Former Strongest Woman in the World Jan Todd Shares Her Journey from 'Jock' to 'Whole Person' (Exclusive)

By Cara Lynn Shultz Updated on March 10, 2025 04:07PM EDT Jan Todd’s journey to being the strongest woman in the world began by chance. She was in a local Austin gym with her husband, Terry Todd, in 1973, when she saw another woman deadlift 225 lbs. It was then that she became inspired to lift weights — and within 18 months, she had landed the Guinness World Record for the heaviest deadlift (394.5 lbs.) by a woman. “I really wasn't necessarily thinking about it as any kind of feminist statement at the time," Todd tells PEOPLE. "It was just, wouldn't that be interesting to see if you could get in the Guinness Book of Records?" Now 72 and a professor at the University of Texas, Todd and her late husband, an Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter who died in 2018, became pioneers in physical culture and strength. The topic is explored by Michael Joseph Gross in his book Stronger, which also recounts Todd’s career and journey from powerlifter to academic. The book, which comes out March 11, is a comprehensive look at how muscle — and the concept of strength — shapes our lives and society, and how the idea of being physically strong has evolved.