73-Year-Old World Champion Weight Lifter: 'I'm in the Best Shape I've Ever Been in'

Barbara Garmon began working out with her personal trainer Chad Landers when she was in her early 50s – and even though she's now in her 70s she hasn't stopped since. 

"I love being strong," Garmon tells PEOPLE. "I love feeling powerful. I love the fact that I'm 73, and most women my age have trouble walking up steps. If there's an elevator and steps, I always take the steps because I can do it. I feel terrific." 

Her dedication to fitness has seen her through some very challenging times. Garmon shattered her left arm and wrist after a gardening accident and was told she'd never have use of her hand again; she survived breast cancer and the chemo and surgery that went with it; and she spent time recovering after donating a kidney to her sister. 

"I was weak and I was frail," says the business owner of her time spent in recovery. "But I'm in the best shape I've ever been in right now." 

Garmon decided to enter the world of competitive weight lifting at the recommendation of Landers. 

"I looked up the records and I realized no one had competed in her age group and weight class [in California], so I just threw it out there," Landers tells PEOPLE.