After Heart Bypass Surgery, This 73-YO Retired Banker Won 4 National Powerlifting Golds

Shankar Rao achieved a clean sweep at the national competition. He won gold medals in all three powerlifting events: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. He also won the overall National Masters Classic title. This was remarkable because he had only joined a gym six months earlier and had previously undergone heart bypass surgery.

His coach, G V Rami Reddy, introduced training carefully. Shankar Rao began with stretches, mobility exercises, and light movements. His coach consulted doctors and monitored his progress closely before increasing the training load. That gradual approach helped him build strength while taking his medical history seriously.

The victory changed his goal from simply improving his health to competing nationally. In August 2025, he travelled to Kozhikode and won across all three events. His achievement surprised him and encouraged his family, who had initially worried about his decision to join a gym after surgery.

Powerlifting is a strength sport built around three separate lifts. Competitors try to lift as much weight as possible in each one, usually with trained technique and judging standards. The squat involves lowering and raising a loaded barbell while standing. The bench press involves pushing a barbell upward while lying on a bench. The deadlift involves lifting a barbell from the floor to a standing position.

These exercises test different patterns of strength. The squat emphasizes the legs and hips. The bench press emphasizes the chest, shoulders, and arms. The deadlift challenges the hips, legs, back, and grip. Together, they give a broad picture of lifting strength. Shankar Rao trained in these events under close supervision.

His results show how quickly structured training can create a new opportunity. He entered the gym to improve his health, not to compete. After watching a local powerlifting event, he entered one himself, won, and then reached the national level by August 2025.

Shankar Rao was 73 when he was described training beneath a loaded barbell. He entered a local fitness centre in February 2025, after years of relying mainly on walking and yoga. His decision came more than a decade after his coronary artery bypass surgery and followed repeated encouragement from forest officer Swapan Nayak.

The progress was rapid but carefully managed. Coach G V Rami Reddy started him with stretches, mobility exercises, and light movements. He consulted doctors and monitored Shankar Rao closely. The athlete then built strength gradually rather than immediately attempting heavy competition lifts. That process helped him gain confidence and allowed his family’s concerns to ease.

After watching a local powerlifting event, Shankar Rao entered a competition and won. By August 2025, just six months after joining the gym, he was competing nationally in Kozhikode. He won three gold medals and the overall National Masters Classic title.

Coronary artery bypass surgery is an operation that improves blood flow to the heart. Surgeons use a healthy blood vessel from another part of the body to create a new route around a narrowed or blocked coronary artery. This can help the heart receive more oxygen-rich blood. Shankar Rao underwent the operation in 2012, aged 60, after years of smoking and unhealthy eating.

Exercise after bypass surgery can be valuable, but intensity must match a person’s recovery and overall health. Medical guidance helps assess symptoms, healing, blood pressure, heart rhythm, and safe exertion levels. A supervised plan can begin with gentle movement and progress carefully. Shankar Rao’s coach consulted doctors and monitored his history before increasing resistance training.

That caution allowed him to move from stretches and mobility work to strength exercises. He later competed nationally, but his story does not remove the need for individual medical advice. People recovering from heart disease should follow their healthcare team’s recommendations before starting or intensifying exercise.

The coach’s careful method turned a feared activity into a controlled health and fitness routine. Shankar Rao had resisted joining a gym because he had undergone bypass surgery. Starting slowly gave him time to learn movements, build confidence, and observe how his body responded. This mattered because his goal was initially better health, not competition.

Coach G V Rami Reddy began with stretches, mobility exercises, and light movements. He took Shankar Rao’s medical history seriously, consulted doctors, and monitored his progress closely. The key mechanism was gradual progression: the athlete developed strength step by step instead of beginning with demanding loads. His family’s worries eased as they saw that process.

The result was both physical and motivational. Shankar Rao felt new energy and became interested in powerlifting after watching a local event. He won that competition, then reached the national stage six months after joining the gym. In Kozhikode, he won three gold medals and the overall title.

Walking and yoga can help older adults remain active with manageable forms of movement. Walking supports regular activity and endurance. Yoga can encourage flexibility, mobility, balance, and body awareness. Resistance training adds a different benefit: it helps build muscle strength, which supports everyday tasks and physical independence. Together, these activities can create a broader fitness routine.

Shankar Rao kept walking and practising yoga after retiring in 2013. Later, he added resistance training at a local fitness centre. His coach started with stretches, mobility exercises, and light movements, then gradually built strength. Medical consultation and close monitoring were important because Shankar Rao had undergone bypass surgery and had a history of heart disease.

His progress shows that older adults may continue improving their fitness when activity is appropriate and carefully introduced. Shankar Rao felt rejuvenated, entered a powerlifting competition, and reached the national level. The article supports a gradual, supervised approach, not a one-size-fits-all exercise plan.

Smoking and unhealthy eating can contribute to damage inside the coronary arteries. Smoking exposes the cardiovascular system to harmful substances that can injure artery walls and encourage narrowing. An unhealthy diet can contribute to excess cholesterol, blood pressure problems, and fatty deposits. Over time, these changes may restrict blood flow to the heart muscle.

When a coronary artery becomes badly narrowed or blocked, the heart may not receive enough oxygen-rich blood, especially during exertion. A bypass operation uses a healthy blood vessel to route blood around the damaged section. In Shankar Rao’s case, the article links years of smoking and unhealthy eating with the toll on his health. He underwent bypass surgery in 2012, aged 60.

His experience also shows that staying active does not always erase earlier risks. He walked and remained active, yet still needed surgery. Afterward, he continued walking and yoga, then added carefully supervised strength training. Prevention and medical follow-up remain important parts of heart health.