Welcome!

Hi there. 

Thanks for coming to check out my second blog. This one will be different from my original blog, The Journey Continues. This blog will be dedicated to powerlifting. I plan to write about my training, struggles, wins, the grind, the products I use, podcasts I love, and anything else I can come up with about this sport I love. I hope to also share some of the amazing powerlifters I know with you. I'll need to talk with them first and see if they'll be willing to be a part of this, so stay tuned. 

This first post is being written on the five year anniversary of my very first meet. Vermont Powerlifting hosted the meet and I joined the All Raw federation. Such a warm, welcoming, friendly group. Not that it made a difference I was still nauseous, scared, and not sure why I'd allowed myself to be talked into a meet. 

Fast forward five years and I've competed in twelve meets and brought home national and state records,  medals and trophies which have a nice home at my gym. I've competed in the All Raw federation, USA Powerlifting, and most recently USPA. I have amazing friends who give up weekends to sit in less than comfy chairs and watch me pick up heavy stuff and put it down. I have met truly inspiring people at meets and made wonderful new friends. 

I have grown leaps and bounds from where I started. From that very first meet I was hooked. I found my niche. It scared and exhilarated me in equal measure. Even when I was less successful than I might have wished I wanted to do it again. 

I will say that on the surface powerlifting looks easy. Squatting is a fundamental movement. Deadlifts are at the most basic level picking up heavy things and putting them back down. Of the three lifts, bench press would seem to be the most difficult. In truth each lift is much more technical than it would seem. Squatting might be a fundamental movement, but every person is built differently and their ideal squat stance will differ. Picking things up and putting them down is something we do many times every day, but picking up a loaded barbell and putting it down requires bracing, drawing the shoulders back, and using your legs to move the weight. Bench press involves using leg drive, creating tension in your body and maintaining it, and figuring out how to breathe so you don't lose tension. Five years in I am not an expert by any means, and I am constantly working on my technique and form. 

Another important part of powerlifting is confidence. Mindset is critical. I struggle with this more than my technique in each lift. My most recent meet was October 10, 2020 and I think I FINALLY got my mindset right. My prep for this meet was different. My coach moved, but he left me with a fantastic program, so I was on my own to find the discipline to get the work done. I researched the numbers I needed to reach my goals and planned my own attempts. I went into the meet knowing what I wanted and made it happen. I felt confident in myself and my abilities. 

The results of the meet were beyond my wildest dreams: I had 8 successful lifts out of 9, took first place in my age group, set four Vermont state records, and three national records for the Master's 50-54 age group in USPA. I met my goals and qualified for the 2021 USPA Nationals. Best of all I got to spend time with my number 1 fans: Nikki and Hailey. They have only missed one of my meets in five years. They are amazing: Nikki brings the best snacks, gives amazing hugs, cheers loudly, and is my statistician. Hailey is my videographer, offers good advice (even if I don't always follow it), and is another super hugger. They convinced me that "TeamKim" wasn't me being on an ego trip and it really was okay for me to be proud of myself. Meets wouldn't be as stress free or fun without them. 

National Records Masters 50-54: Squat, Deadlift, Total

Vermont Records Masters 50-54: Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, Total

My number 1 fans. They are the rockstars!

Thanks for checking out my first post on the new blog. Stay tuned for more.