On November 15th, 2008 five inspiring women challenged themselves by competing in their very first powerlifting competition, for which they had trained for the previous three months. They had all been lifting weights for a couple years, building up a base of strength, and took on this challenge to give them a focus for their training.

None of them had ever considered doing something like this before. After they made the commitment and had each other to keep motivated, the training began. They worked with Coach Craig Rasmussen, the powerlifting expert at my gym, Results Fitness, in Santa Clarita, California.

As the weeks of training went on, they were all lifting more and more weight. The numbers were going up and up. The thing that surprised them most was that they were all losing body fat, getting leaner, and even losing some weight while training for this event.

Joni, one of the competitors, had this to say: "This is so crazy! I lost another pound today, and I'm eating like crazy! Everyone keeps commenting on how my body is changing and how good I look, and all I've been doing is lifting more and more weight: dead lifting, squatting and bench pressing!"

The day of the competition, the girls were extremely excited to compete in what was for some of them their first athletic competition ever. They were less excited about the outfits.

In powerlifting, you're required to wear a singlet and knee high socks, which isn't the most flattering or feminine look. Karen made the best of it, however, making the outfit as feminine as possible with a pair of pretty pink knee socks, pictured below.

Meet the Girls: Feminine and Powerful!

From left to right: Joni, Janelle, Cindy, Karen, and Jan.

Let's get to know three of the girls a little better.

Joni

Please, God, let me make all of my lifts!

Joni recently celebrated her 50th birthday. About three months before the competition, she said to me, "Someday I'd like to try something like a powerlifting competition, maybe in a year or two when I'm ready."

"Why wait?" I asked her. "Do it now!" She was shocked. "Really?" she asked, "You think I could?" And the rest is history.

Janelle

This is the face of intense focus and concentration.

Janelle recently turned 40. She's been married for thirteen years and has one son, Riley, who just turned eleven. She's a fifth grade teacher who loves shopping, going to Las Vegas, reading, and cheering for her UCLA Bruins (class of '89, and '90 for graduate school).

Janelle started weight training eight years ago, mostly to lose her "baby gain" weight, and was intrigued by the idea of doing something "athletic." So here we are.

Karen

A little-known secret for an outstanding deadlift: Wear pink socks.

Karen is 48 years old, has been a teacher for nineteen years, has been married for eight, and is a mother of a seven-year-old girl. Karen has this to say about her training for the competition: "My experience has been very positive. My coaches at Results got me ready with a steady increase in weights in the deadlift, squats, and bench press.

"I couldn't believe how much weight I could lift, especially in the deadlift. They kept telling me I could lift more weight, and I didn't believe it until I actually did it. The competition wasn't too intimidating, since there were other women from Results lifting with me."

The Competition

The girls arrived early to get checked in, weighed in, and warmed up for the competition. The goal for the day was to have fun.

The competition began; the first event was the squat, and they were getting used to listening for the commands. They were all anxious about the squat and wanted to get it over with.

On the squat there are two commands: "squat," and "rack". You aren't allowed to start squatting until you hear "squat," and you aren't allowed to rack the bar until they say "rack." Sounds simple, but can be tough when you're an anxious ball of nerves.

First, They Squatted

Joni squatted 60 kilos (132 pounds).

Janelle squatted 35 kilos (77 pounds). Janelle has long legs,
so she doesn't like the squat, but she loves the deadlift!

Karen's best squat was 57.5 kilos (126.5 pounds).

Relieved that the squat was done, they moved on to the bench press. The bench press has three commands to listen for: "start," "press," and "rack." Again, this is harder than it sounds when you're nervous and hoping you can press the weight up without getting stuck.

Next, They Benched

Joni benched 40 kilos (88 pounds).

Janelle benched 42.5 kilos (93.5 pounds).

Karen benched 47.5 kilos (104.5 pounds).

Finally, They Deadlifted

The deadlift was our best event: Our girls kicked serious butt! We tend to be a deadlift dominant gym — because it's such a great exercise, we use it all the time.

You only have one command to listen for in the deadlift, which is "lower." There's a man sitting in front of you to give you the hand signal to lower the bar, but you have to stand there holding the weight until they say "lower."

Joni lifted 87.5 kilos (192.5 pounds).

Janelle lifted 117.5 kilos (258.5 pounds). As I said, she likes to deadlift.

Karen lifted 110 kilos (242 pounds)!

They Did It!

The only downside was how long the day was. There's a lot of waiting around for your turn; it takes all day. They had their ice chests packed with food to eat throughout the day, and they all waited patiently for their turn.

Overall, everyone had a blast. After it was all over, Joni said to me, "It isn't about the actual competition. It was more about the training, and the journey to get to the point where I feel confidentenough to do a competition. This has been such a great experience, and I'm so glad I did it!"

Despite the initial nerves, each of these ladies hit her personal best, had a great time, and went home with a medal. They all plan on competing again this month!

The take-home lesson? Don't ever let self-doubt get in your way of accomplishing your goals. Decide that you want something, and go after it. It'll be a new experience, and that's what makes life worth living.

About the Author

Rachel Cosgrove is a fitness professional who specializes in getting women of all ages into the best shape of their lives. She owns and operates Results Fitness with her husband in Santa Clarita, California. She has a bachelor of science degree in Exercise Physiology, and earned her CSCS from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Rachel has competed in fitness competitions, triathlons and powerlifting. She has also been featured in Women's Health Magazine, Muscle and Fitness Hers, Shape Magazine, Fitness Magazine, Men's Health, Men's Fitness and Oxygen. For more information on Rachel, visit her website.