Oprah Winfrey didn’t celebrate her 72nd birthday with cake and candles. She celebrated it with a barbell.
The media icon stunned fans this week after sharing a video of herself deadlifting at the gym, marking another milestone in her very public and deeply personal wellness journey.
Posted to Instagram on January 29, the clip shows Oprah lifting a weighted barbell with steady focus as her trainer cheers her on from behind the camera. After completing several clean reps, she walks forward laughing, clearly proud and a little amused by herself.
“I didn’t know what a deadlift was,” Winfrey admitted in the video. She explained that the exercise entered her life after a conversation with Adele, who once casually mentioned that she was deadlifting heavy weights. Oprah said she nodded along at the time, pretending to know exactly what Adele meant. Later, she stitched in a clip from her 2021 interview with the singer, where Adele revealed she had been deadlifting up to 170 pounds and jokingly said she felt like she could have made the Olympics.
“I love it,” Adele had said back then. Oprah clearly took notes.
In the new video, Oprah demonstrates solid form and controlled breathing while completing five reps. When she finishes, she cheers, “Got it!”
In her caption, Oprah reflected on why this season of her life looks different. She shared that after undergoing double knee surgery in 2021, she made a conscious decision to add strength training to her routine. Not for aesthetics. For longevity.
“Two summers and two new knees ago, I decided to add strength training to my workouts because we all need to maintain muscle as we get older,” she wrote. She added that while she’s not aiming for Olympic glory like Adele, she feels stronger than ever. And that feeling, she suggested, is worth chasing.
This moment also fits into a larger, ongoing conversation Oprah has been having with her audience about health and honesty. She has recently spoken openly about using GLP-1 medication as part of her weight loss journey, telling PEOPLE that she no longer carries shame about her struggles with weight. “Let the people say what they will,” she said plainly.
Happy Birthday, Oprah Winfrey!
