| Name |
| Sue B |
| Age |
| 58 |
| Weight Class |
| 84kgs/84+kgs |
| Squat PR: |
| 95kgs/97.5kgs |
| Bench PR: |
| 45kgs/55kgs |
| Deadlift PR: |
| 97.5kgs/107.5kgs |
| Years lifting? |
| Almost 2 years |
| How did you come to powerlifting or Olympic lifting? |
| I came to powerlifting after watching a young coworker compete in her first meet. She and the powerlifting community inspired me. I was already doing squats with my personal trainer as part of a strength/fitness program in conjunction with my chiropractor. |
| Do you have any previous athletic or lifting experience? |
| I have no previous lifting experience. I was a cross country runner in elementary school, played softball a couple of summers as a teenager and later played soccer after quitting smoking after my first grandchild was born (in my 40’s). |
| Do you compete? Why or why not? If you compete, what do you like most about the competitions? |
| Yes I compete and I love it! My first meet was in November 2017, a CPF meet. I joined CPU in January 2018 and have competed 3 times in 2018. I love the support and camaraderie of the powerlifting community. We are competing mostly against ourselves and cheering each other on. It’s such an awesome experience!! My PR above are official CPU Nova Scotia provincial records. I just dropped to the 84kgs weight class recently and competed after being out of commission for nearly 6 weeks due to a wrist injury (non-lifting related, simply slipped and fell, landing in my left hand). As a result I now wear wrist wraps for all lifts. |
| Equipped or Raw? |
| Raw |
| 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 work with a personal trainer once a week in person and follow his program two other days a week. I also have a coach who handles me at my meets. She is also a powerlifter. |
| Where do you train? Gym, garage? |
| I am lucky to work at a large local fitness centre and train in the gym at work. Free membership is one of the best perks of my job! |
| What is the hardest part about beginning lifting as an older woman? |
| As someone else said, squeezing myself into a singlet for meets… Seriously though, stage fright can be daunting but I tune out everything but the rack and the bar. I don’t even see the audience or even the referees. |
| How has lifting affected your health? |
| Because of lifting and working closely with my chiropractor and personal trainer, I am so much stronger and more fit than ever before in my adult life! I still have a long way to go with my weight loss journey but my goals are more realistic now. It’s less about the number on the scale, although that is important, and more about strength and fitness….and the notches on my belt. |
| What would you tell women just beginning this journey? |
| Do it! Don’t listen to people who say lifting heavy will make you bulk up like a man, that’s definitely not true. Lifting is so good for you, for your bones and muscles, and especially for your self esteem and mental health. We’re all in this together, a sisterhood of iron. Let’s show the men how it’s done!! |
