Written by Sarah Strong

So you’re a new mom and you want to get back into your normal powerlifting routine. Is it safe? Will the baby be affected? Can you be as strong as you were pre-pregnancy?

As a powerlifter and certified personal trainer who specializes in pre & post natal fitness, I want to address some common concerns with nursing and lifting and also provide my personal testimony on the subject. I am currently nine months postpartum with my second child and he is exclusively breastfed. I powerlifted throughout my entire pregnancy and took a six-week break after the birth.

Once I got back to lifting heavy after that break, it took me a bit longer than normal to rebuild strength. I felt weaker than I was when I was lifting at nine months pregnant. But still, I persisted and kept training. I didn’t rush my body into lifts that I wasn’t ready for. I focused on form and consistency. At 5 months postpartum, I competed in a USPA meet and took first place with a total of 687lb in the 148lb weight class. For that meet, I didn’t cut weight. I had gotten back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 141lb, and I felt comfy there.

In the four months since that meet, I have added more pounds to the bar while shedding pounds off my body. I competed again at nine months postpartum weighing in at 128lb and increasing meet bests for squat and deadlift. I wasn’t able to bring my son with me to the meet, so I pumped between lifts so I wouldn’t get engorged. And, while shedding over ten pounds off my body, I have still maintained my milk supply and my son is growing healthy and strong.

I get asked a lot about lifting heavy while breastfeeding. I hope the following can help some mamas out there:

• Does powerlifting (or any vigorous exercise) affect your supply? No, powerlifting or any exercise should not affect supply. The big factor here is to make sure you are properly hydrated and eating enough. When you are exercising, you are burning calories and increasing your basal metabolic rate. Breastfeeding has the same effect (especially in the first 6 months when baby nurses more frequently). If you notice your supply starts to tank, start tracking your water and caloric intake. Chances are, you need some adjustments there, not in your exercise routine. I don’t count calories or macros personally. I eat intuitively and aim for a lot of protein and healthy fats in my diet. If I notice my supply dwindling, I increase my water and make sure I’m not skipping meals—something that happens from time to time as a busy single mom.
• Does breastfeeding make bench weird? I had to laugh at this one. Because until I had been asked, I never considered it. Short answer: yes, it can. Sometimes my breasts are super full. Sometimes they’re deflated. Sometimes one is full and the other is flat. It’s a lot of fun looking like a Picasso masterpiece. If you’re not competing, this probably won’t affect your bench much. But when you are training for a competition bench press, it can be a little difficult because your range of motion can change day-to-day. That being said, my bench has been strong postpartum. As time goes on, you become accustomed to the fluctuations.
• Can I cut weight for a meet if I am nursing? It depends. This question is really dependent on the individual. As I mentioned earlier, I did not cut for the meet I did at 5 months pp. However, I did cut for my second postpartum meet while still nursing. I know a lot of people in the powerlifting community attempt to drop a good 10lb on the week of the meet. I would not suggest this for anyone personally, but especially not for a nursing mother. If you are going to cut, do it in a healthy way that can be maintained long term. I lost those ten pounds gradually over five months, not right before the meet.
• Does breastfeeding negatively impact your strength? For me, this is a no. Again, I think this comes down to nutrition. If you are intaking enough calories and water, you should still see strength gains while nursing. My pre-pregnancy 1RMs were 245/135/303. At 6 weeks postpartum my 1RMs were 185/105/265. Now, at 9 months pp, they are 250/150/320. I am stronger now while breastfeeding at least 6 times a day than I was pre-pregnancy. The female body is AMAZING.

I hope this post helps to address any concerns with breastfeeding and powerlifting. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at sarahstrongfitness@gmail.com.

As someone who trained into my first powerlifting meet sans coach and only through the assistance of Instagram friends and articles upon articles, I couldn’t help but think of the questions I had leading up to my own meet. Going into my 6^th meet in two weeks, I’ve learned so much along the way and figured I’d share the top 3 things I had been fortunate enough to learn before meet day!

One of the main questions I came across (and will later down the line expand on) is “What should I eat the day before a meet and on meet day?”  For my first meet, the night before I had a big sushi dinner with some friends and then packed a sandwich from the deli, mini-Snickers bars, powdered Gatorade with a gallon of water, and Elmer Fudge cookies.  Did that work for me? Yes, because it stayed within the lines of what I typically eat but it isn’t optimal for all.  I always suggest eating what you would typically eat on a daily basis and not change your diet up last minute.

TLDR: If you don’t usually go HAM on doughnuts, the day before/during the meet is not that time to go HAM. Eat small meals or snacks such as protein bars, a protein shake, small sandwich, gummies (for that burst of energy), etc. that you know are optimal for you and will fuel you throughout the day.

Be mentally prepared. With a billion distractions happening on meet day, (watching other competitors, tons of spectators, announcers going wild, loud music, etc.), it’s so easy to get unfocused and get mentally get lost in that craziness so it is just as important to practice mental imagery and focus leading up to meet day.  Often, we may work with a coach who will call our attempts, except we’ve never actually attempted that weight.  If you speak with any seasoned powerlifter, they may say that “Before approaching a lift, you should have done the lifting 1000x in your head prior to actually lifting” which is 100% true. You want to imagine yourself at the meet practicing your set up for all your lifts, practicing your breathing and bracing and just see yourself pushing through any weight that’s on the bar.  Imagine that it’ll be an easy lift, or maybe even a difficult one that you’ll grind through. Overall, just imagine yourself completing that lift with getting all white lights (always a thing I like to imagine! ) A part of a successful lifter is going in there and knowing that you’ve mentally done something before and you just need to execute it physically.

TLDR: Practicing mental imagery is just as important as the physical gym training itself.  Visualize and perform your lifts from setting up to rack/down command to really get your mindset right and focused so you can kill it come meet day!

Chill the week of the meet! Now is not the time to take a new hobby like rock climbing, swimming, etc. But, I always think of it this way.  Jason Williams was an amazing basketball player fresh out of Duke University that got drafted to play on the Chicago Bulls.  Many had such high hopes from him because of his talents, but unfortunately one day he decided to violate his contract by riding on a motorcycle and in which his career was cut short due to a career-ending accident.  Now I’m not saying a career-ending accident is going to happen to you, but you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you’ll have to pull out of the meet because you sprained your finger rock climbing or pulled a muscle trying to learn how to swim Butterfly at the local Y.

TLDR: Just chill! Read a book, maybe get a massage early in the week, get a manicure and pedicure… just enjoy the days leading up to the meet so that you can put 100% into meet day!

Hope these little pieces of advice helps someone out there! To sum it up, eat well, train that mental, and don’t Jason Williams yourself! 

Have any tips of your own? Keep the conversation going in Club GWPL

Introduce yourself to the GWPL Community

Christine Castro

Federation: IPF/CPU

Weight class: 63kg to 72kg

Division: Open

Year in sport: 3 years

Best Lifts

• Squats - 175kgs (386lbs)

• Bench - 90kgs (198lbs),

• Deadlifts - 200kgs (441lbs) 

How did you find powerlifting?

I was first introduced to general strength training in University as a way to supplement my skills and development in basketball. Shortly after I was taught how to perform the big three lifts effectively, I realized my developing passion for the sport of powerlifting. During that time I was also provided a lot of guidance from my professors and my peers and to this day believe that my technique has a piece of advice from every person I had the privilege to train with and learn from. By the time I competed at my first meet in August 2015, I decided I would commit myself entirely to the sport and since then I have never looked back. I have competed at 10+ meets now and I don’t regret any of it. 

What do you think attracted you so much to the sport? When did you fall in love with it?

One thing that really attracted me to the sport was the welcoming community. I have never felt so much support from a crowd before, it is truly a unique and amazing experience. I am also addicted to the next big PR! This sport taught me the importance of patience and how much hard work can really contribute to that next big number.

 

Can you share one of your most memorable powerlifting moment?

One of my most memorable powerlifting moments was my final deadlift attempt at CPU Nationals last year. It was a pull for gold, a pull for the national deadlift record, a pull for a comeback and it took me from 6th place to 1st instantaneously! I will always remember every second of it and I still get goosebumps just thinking about that moment. Moments like these are what keep me going and keep me motivated.

What motivates you in life? Not just as Christine the powerlifter, but Christine?

I would have to say, my boyfriend, Charles. There are days when I just don’t want to go to the gym at all but he is the push I need. I’m glad that he is also my training partner so he knows when things are off with my lifts. I still remember days when I would end up crying because of a training day that didn’t go as planned or when I was suffering through my injury; he was always there to help me get through it all. No matter how near or far, he also travels with me to all my meets to make sure that I always have his support. I’m thankful that I am blessed with someone like him in my life who constantly keeps me motivated every single day and not just in powerlifting but also through every other obstacle that life throws at me.

 

Has powerlifting impacted other areas of your life? If so, how?

Powerlifting has definitely impacted other areas in my life. I admit that I haven’t been this committed to anything in my life before and finding powerlifting really saved me. It has helped me live a healthier lifestyle and taught me to take better care of my body. Getting stronger is just an added bonus. It has also helped me become a better person who can stay committed to my work, my coaching and everything else I do outside of the gym. I find that I am more patient now and I appreciate my body more because of how much it allows me to do.

This past year you competed at IPF Worlds as a 63 lifter, following that you announced that you would compete the following meet as a 72kg lifter!

Can you first tell us about that experience at IPF Worlds?

IPF Worlds was my worst meet to date but it really helped me understand the importance of recovery and really listening to your body. Cutting weight and traveling was not an easy task. This caused me to cramp during the meet and also risked an injury to my spine again. This experience was eye opening and it made me realize that cutting weight is not worth it.

What lead to your decision to move up a weight class?

I have suffered two back injuries in the past and the pain only resurfaces when I cut weight. I had been cutting for every meet and I’ve never had a good experience because of it. I enjoyed competing as a 63kg lifter but I also know that my body is more comfortable sitting around 66kgs. I would rather not risk another injury from cutting weight and just focus on getting stronger in the 72kg weight class.

How has that been so far? Pros and Cons

The pros are the big PRs I’ve achieved so far! I hit my highest wilks of 480 at my first meet as a 72kg. I feel healthy and I haven’t had any issues with any of my lifts. Usually, during my prep for a bigger meet like Nationals, I start to feel really fatigued during my peak because I would be cutting at the same time. This time around, I am prepping while maintaining a caloric surplus (since I still sit relatively low in my weight class) so lifting heavier weights doesn’t tax me as much as it used to. I also feel that my recovery has significantly improved.

The con would be that I am one of the lightest lifers in my new weight class. So I find that my numbers might not be as competitive as it was when I competed as a 63kg lifter. I know that in time, I can develop really competitive numbers, but for now, I am just glad to be able to compete and still be competitive in a higher weight class.

You have also experienced injury in the sport and “the come back”, can you share with us a little about that experience?

I had a fracture in my spine a few years back and this really held me back from lifting. I was incapable of squatting or deadlifting and it was nearly impossible to bench with an arch. These issues made powerlifting very hard but my coach, Hani Jazayrli from The Strength Athlete, and I developed a game plan because of it. We worked on my weaknesses during this injury and it made me come back stronger than ever, not just as a lifter but overall as a stronger person. I ended up making a comeback by securing the National Championship title in the 63kg open division in Canada.

 

 

You seem to have a close “gym family.” Something we get asked about a lot is finding like-minded individuals! How did you find your gym? Do you think that environment has played a role in your development?

I found my gym family, Afterburn Barbell, through my boyfriend, Charles. He introduced me to like-minded individuals who had the same hunger to be better. Going into a sport where you perform as an individual seemed difficult for me at first, especially coming from a team-oriented sport. However, since joining Afterburn Barbell, shortly after moving to Toronto, I’ve never felt more at home with a group of friends that I can call my second family. We go to powerlifting meets together and there is no better sound than your team cheering you on during that last big deadlift. My handler from my last meet was Teresa Yeung, another strong female powerlifter from Afterburn Barbell. She helped me achieve my highest ever wilks and also helped me go 9/9. I’m really glad I have people like her from the team who I can truly depend on to be beside me during my biggest competitions. Our team will be traveling to Calgary, AB together in less than 4 weeks to compete at the next CPU Nationals where I know we will all do great things together.  

What is one piece of advice you would give to a new lifter?

Be open-minded. One thing I learned is that ever since I kept myself open to constructive criticism and suggestions, I have grown so much more as a lifter. Once you start thinking you know everything is when you stop learning. Never stop learning.  

What is next for Christine Castro?

I am looking forward to competing again at the next CPU Nationals where I will be sharing the platform with some of the strongest women in powerlifting. I am hoping to hit some big PRs but fail or succeed, I am ready to give it my all. It isn’t over until the final pull.

 

Click here to learn more about Christine

(Team Iron Knight at the Europa Games)

This past weekend, at the 2018 IPL Inzer Europa Powerlifting Championships in Orlando, Florida was my first official time as a USPA State Referee. I had so many nerves leading up to it. By nature, I am more reserved and cautious but I’ve been really working on becoming more confident in not only my abilities but also my faults- meaning owning them, working on them but not apologizing for them because we don’t need to apologize for who we are but we should always be growing and getting better.

Not only was I judging my peers, I was asked to MC a few flights this weekend, on a dual platform meet. Nervous does not even cover how I felt about all of it. As I stood and fanned myself on Saturday morning waiting to find out when and where I would be stationed that day, the meet director and USPA Florida chairman, Richard Ficca (who I will be talking about a lot in the post because he’s become my powerlifting Yoda and Mr. Miyagi) looked at me and asked if I was ok. I told him I was fanning myself because I get hot when I’m nervous and he looked up from his computer and asked me two questions. He asked, “Do you believe, I trust you?” To which, I replied, “YES” in my loud, child-like high pitched voice, like a little league tee ball player responding to their coach/dad. Then he asked, “Do you believe that you worked hard to be here and you belong here?” I also replied yes to that question but I got a little teary-eyed because I realized how much I meant it. I have worked really hard to get to where I am. All too often in my life, I’ve felt like I was lost and just going where the wind took me, not really sure where I belonged but when it comes to powerlifting and GWPL I have learned to make sure moves, be adamant in my decisions and become confident in my place. That 3-minute pep talk was exactly what I needed to start my day. I sat in the refs' chair for 3 flights, helped with expediting and computers and MC 2-4 flights this weekend and even when I made a bad call in the head chair, I stood by my decision. I was rattled a bit and choked back some tears because of how the matter was initially handled (let’s just say not every referee is diplomatic) but again, Rich in his Yoda like way explained my error but also that it happens and all we can do it learn from our mistakes.

Being a head judge is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I felt as though I was literally had these lifter’s lives in my hands. I needed to make sure that I was calling the start and rack commands efficiently so as to not make them hold the amount of weight on their back for too long but also not too early so the other judges had enough time to fairly judge the lift. I was literally sweating from my palms. On top of all that trying not to get distracted by everything else, including some of my team members competing on the opposite platform and worrying whether or not my husband and my little brother were getting warmed up. It’s sooooo much to take in. Needless to say, when that flight was over, I was mentally exhausted and ready to be done with my referee responsibilities for the weekend, even though they weren’t and I still MC’d another flight.  I’m not gonna lie, I cried a bit due to high anxiety that needed to be released but I sucked it up in time to cheer on my crew! And they did so well!!!

The moral of this emotional roller coaster of a story is that we have to give back to this sport that we love. It’s a small world and a tight community but if we don’t continue to volunteer as referees and support staff at meets one day this sport that we all love will be not be able to survive. Get to know your local meet directors and offer your help. Sometimes, we as lifters can get so caught up in prepping for meet after meet that we forget that without those people we would have nothing to prep for or we’d have to travel long distances to be able to compete. Being behind the scenes of a powerlifting meet is a crazy, chaotic world and requires an army but I urge you to become a part of it because it will make you a better athlete.

Written by Chelsea Nkwodimmah

Music is as important of an accessory to my workout as are my SBD knee sleeves and Inzer lever belt.  We all have that one song that hypes us up right before a top set or new PR attempt. Kendrick Lamar, Dave East, and Apple’s hip-hop workout radio station rule my sessions when I’m lifting heavy weight…and while I’m struggling through my 30 minutes of cardio I’m usually on Netflix or YouTube watching Afrobeats videos.

Natalie Terrana has been known to jam out to Whitney Houston.

And Sarah Brenner? Does “Yall ‘gon make me lose my mind! Up in here! Up in here!” sound familiar? Yep. She has DMX in her ears before she hits the platform.

Most of my time between sets is spent trying to find the perfect song. I’m usually hitting the skip button five seconds into the intro if it doesn’t immediately induce foot tapping or head bopping. Whether it gets us hype or calms our nerves, music is the legal drug that certainly holds a special place in our training.

As powerlifters, we often record our sets in order to analyze our form (and to post it to social media, of course). One of my pet peeves is not being able to simultaneously record my set and listen to music on my headphones. We all know as soon as we press that 🔴 REC button on the camera app our music stops automatically. Seconds before I press record, I’m throwing my headphones on the ground since I know my music goes into complete silence anyway. I’m sure there’s a jailbreak out there to circumvent the issue but the way my paranoia is setup…I’m convinced I’ll also be adding some sort of virus to my phone. It doesn’t help that my gym plays the worst music. What actually is worse than losing your left earbud on the way to the gym or having your headphones die 10 minutes into your workout?  I can always count on hearing Bruno Mars or Demi Lavato or some other Top 40 playlist song from my gym’s speaker.

I can NOT and will NEVER PR to Demi Lavato.

And that’s not to say that everyone or every gym should share my preference in music. To each its own and if Stevie Wonder or Lady Gaga stimulates your sympathetic nervous system and increases your adrenaline levels then “My Cherie Amour” by all means throw on that “Poker Face.”

A friend of mine mentioned that she competes in the RPS federation because she enjoys the heavy metal they play at their meets. When I met Corey at Nationals this year he told me how primetime lifters got to choose their walkout music at the 2016 USAPL Raw Nationals. Sounds of “Knuck If You Buck” and “I Will Always Love You” filled the venue.  How awesome would it be if it were a standard thing for us to pick the songs that we walk out on the platform? Kinda like how boxers choose their entrance theme song as they make their way to the ring. For me, I would be a toss-up between the old school and new school...

Slick Rick “La Di Da Di” or Meek Mill “Ima Boss”

Camp Lo “Luchini” or Cardi B “Bodak Yellow”

Outkast “B.O.B” or Lil Wayne “A Milli”

Music gives us confidence, it distracts us from our muscle aches and fatigue, and sometimes its tied to thoughts or events that evoke emotions strong enough for us to lift weights at the edge of our perceived physical capabilities.

What does your pre-lift or pre-platform playlist sound like?

Get to know Chelsea and the other GWPL Ambassadors a little bit better.