How did I start powerlifting?

My first semester of college I walked into Lecture Hall 114 of the Physical Activities Center to find walls full of red brick. The stairs were steep leading down to a pit where my professor Dr. Tony Catersano stood. He was, and still is, a good postured man in his seventies, with a bright white beard making him pass as the fit version of Santa Claus. He could care less about what anyone thinks of him, proudly benching more than 225lbs every week, casually out-benching half the guys at the gym. Alongside me at the top of the stairs stood my roommate Liz Moody. We looked down to see cramped seats with too-tiny-to-use desks that were more like armrests (you know those kind of seats). Looking back up at each other we glanced into each other’s eyes not saying a word. I guess this is it.

This Introductory Health Sciences course became a class that I grew to love because of the intricate information I learned from Dr. Catersano about all that the human body can really do. Though his class was hard, with my test scores to prove it, I was able to learn the body’s process of growing muscle and training styles that I used to my advantage. In one class, Dr. Catersano mentioned the Club Powerlifting team, which he so happened to coach. Thoughts about the team rang through the back of my mind for the next week, until I boldly decided to speak to him after class expressing my interest in joining the team.

Within the next month I had a full training schedule and nutrition guide, as well as frequent slow-day lifts solely focus on form from who I now call Coach Cat. One thing many people do not realize about lifting is how crucial your form is to how much weight you are actually able to push or pull. I had to train my body to produce muscle memory for the exact form I needed for each specific lift. My body wanted to fight it, taking me nearly two months to actually get down the proper form I needed for squatting. But the beauty of gaining proper form for powerlifting is that the weight begins to magically climb, stacking on faster than you could have ever imagined. I started my journey in October of 2022 squatting 95lbs, to then somehow squatting over twice that amount in just 5 months at 225lbs in by March of 2023.

Powerlifting is a sport where its athletes aim to lift the heaviest weight as possible, while being in the most ideal weight class based on their body type. The lifts of powerlifting consist of bench, squat, and deadlift (SBD). Form, as I explained, is one of the most important aspects of the sport. If your form does not meet powerlifting criteria, your lift will not count when competing. For example, we are required to pause and follow a press command when benching and with squatting your knees must break 90 degree (I struggle with depth so much, but we are getting there lol!).

As of this month it has been a nearly 3 year journey with a total of 4 seasons and 3 competition meets for me. Though it seems like such a physically rigorous sport, powerlifting continues to push me more mentally than physically. I would advise women who want to start this sport to just get in the gym and lift! Do not expect yourself to lift an extreme amount or even much at all when you first start. If anything, you must start light and figure out proper form first. The only way to truly feel comfortable in the gym is to GO. Most people in the gym are already worried about themselves and if you find people that look like they know what they are doing ASK QUESTIONS! Gym people love their gym community. ❤️ I’m so glad that I gave this sport a chance. Powerlifting continues to teach me how unique our mind and bodies are.