| Name |
| Pat Kowal |
| Age |
| 67 (68 this July) |
| Weight Class |
| 63 |
| Squat PR: |
| 120 k (meet) equipped |
| Bench PR: |
| 73k (meet)equipped. 63 k (meet) raw |
| Deadlift PR: |
| 137.5 k (meet) equipped |
| Years lifting? |
| 27 |
| How did you come to powerlifting or Olympic lifting? |
| Volunteered at a meet. |
| Do you have any previous athletic or lifting experience? |
| Started out bodybuilding. |
| Do you compete? Why or why not? If you compete, what do you like most about the competitions? |
| Yes I do. I like to challenge myself. Lifting in the gym (or in my case the garage) is one thing. Doing it on the platform is another. The hype. The camaraderie. The thrill. I love it! |
| Equipped or Raw? |
| Geared |
| Do you have a coach or trainer? In person or online? How did you find your trainer/program? Do you have any advice for women looking for a trainer? |
| I have trained with a coach in the past and I do have one now. He is a friend and also a past powerlifter. My advice is to make sure they respect who you are and where you are in life and your goals. |
| Where do you train? Gym, garage? |
| I train in my garage. |
| What is the hardest part about beginning lifting as an older woman? |
| I first started Powerlifting at age 40. I loved it and really fell right into. There weren’t a lot of female powerlifters back then (early ‘90’s), let alone older ones so it was hard being a female in the sport. I have found as I’ve aged I’ve had to change my style of training. I need more time to recover from heavy lifts and if I injure myself, it takes longer to heal. I really focus on staying healthy and injury free. |
| How has lifting affected your health? |
| I am very healthy and I find I am more conscious now than ever before on keeping myself that way. Lifting helps lower my stress level, builds bone density, keeps me agile and in good physical shape. |
| What would you tell women just beginning this journey? |
| Set yourself some realistic goals to reach in a timely manner. Long range goals a good to have but short ones help keep you motivated as you reach them. Find a good training partner. Learn proper technique. Train smart and treat any injuries immediately. Have fun! |
