Laura Lifts

A record of my training up to the GBPF British Powerlifting Classic in October 2013 Age: 36 Location: London Club: Bethnal Green WLC B/W: 72kg class (@ 5'2") PB total: 245kg

[lauralifts]

I'm still here!

I just moved!

http://lauralifts.com/

[lauralifts]

You are amazing and inspiring and just a wonderful woman and I hope you continue to do well with your powerlifting!

Awww, thank you so much!!! <3

[lauralifts]

Possibly the best photo of me, ever.

[lauralifts]

Well, I did it.

I weighed in at 71.8kg after a stressful morning consisting of weighing in too heavy at the hotel (72.3kg), then getting lost on the way to the venue. Very very lost. Seems I must have panicked off 0.5kg in the car.

There were a lot of lifters at the British - 41 women in 3 groups, and two other flights of 3 groups of men. On the second day (today) there were 2 flights of 3 groups again. The Classic is very very popular!

I opened my squats with an easy 80kg, followed by 87.5kg (pb) and 90kg (pb)

On bench I got 45kg, 47.5kg (equal pb) and 50kg (pb)

On deadlift I got 110kg, then went for a new pb at 117.5kg and…. fucked it up. Twice. First time I just couldn’t lock out; second time I locked out but the bar fell from my right hand (the small one).

Total was 250kg and I came…… LAST! Of course. I knew I was going to come last, but it’s still a bit sad. I’d be overjoyed if I’d only got that deadlift. Oh well

The standard was very high, though. Louise Murray in the 57kg (125lbs) class squatted 126kg (278lbs) for a new WR. My training partner Anna got a 362.5kg total in the 84kg+ and took first place. So yes, I was up against the best!

Still, this means I’m (sorta) 8th best in the UK in the 72kg class. In the GBPF at least.

So that’s it. Next competition will probably be the Greater Londons on 23rd November. Need to work on that deadlift.

Fin.

[lauralifts]

48 hours to go

Argh, I am deep into pre-competition weight worrying hell. Literally all I can think about is my weight. I'm very lucky that I'm not strongly inclined towards ED-type thoughts and behaviours, otherwise this would be an even worse time (and it's bad enough as it is!)

Normally by this point pre-comp I'm safely under 72kg, but this week I've been all over the place. Last weekend I was under; then early this week I was up as high as 73.2kg, which was frightening*. Yesterday I was 72kg on the nose, and today I was 71.7kg again. 

So, I'm OK for now, but I can't get complacent.  If I don't make weight, I won't be allowed to lift, so I have to make weight.

Lunch today is going to be a tuna salad, and dinner will be lamb steaks with roast mini potatoes and spinach. Tomorrow I'll have a light lunch & then dinner in the hotel I'm staying in (assuming we get there before 8pm - otherwise I'll have to eat in the car!).

I'm going to weigh-in at 8am to give myself plenty of time to eat breakfast. 

I have a packet of orange Halloween Oreos to eat after weigh-in :-)

* Relatively.

[lauralifts]

Strong Is Still Strong, Skinny Is Still Skinny

When I first heard the saying “strong is the new skinny” I loved it, but since then, I’ve kind of grown to hate it. Let me explain.  

[lauralifts]

Maybe because I am not feeling as "aesthetically fit" as I was a month or two ago, I am becoming a bit more judgmental on how women are choosing to boast progress in their fitness. While I'm usually the last person to have haters, I posted a comment in a female-focused lifting group on Facebook&

[lauralifts]

It’s squishy belly selfie time! It’s squishy belly selfie time!

Sorry.

72kg on the nose today, with 3 days to go. Fuck. I hope I can shed a kg or so of water weight, otherwise I WILL be fretting on Saturday.

Anyhow. Hey kids, lift for 4.5 years, reach British standard, and you can look like this! I.e. like a perfectly ordinary, slightly chubby, 36 year old woman.

[lauralifts]

07-10-13

Worked on my squat & bench openers today. I worked up to a nice 80kg squat (with good form!) and 47.5kg bench. I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to open on - it will all depend on how I feel on the day. But I'm thinking 80/82.5kg squat, 42.5/45kg bench, 110/112.5kg deadlift. 

Now all I have to do is make sure my kit is clean, and my bodyweight is <72kg!!

[lauralifts]

I have been full of feminist rage today (although, admittedly, this is a pretty normal state for me).

Specifically: I am thoroughly fed up of men coming into women's spaces and trying to tell us what to do / how to do things; then when we object, getting all butthurt and saying fauxpolagetic crap along the lines of: 

"I'm sorry you feel that way"

or

"Your reaction to this shows you have some deep-seated issues"

I am pretty used to getting that sort of thing via my day job (in IT), but when a bloke comes into a women's strength training group and says it, it makes me quite ragey. 

Combine the mansplaining with copious images of women's butts (you know, to show us how sexy we can be if we squat) and it's an explosive mixture. 

[lauralifts]

05-10-13

I had a Dominos last night, which was probably a VERY BAD idea 8 days out from competition; but I was 71.7kg this morning so I think I winged it. Phew! No more Dominos this week, though (not as if I ever have pizza twice a week anyhow!)

Today at the gym:

Squats: worked up to 3 x 3 @ 70kg. Felt fine but a bit sluggish, probably because my legs are tired after conditioning yesterday

Dimels, glute & ham raises, reverse hypers.

Bench: worked up to 3 sets of 2 @ 42.5kg, both with a pause. 

Seated shoulder press, front raises, tricep pushdowns. 

And then, Bethnal Green lifter Ernie Parkes turned up, fresh from the IPF Masters in Miami. He took 3rd place overall in masters 4; second in deadlift & 3rd in squat. So proud of him! To be deadlifting 220.5kg at 71 years old is AMAZING. 

[lauralifts]

03 & 04 October 13

Blimey, I've had a busy couple of days. 

Yesterday morning I had my final session with Katie Page of Mind Training for Sport. It was great, and I really recommend a bit of sports psychology if you're having trouble with brain stuff regarding sport. I feel so much more ready to compete, now. 

In the evening I did a sort of conditioning-style workout at Bethnal Green; lots of single-arm rows, dumbbell cleans, Dimels, glute & ham raises etc. 

Today I went to conditioning at Urban Kings & it was brutal as usual. The most fun (and difficult) bit was where one of us had to hold onto a rope while lying on the floor, and the other hand to pull the person along on the rope. It was really hard to both 1) hold onto the rope while being pulled; and 2) pull the flippin' rope! Luckily I had another lady to pull, and not one of the hulking great big blokes! My arms were still like jelly after, though. 

[lauralifts]

Tania George (A world-class powerlifter) on not comparing yourself to other lifters. 

I like to think this is in the same vein as my post on "the right to lift", but Tania says it better (and she’s a more legit lifter than me ;-) 

[minimalimprovement]

This article is bloody brilliant.

If I had of waited until I was ready I never would have entered a meet. I just did it because I wanted to do it. From that decision I have done things I would have never thought possible. I gained a better sense of self. I gained an amazing new friend in Kels. All because I just decided to do it.

People enter fun runs all the time. You don’t expect to win, you do it for the experience. There is no reason that powerlifting should be any different. Not one person scoffed at any of our attempts on the day. Even the shitty ones. Everyone rallied around and supported us and offered tips and advice and afterwards I felt on top of the damn world.

You sometimes get this impression that you have to be some elite lifter to be considered good enough to enter these things. Nothing is further from the truth and not one person made me feel anything less than amazing for my lifts that day. Yeah, someone has to come last. That person is probably going to be me. Most of the time. Haha. I’d rather be that person coming last though than that person sitting on the couch thinking “what if”.

[lauralifts]

I’d rather be that person coming last though than that person sitting on the couch thinking “what if”.

Yes!!! THIS SO HARD!

[lauralifts]

Tania George (A world-class powerlifter) on not comparing yourself to other lifters. 

I like to think this is in the same vein as my post on "the right to lift", but Tania says it better (and she's a more legit lifter than me ;-) 

[lauralifts]

"Avoid any food that has a TV commercial"

I keep seeing this around. This really is the sort of reductive thing that irritates me. Sure, I understand that a lot of "junk" (your definition of "junk" may vary) advertised on TV, but any food?

Yes yes, I know, I'm picky; but I put messages like this into the same category as harmful, reductive Fitspo and "motivational" quotes (you know, the quotes that tell you how you shouldn't stop running until your knees explode etc etc). 

Here are a few things I eat regularly, which have TV commercials. OK, I'm not a "clean" eater, not am I Paleo, but I think I have a fairly decent diet (I'm loath to use the term "healthy" as it means different things to different people). 

The Happy Egg Company

Free-range eggs. Oh no, junk food.

Cravendale Milk

OK, milk isn't Paleo, but I can tolerate it and besides, I'm not Paleo. I usually buy Cravendale because seriously, this stuff lasts forever. Oh noes, it's not raw! Oh well. It's still milk, people. Sheesh. 

Maggi So Juicy

OK, the advert is terrible, but you can tear my Maggi So Juicy from my cold, dead hands. I make this shit at least once a week, mostly to eat as leftovers for lunch. It's a SPICE MIX, people, it adds minimal calories (oh noes! calories!) to the chicken, and makes it taste flippin amazing. 

Talking of spice mixes, I've not tried it but Schwarz are advertising at the moment. Or are spice mixes really verboten? I dunno, I see a lot of healthy eating bloggers using them. 

Alpro Almond Milk 

Yeah, it has sugar in, but shut up, this stuff is gorgeous.

FAGE Total Greek yogurt 

I thought Greek yogurt was a favourite among healthy eating types (who eat dairy)? 

Yeo Valley dairy products

I like their butter best. It's grass-fed & organic. Junk food, innit.

Maybe UK TV advertising is better than elsewhere? Or maybe, just maybe, this is yet another way of demonising people who don't live that crunchy, organic, fitblr-approved outdoor lifestyle. Because only slobs watch TV (especially TV with advertising), right? 

What do you eat that's TV-advertised? (Pizza excepted - we ALL eat pizza right?)

[lauralifts]

Just realised that not many people are going to know what a Scrum Master is. It's totes cool though (if you're a geek*).

* That is, someone who codes.

[lauralifts]

Scrum master tattoo (no, it’s not real). The daft expression is because I’d just run round the development floor showing people and laughing my arse off.

(I like this photo, as despite my face looking awful [but, I just look like that, eh] my forearms look monstrous and, wait, is that some delt?!)