose I shouldn't call it a meet. It's more of a competition. But what was that first competition like? You know, your mindset going in, the whole process. Talk a little bit about that.
Brenda: Okay. My first meet was a charity power lifting meet. It was local, in the St. Cloud area. I didn't expect to go in winning anything. I, and I didn't. But I was I just wanted to show what I had learned so far. I wanted, you know I was the oldest lifter there, which I normally am at, at, at these charity competitions.
Genell: Okay.
Brenda: People would come up and go, " Wow, that's amazing that, you know, at this age you just started this, and look at you go" you know, that type of thing. So the first lift I was I thought I would be really nervous. But mostly we had a whole group of people from our gym. They were all young. And they were all very nervous. So I was like the mom trying to keep them all calm, so I didn't have time to be nervous myself. My lifts all went well. I, I didn't take a place or anything. But I was happy with what I did. I made the goals I, I had went there to achieve and, that was fine.
Genell: Yeah, that's great. And it gave you an idea of what it was like, you know, the whole process and what to expect maybe.
Brenda: Right. And everybody in that weightlifting genre, I think they are so... You work for yourself. So if you have beat what you've done before, you've won.
Genell: Right. It's your personal best. Yep.
Brenda: Right. So it's not, they're not like competing against each other. You're competing against yourself to do better than you did before.
Genell: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Brenda: And people are cheering you on every step of the way.
So I love that part about it.
Genell: That's great.
Brenda: Yeah
Genell: So when you started... Okay, so maybe take me through a little bit about the meets or when you finally got to the first competition. And when I say competition,
Brenda: Like a state
Genell: state competition, right
Brenda: That was a little more nerve-wracking for me 'cause I didn't have the whole gym family that usually comes to these things. It was me
Genell: mm-hmm.
Brenda: And my trainer, thank goodness. He knows how to calm me down, so when I would start doubting myself, he would just grab me by the shoulders and like, "You can do this, Brenda. You can do this. We've worked hard. You trained. You know what you're doing." You know, so he's 90% of how I kept going because he's just very calming.
Genell: Right. And just giving that added support.
Brenda: Right. And then I learned how to just get out of my head. I just I didn't look at the audience. I tried not to notice anybody else was there. So when I went up to do my lifts, that's what I concentrated on. I didn't look at anybody, didn't listen to anybody.
Genell: Right.
Brenda: No,
Genell: Just you were very focused
Brenda: I was there to lift. And then my trainer says, "Do you want me to tell you what's on, what's on the bar?" And I went, "No, no, just put it on there and I'll go lift it."
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: So, so he put on more than I normally lift, but I just lifted it. He told me I could, so I did.
That meet was fun. I mean, I had, I had a blast. I ended up taking first in my age group, in my weight class. I got five state titles that first year, so that was a blast.
Genell: Yeah. Exciting.
Brenda: And unexpected. Yeah
Genell: So when you started winning and eventually, like you said, setting these records, what was that like for you? How did that, how did that feel?
Brenda: Foreign. I was not an athletic person ever.
Genell: Uh-huh
Brenda: I mean, this is my first trip to the gym was when I went in for the 21-day challenge. I had never even stepped in a gym before that. So lifting weights was not something I ever did. And winning at anything, like I've tried bowling, I've tried tennis and all the other things.
Never won a game, much less anything else.
Genell: So you found your niche. Yeah.
Brenda: I did.
Genell: So did you ever have a moment where you thought, "How did I get here?"
Brenda: Many,
Genell: Did you? Okay.
Can you talk a little bit about it, about that?
Brenda: I think I have a friend
Genell: Uh-huh
Brenda: who I met through my trainer. Her name is Leanne. And she would be at the gym, and she'd be watching me, and I'd be watching her, and we'd talk about each other to our trainer. And I'd say, "I so admire Leanne. She's such a hard worker. She's so fit. She's, like, happy to be there. She's, you know, she's just muscular and lean." And that's what I wanted to be." She was like, "Brenda's so strong. I mean, it's amazing, and I haven't seen anybody her age like that." And, and so we're talking about each other, and he, I think, got sick of listening to it, so he introduced us and we became immediately fast friends. And she is, like, my biggest cheerleader. And she moved away, and we still keep in contact. We're good friends. And she'll, she will be the first person that'll be, "What time is this podcast gonna be on?"
Genell: This, this, the support when you're doing this is so important. At least I have found that personally. So you had mentioned that there were two people in the gym who really inspired you, encouraged you, and helped give you the confidence to compete. Was she one of them?
Brenda: She was definitely one of
Genell: Okay.
Brenda: Yes.
Genell: And was Trent the other?
Brenda: Trent was the other.
Genell: Okay.
All right.
Brenda: Yes. Leanne would always tell me, when I would be afraid that I wouldn't win, she'd say, "Fail forward, doll. Fail forward." And, she said, "It's the only way we learn anything. If you give up, you, you learn nothing.
Genell: Right
Brenda: If you at least try, you learn something along the way,
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: even if you're not a winner.
Genell: You're a winner though
Brenda: Yes.
Genell: for yourself. Yes. Do you think, was that support instrumental to you in, in continuing and moving forward, or do you feel that without that support you would have kept going?
Brenda: I don't think I would've kept going without it. I think, I think my family thought I was crazy to take up power lifting at this age. And they, you know, of course my husband and kids were worried about me getting hurt, and, "Oh, you're gonna throw your back out." And I'm like, "I'm just as old as I wanna be." I'm not gonna let I know it's inevit- that I age,
Genell: Right.
Brenda: But I'm gonna choose how I'm doing it.
Genell: I love that. I love that. Age is just a number, right?
Brenda: Right
Genell: Yeah. So basically, I think you probably, at least from what I can gather, is you saw something in her that maybe she didn't see, but as well, she saw something in you that you didn't see.
Brenda: Right.
Genell: That, that gave you that encouragement
Brenda: I just couldn't believe,
Genell: Go ahead
Brenda: I couldn't believe that she didn't have the confidence in herself. Like, she'd, she'd, like, tell me how well I was doing, and I'd try to tell her something in return, and she couldn't see it.
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: But I'm like, "Look in the mirror." But yeah, I think the only reason I kept going was those two people.
Genell: Great. And it's so nice too now that it sounds like if she's not nearby, you continue to have that relationship, and hold that to continue to support each other
Brenda: Absolutely.
Genell: So at the risk of being maybe repetitive here, but how important do you think it is, especially as we get older, to surround ourselves with people who see the possibility in us?
Brenda: Oh, it's so important. And you can get comfortable in your family
Genell: Mm-hmm
Brenda: and with your, this, with your immediate group of friends. It's just... I could have still been sitting at home thinking I couldn't do it.
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: But because I met the people that I met at the gym, and I'm not... I mean, those were just two of the many, friendships and, and supporters that I, that I have found at the gym. Everybody was supportive. Everybody was like, "You can do this." Or, "I'm gonna watch you. I'm coming to see you." You know, just knowing that they were behind me was, was wonderful. I guess if I didn't have that, I just would not have gone.
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: If I would've had, like, a trainer with Trent's personality, that could have gone bad real quick.
Genell: Yeah, it could have gone a different direction. Yeah. You were meant to be, work together.
Brenda: Yes
Genell: So during this process, maybe even especially maybe at the beginning, was there ever a point where you wanted to quit or wondered if you could keep doing this? And if so, what kept you moving forward during those moments?
Brenda: To be truthful, I've never had that moment yet.
Genell: Good for you
Brenda: I have not. I loved it from the beginning. From our first competition, I was ready to go to the second and the third and the fourth.
Genell: So just always having something to kind of work toward. Yeah
Brenda: Right. Yep. We've had probably two competitions a year, so I do, like, one charity competition and then the state competition. And that's enough to keep me motivated to being at the gym six days a week and just keep going.
Genell: So okay, what was it like walking into a competition as a woman in your 60s, and obviously you're surrounded by probably a lot of younger women as well. What was that like? Was that a factor for you, or you had, you had kind of worked through that and you knew your capabilities?
Brenda: For the state competitions, it didn't bother me at all because we were grouped by age group.
Genell: Okay
Brenda: That's how we were judged but by the charity competitions, it was just all together. So that was a little bit different. Of course, the young girls, a lot of them could lift heavier than I could the first year. The second year, I, I took first place without,
Genell: Without, regardless of age group?
Brenda: Right. Right.
Genell: Cool.
Brenda: So, as far as age being a factor in the state competitions, that didn't bother me a bit. The worst part for me was having to wear a slinglet.
Genell: Oh
Brenda: You have to wear like a wrestling type slinglets. And, you know, I don't have the legs for this, but, but I did it.
But that was the, the scary thing for me.
Genell: What do you think people assume maybe about women in their 60s that you know isn't true?
Brenda: That they can't do new things. You know, can't take, teach an old dog new tricks. That's not true.
Genell: Right
Brenda: And that people can't gain muscle at this age, because I know many women who started in their 50s and are crazy muscular now.
Genell: And so have you in these competitions, other women in their 60s who are weightlifting as well, have you made connections with them, or is it more that continues outside of the competitions, or is it something that you just come together at that point?
Brenda: Mostly it's just coming together. Now, this will just be my third year coming up in January, so I haven't been there long enough to make... I mean, it's about four or five hours a year, so you don't make a lot of connections. I do have one lady that I do keep in touch with a little bit. And again, nothing but support both ways.
Genell: So earlier you mentioned that you helped calm some of the younger lifters, if you will. You helped calm their nerves and so forth because they looked to you like a mom. So tell me a little bit about becoming the gym mom and how that came about at your gym.
Brenda: I think it mostly came about because I always called Trent kiddo or, you know, oh my boy, you know, when I talk about him, and then pretty soon everybody was like, "Hey, mom." And then somebody would call me Brenda and some- "Oh, you can just call her mom. She's our gym mom." They would come to me when they would needed things like, hey do you have a, you know, safety pin?
Do you have a," you know, "lip gloss?" I don't know, anything. Whatever they thought they needed, I usually had it in my bag 'cause I'm a mom of six. I had everything in my bag. Or if they, "Oh, my blood sugar's low. Do you have a snack? Do you have ..." Like, of course I did, just let me check. But that's how the gym mom thing came about.
Genell: So how, what did that nickname mean to you?
Brenda: I love it. I mean, that's what I've... I've been a mom.
Genell: Mm-hmm.
Brenda: That's what I was born for. My teacher asked me in fifth grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said I wanted to be a mom. That's, that's what I wanted.
Genell: Ah ha.
Brenda: I never wanted more than that. And, you know, now all my kids were grown and didn't need as much, and people were coming at the gym and needing things, and I love that.
Genell: So it probably almost like when you go to work out, is it more, like when you go to the gym, something you really look forward to because you know that maybe you're gonna be around this community and see people? So it's not only the purpose of, like, lifting weights, but that connection that you're making or the community while you're there.
Brenda: Yes, I look forward to going every day. Just, yeah. I have people that come up and just hug me as soon as I get there and it's just sweet. It's, I love it
Genell: That's, that's so great. So along the way, not only did you win awards, but you decided to become a certified trainer as well.
Brenda: I did. I did. I trained at Anytime Fitness for a short time, and then they changed ownership and weren't using in-house trainers anymore. So we left and went to a different gym, and I thought maybe I would try it there. But now I just decided I'm just gonna concentrate on my competitions 'cause I am really working to get a American record in, in bench press.
So that's my goal for the next year or two.
Genell: So is that something that's held yearly? And have you done that competition previously or not?
Brenda: It's just at the, it's at the state competition, so you can get special coaches there when you want to do, try for an American record.
Genell: Okay
Brenda: You just have to let them know ahead of time, and then they'll have special refs there.
Genell: Oh, okay. So that, you know, that's nice, so you don't have to travel somewhere for that purpose. Okay.
Brenda: I could, I just don't choose to.
Genell: Okay. You've already done something you never imagined you would do. So what are you imagining now? Okay, so you're working towards this American title. So are you looking to do that next year, in a couple years, or what does that look like for you?
Brenda: I hope to do it in January.
Genell: Oh, this January.
Brenda: This coming January,
Genell: Okay. So,
Brenda: I'm working
Genell: and it's...
Brenda: at it. I'm close.
Genell: Good. So are you, do you primarily do the bench press or do you do other events as well?
Brenda: I do the three. It's usually the deadlift, the squat, and the bench press.
Genell: Okay. So now have you won awards in the others as well, 'cause you mentioned that bench press is maybe your strongest
Brenda: Right. Yes, I've won... Like, I have the state record in all of those.
Genell: Oh
Brenda: So, and, in the other local competitions, they don't separate those. They add everything together, and then you win as a combined effort.
Genell: I'm curious, what do you think may have happened if you had never walked into that gym?
Brenda: You know, I see a lot of people my age that got really old. I mean, it's, it's sad to say. I think I would've been that person. I would've, you know, decided that I was working towards the end of my life, instead of looking towards new beginnings.
Genell: So when you walked into the gym for the first time, is that what you thought or did that progress as you were there and you found that in you? That hey, age, as we said, age is just a number. I wanna live my life and this is what I wanna do
Brenda: Right. I think that grew as time grew at the gym. Again, with the encouragement of all the mostly young kids around me.
Genell: Mmm, hmm
Brenda: I just kept going. I mean, my first, my reason for starting with the power lifting was watching a 24-year-old woman and I'm like, "Wow." Uh, you know, it just amazed me. And, and that's what made me wanna start.
Genell: Yeah.
Brenda: I was just like, "I wanna try."
Genell: You were inspired.
Brenda: Yes,
Genell: And you put that, and you put that inspiration into action. Yeah
Brenda: Yeah
Genell: Okay. There are women listening who haven't been physically active for years. Maybe they've gained weight, maybe they don't feel strong, maybe they look at someone like you and think, "That's not me." What would you say to them?
Brenda: I think I would just say do it.
Do
it scared. Do it tired. Do it unsure of yourself, but just, just do it. You can never know what you're capable of if you're not willing to try
Genell: 'Cause had you not done it, you maybe would've always wondered, "Could I have?"
Brenda: Right.
Genell: True. And if someone listening wants to start but doesn't know where to begin, what would you tell them? Just, just start?
Brenda: Just start.
Genell: It's okay. I think part of it, it's better to, to try and maybe not succeed than to do nothing at all.
Brenda: Than to not try at all.
Genell: At all. And it doesn't mean that you have to be, go out and be this weightlifter or do the competitions.
It's more of getting yourself to go out there to do something that you've wanted to do. You know? It might be even, it might be running a 5K. It might be joining, just joining a gym. It's just being active and doing something maybe you haven't done before
Brenda, when you hear the word RenewHer, what does that mean to you?
Brenda: I think it means just trying new things, reinventing yourself. Mostly just keeping active, keeping your mind active, keeping your body active. I guess that's what I think of when I hear that.
Genell: Mm-hmm. So is there anything else about your experience, about your story that we didn't cover that you would like to share, or any additional words?
Brenda: I guess I'm not thinking of anything at the moment
Genell: Okay. Okay. Well, I wanna thank you so much for being here. But before I close, if people wanna follow you and your journey, what's the best way to do so?
Brenda: They could look up my name on Facebook or on Instagram. Those are the only two.
Genell: Okay.
Brenda: Forums that I'm in,
Genell: Okay. So I'll make sure and include your, your Facebook and your Instagram link so they can seek it out for inspiration and follow you. And I think I'm gonna make a note to follow up with you in January to see how it goes. So when is the competition?
Brenda: The end of
Genell: The end of January.
Okay.
Brenda: Yeah
Genell: All right. 'Cause, um, I have to tell you, when I cut that article out of the newspaper more than a year ago, I had no idea I would one day be sitting here with you. And now, hearing the story behind that article makes me even happier that I reached out. What I love is that your story is that you didn't start out with some grand plan to become a powerlifter.
You simply decided to do something about your health. And then one step at a time, you discovered what you were capable of.. And I think that's something we can all take away. We don't always know what's waiting for us on the other side of trying something new. Sometimes we have to begin before we know where we're going, and that is basically, I think, what transpired for you.
So if you've been wondering whether there's something new you might wanna try, I hope Brenda's story makes you ask yourself, "What else might be possible for me?" So Brenda, thank you again for being here, and thank you to the listeners who tuned in to hear Brenda's amazing story. Congratulations again, Brenda.
I am so happy for you, and I find it very inspiring. So until next time, stay curious, stay open, and keep exploring what's possible.