I am 59, first touching a barbell at the age of 47 when I was looking for a way to get some exercise and somewhat randomly ended up at a CrossFit gym. I was immediately hooked and about a year later started competing in local competitions. I was lucky to be part of a Regional team in 2013. I trained hard to get to the CF Games and while I finished in the top 30 in the World in my age category a few times (with my best finish as 22nd in the World), I was never able to break into the top 20.
After spending the time working on my weaknesses (gymnastics and cardio), about 5 years ago, I switched my focus to powerlifting, and started training under Dan Green at Boss Barbell Club. I’m having a blast with it and have managed to get on a new PR streak as I approach 60 hitting some big PRs. Recently, I had my best meet ever with a 157.5kg (347#) squat, a 80kg (176#) bench press, and a 182.5kg (402#) DL. My total was 420kg (925#), which was a 17.5kg PR and for the first time took me over a 400 dots, which has been a goal. My new goals are to cross a 350# squat, still chasing that 200# bench, and see how close I can get to a 1000# total, but the key is to keep having fun and do all I can to stay healthy.
The photo above is from the IPL World Championships in 2018, and the video playlist below is from USPAL NorCal Ladies of Iron from May 2023.
