On powerlifting

(Context: Last month I completed 6 months of powerlifting. At the same time, my Coach asked if I would be open to talking about my journey as part of a short promotional video to encourage more folks to consider the sport, which I felt immensely grateful for (and excited about!) since it gave me a chance to look back and gather my thoughts. Plus, it was a totally new experience to do lifts in front of a camera while talking! The points listed here are the ones we discussed - I had more to say, but sharing it as this version in the spirit of ‘done is better than perfect.’)

I took up powerlifting 6 months ago. It has honestly been one of the best gifts I have given to myself. Powerlifting comprises three strength sports: squat, deadlift and bench press. In my case, I have been taking coached sessions that span 8 weeks in one stretch and you focus on improving your form and technique across these three sports, but also on improving strength in general.

Growing up I never thought of myself as a very athletic kid. The past few years have felt super gratifying in that sense to be able to challenge that notion of being athletic or excited about sports in my head. For the longest time, I have been curious about lifting heavy weights -- the research on all the benefits for women plus the alarming rate at which we lose muscle mass had started to weigh on me (no pun intended). While I am better about signing up for endurance races (and mostly following through), strength training has been like this mystical goal which on some days I've felt super pumped about, but when the physical goal plate ever got too full, this was the first thing to go. I have been lucky to have had amazing HIIT instructors & triathlon coaches, so the foundation was there but still couldn't get myself to go up to a barbell. It somehow signified a lot more to me than just a bar with weights.

There were so many factors at play here; one, some of us have a tendency to "get too much in our head." Sometimes I have this notion that I need to think my way to a decision. But as I am slowly learning, a lot of decisions end up actually being guided by this idea of not feeling completely ready, yet going ahead with the gut feeling and preparation anyway (note: this likely doesn't apply for all sports).  The second reason was that I didn't "feel like" someone who lifts, I didn't think I looked like someone who could do this.

Some unrelated events earlier this year also led me to rethink my relationship with everything that I spend my day on, and I found myself asking, "what exactly am I waiting for?" Before committing though, I joined a regular strength training session with the coaches who offer powerlifting, and loved it. I have a weird relationship with cardio wherein I will hate it until I cross a threshold, & then I'm sold. Having a session designed entirely around strength just felt so different and I felt curious about where this could go. I asked the coaches (one of them was a woman, bonus points!) if someone like me who has never even touched a barbell could try her 101 class. Her unequivocal "Absolutely!" sealed the deal for me. 

That was 6 months ago and I've loved the process and the journey since then. I have hit PRs I am really proud of but I didn’t want to write about only those milestones, because it is not just about the numbers or how heavy you are able to deadlift / squat / bench (those matter too, but that's not all!). Rather for me it is also about the mindset shift and all the fascinating stuff that happens around those absolute numbers. Like how a certain workout/weight seemed too daunting in your head, but today your hands just gravitate to the knurling to find the position without doubting yourself. How one "bad lift" doesn't mean something negative, it means that  you failed safely - something that the sport actually encourages. Some other aspects that stood out for me:

- Possibilities: I've had earlier notions of what I can do and what I am capable of, but this sport truly is really more mental than physical and stretches you in many ways. It has shattered my own notions about what's possible. It has made me question that if I can do this, what else can I do? I recently hit my PR on deadlifts and crossed 200 lbs, something I would have not imagined to be feasible previously.

- Trusting yourself: When I plant my feet on the ground and I'm getting set up, I am trusting my mind and body in an insane way. It has helped me tune in just a tad bit more to what's on the inside, rather than the external metrics and the external environment in general.

- Failing safely: Too often, we worry about failure to the extent that we never even start. The idea of progressive overloading with weights seems to build on this notion that you need to challenge yourself  and sometimes that means (safely) attempting to lift to failure. It could be a bench press that you couldn't go low enough on, or a deadlift you abandoned midway or a squat that your spotters had to swoop in for. But it's a part of getting better, and there is zero judgment. This has made me question my relationship with failure outside of the sport as well and also think about what would it mean to "fail safely" as an expected part of getting stronger.

- Strong bodies: All our lives as women, we are given signals about the role of our bodies - they need to look a certain way to fit in or meet some other crazy bar.  Some of this messaging is subtle, but hasn't stopped it from becoming a part of my narrative (and for a lot of women around me as well). Sometimes I catch myself thinking my face looks "too big" or I wish my body looked more like the "accepted norms." But watching my body perform during powerlifting or any of the sports in general  has turned these notions on their head. It might take a long time to decouple myself from assumptions of how my body should look, but I definitely think of the word "strong" now everytime I think about it. Powerlifting (and sports in general) has helped me get a new kind of admiration for what my mind and body are capable of, and it is harder to go back to the old ways of solely viewing it through the lens of looks.

- Community: Pushing yourself as part of a cohort who are all fighting their own fears & doubts and yet nudging you for one more rep, has been an amazing thing to witness. Having awesome coaches, especially a female coach, with whom you can talk about your doubts, your body and your journey has been a game changer too. We are all at different points in our journey, it doesn't feel as if you are competing with others; you are encouraging them to push themselves and become better in their own way, just as they are doing the same for you. Everyone's journey and goals are unique, not too far from life outside the sport. 

For these reasons & more, I've been telling my friends (especially women) about this. While I’ve written this piece focused on powerlifting, almost all of this could apply to any strength training program. We are all stronger together and I would love for more folks to explore the space, and be there to support you in your journey of taking better care of yourself, and pushing yourself beyond what you've been told you can do, just as many others have done for me. Hope this helps!