If you've been following us for a while, Nikki Baker is no stranger! She's an absolute gem and we're so happy to call her family! Here's how she answered a few a questions...

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How did you find powerlifting? 

I had been told prior to working at a powerlifting gym that I was built for it and had the strength but the idea of it was intimidating. When I began working at a powerlifting specific gym, IKG, I was introduced to it and decided to compete 6 weeks out for a meet and the rest was history.

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What’s the most challenging part of your life as a powerlifter and how do you combat it? 

I’m a competitive person naturally and sometimes that competitive mindset turns into comparison mindset. It happened a lot more when I first began powerlifting than it does now, but it sneaks up from time to time and I have to remember that when I started I was very far behind where I am now in not just strength but in knowledge & confidence all around. This rolls into life outside of powerlifting as well. Learning that everyone’s journey is different with different obstacles, hurdles, and stories and comparison is the thief of happiness

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What’s one thing you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you first started powerlifting? 

You’re going to fail a lot of lifts. You’re going to have a lot of training days that aren’t going to go how you want or expect them to. That throwing your belt across the room and storming out and crying isn’t the mindset of an athlete. Failed lifts, bad training sessions are all about looking at it from a perspective of learning, growing, and correcting for the next training session

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Watching clients who once said they couldn’t do something do the thing they doubted. I prefer watching my clients compete vs competing myself. It’s such a rewarding feeling taking someone from point A to point B. I work with a lot of beginners whether it be for powerlifting or just general fitness, and watching someone transform from the very beginning of their entire journey is incredible

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Because strength is a beautiful thing and our bodies are capable of so much. In history, women were meant to have certain roles that we played and being strong, having muscle, and lifting weights wasn’t exactly apart of that role for quite some time. The fact that we see more and more women finding their strength in all aspects of life shows that we are more than just damsels in distress. We are actually the heros

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