Post by spoiler on Apr 26, 2008 10:37:10 GMT -5
For NC Powerlifters
By Cheryl Clodfelter and Steve Maxson
April, 2008
Margaret Kirkland has set numerous records, competed in the WPO at the Arnold, claimed the #1 spot in the Squat in the 114 lb. weight class (topping the men) and the #2 Total in the 114's, and has had her picture on the cover of PLUSA
1. Please share some background information with the NC Powerlifters: Hometown, education, family, career?
I live in Bradenton, Fl with my husband Barclay and two teenage daughters, Cari and Chloe. My husband and I are both dentists and I have a full-time dental practice. I come from 5 generations of professional violinists beginning with my great great grandfather Gindi from Austria, so I grew up playing and performing with orchestras and ensembles. Currently I play with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. My daughters also do lifting, both Olympic lifting and powerlifting. They both lettered on the Manatee High School team and both won the Sunshine State Games last year. My husband helps all three of us call our lifts at various meets we do. We sometimes all train together but because of very different and busy schedules, sometimes that is impossible to do. So, as a result, I train by myself or with some of the guys at Muscle Works Gym.
2. Where you athletic growing up?
I played tennis and softball in school but was not very fit. After college and while in dental school I decided to get in better shape and I started lifting weights. I had become overweight from spending all my time studying and it was a challenge to get the weight off. I started running for my cardiovascular health and the pounds started dropping. I quickly found out how strong I was once I focused on lifting. I felt like I had more natural strength than most women I would see in the gym and I didn’t mind pushing my body to its limits to reap the benefits. I also enjoyed being able to lift more weight than a lot of the guys around me.
3. When did you start powerlifting and what brought you into the sport?
At the age of 4, my father started me squatting. He was a powerlifter and had the Michigan bench press record back then. None of his friends believed him when he told them he had me squatting 70 lbs. as a skinny little 4-year-old. Since seeing me on the cover of the Powerlifting USA, his friends finally believe him now! After my parents divorced I didn’t pick up lifting again until my mid 20’s. I started lifting to gain muscle and lose fat and I just wanted to feel better. Immediately I had more energy, and lost about 40 pounds. My first date with my husband, Barclay, we went to the gym and then out to dinner, so we have committed to this together for a long time. As a kid Barclay worked out at Harry Smith’s gym in Tampa where Frank Zane trained. He introduced me to Frank at last year’s Arnold Classic. I trained this way for about 10 years and really felt good keeping in shape. Then, in 1999, Barclay trained at a gym in Lakeland, FL called All American Gym and they had meet results posted on walls. Kim Austin had some of the AAU state records and was the same size as me (105 lbs.). It looked like with some work, many of them were within reach. The very first meet I entered was a Deadlift competition. I was so excited to have pulled 200 lbs., it was almost twice my bodyweight. In fact, I thought I could have pulled 205! Anyway, I started getting records right away and have been hooked ever since.
My first equipped meet was in July 1999. It was the Senior Nationals in Daytona Beach, FL, at Kieran Kidder’s Huge Iron Gym (his first meet too!). There I met Mike Farantelli who encouraged me and helped me with the gear and training techniques. Neither Barclay nor I knew anything about gear. My inauguration to lifting had begun. I squatted 265, benched 143 and pulled 231 at 105 lbs. Through the years I have gone up a few weights classes (and gone back down). This past year I have lifted at 105, 114, 123, and 132 lbs.
4. Where do you train and who are your training partners?
I have two gym memberships in Bradenton. One is a regular gym that caters to the “normal crowd” near my home and one is a more hardcore true powerlifting gym across town where the real strong boys go and they help me when I train heavy. It is called Muscle Works. We have quite a few powerlifters there. Then I have a small gym at home, one at our farm, and an Olympic platform at the lake in Kentucky. I would like to thank John Inzer and Inzer Advanced Designs for providing me with the best gear possible. It is a great benefit which has been a real boost to my lifting! I want to mention my training partner, Mike Alloco, who spots me on my heavy squats and comes to most of the meets. His help has been so valuable! And most of all, I would like to thank my family for their help and support.
5. What is you’re best squat, bench, deadlift and totals for each weight class that you have competed in?
My best lifts this past year have been the following:
Weight Class/Bodyweight/Squat/Bench/Deadlift/Total
105 lbs./104/462/209/380/1,051 - 10X bodyweight!
114 lbs./114/475/240/430/1,145 – 10X bodyweight!
123 lbs./118.5/480/255/450/1,185 - 10X bodyweight!
132 lbs./124/485/248/446 - 1,179
6. What is the highlight of your powerlifting career?
The highlight of my lifting year has been at the AWPC Worlds in Chicago this past August. I was injured before the meet due to a fall water skiing while on vacation at the lake in Kentucky. I had to go to the chiropractor the 3 weeks before the meet and could not do any of my heavy lifts. God and Dr. Woosley performed some great therapy! Since I was down in weight a bit, Barclay decided to lift me at 105 lbs. I did some severe weight loss the last 3 days prior to the meet and Barclay had to carry me to the weigh-in at 4:05PM, ten minutes before the close. I made it. I rehydrated with electrolytes and ate modestly. The next day I squatted 462 lbs., which is now the new all-time historical squat record at 105, beating the old record held by a Russian girl by 22 lbs.! This was quite a surprise considering I almost didn’t compete when I realized I had pulled out a rib water skiing three weeks before.
This past year I have totaled 10x bodyweight in three weight classes: 105, 114 and 123 lbs. I made Michael Soong’s list for the number 1 woman in the world with my squat and total in the 105 lb. weight class.
7. Do you follow the Westside template of Dynamic and Max Effort days? Outline your training week for us.
I usually will do a heavy day and a speed day for upper body and legs usually 72 hours apart if I do not have a meet coming up. I have found that this takes the constant stress off the body when one is lifting heavy basically all the time or year-round. This would mean doing box squats on Tuesdays and maybe some speed deadlifts. Lately, however, I seem to always have a meet a few months around the corner so I have started incorporating regular deadlifts into my training cycle on Tuesdays replacing the box squats and speed pulls. The speed workout can be just as demanding as the heavy Deadlift training but in a different way. So, I follow quite a few of the Westside principles but it is a modified routine. I do quite a few meets every year so my training varies some depending on what I have coming up, but I’ll lay out the foundation here:
Sunday – Speed Bench:
▪ Bench press: 9 sets of 3 reps, raw using 40-50% of my max shirted bench with doubled mini bands or chains narrowing my grip with each set of 3
▪ Incline bench WG: usually sets of 8-10 reps going up in weight each week
▪ JM Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
▪ Tricep push-downs: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Dips sometimes either weighted or on a machine: 3 sets of 10 reps
Tuesday – Speed Squats/Deadlifts:
▪ Sumo deadlifts: up to a max 3, 80%-90% of my contest max, and then one final set as many as I can get
▪ Rack pulls from just below knees: 3 sets of 5-6 reps
▪ Glute Ham Raises: 4 sets of 10-12 reps or Reverse Hypers: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Speed squats on a 12” box with chains or bands from the bottom: 10-12 sets of 2 reps
▪ Speed pulls with 60-70% of 1 rep max
Wednesday – Max Effort Bench:
▪ Flat bench: up to 1-3 reps, then sometimes a downset of 10-12 reps
▪ Incline bench: usually sets of 8-10 reps going up in weight each week
▪ Board Presses: working up to a triple or double with different boards
▪ Dumbbell pause presses: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Skull crushers: 3-4 sets of 10 reps
▪ Lying dumbbell extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps
Thursday – Back
▪ Pulls-ups or lat pull downs: 6-10 sets of 6-10 reps
▪ Biangular machine pull-downs: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Seated rows: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Bent Over Rows: 4 sets of 10 reps
Friday – Shoulders
▪ Biangular machine front shoulder press: 4 sets of 10 reps
▪ Dumbbell press: 4 sets of 10 reps
▪ Dumbbell lateral and front raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
▪ Heavy shrugs: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
Saturday – Max Effort Squat
▪ Squats: using monolift working up to a max or either 5,4,3,2, or 1 rep; usually 3 heavy work sets over 90%
▪ Heavy Partial Squats: 4-5 sets of 5 reps working up to 100 lbs. over max squat or Leg Sled: 4-5 sets of 10 reps working up in weight
▪ Hack Squats: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
▪ Leg extensions: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
▪ Leg curls: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
▪ Calves, seated or standing: 3-4 sets of 10-20 reps
I also try to do restoration training if time allows following some of my heavier days just to help get blood flow into the muscle and to help recovery. I also believe in GPP and do some when I can.
8. Who do you draw your inspiration or motivation from?
I am basically self-motivated. I learned how to focus my energy early on and mental discipline came with that. Striving to be the best violinist that I could be and getting through dental school taught me a lot about fine-tuning my mind and body to achieve the best that I could.
9. Has there been any one breakthrough in your training you'd like to share?
If you try something different and don’t succeed immediately, do not quit! Keep on trying and be patient with yourself. Adopt a learning curve attitude. Consistency in training and attention to detail with every rep is so important to succeed in this sport. Everyone wants instant gratification and that seldom happens. For example, when I first switched over from conventional to sumo deadlifting, I was so much weaker sumo-style. I did not let that discourage me and I kept on with it. I continually focused on building up my abductors and adductors through various exercises. A few months later I couldn’t believe how much stronger I was pulling sumo and I have surpassed my conventional deadlift by over 100 lbs.! Never quit learning and be patient!
10. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I would consider my greatest achievement in powerlifting to be getting the number 1 ranking in the 105 lb. class for the squat and the total in all time historical women’s powerlifting top 20 world rankings by Michael Soong.
11. Does nutrition and supplementation factor into your lifting success?
I take a lot of supplements. I started supplementing before I started powerlifting for health/longevity. As my knowledge base grew I was made aware of all the benefits one can achieve through the use of supplements. Some of the supplements that I take are the following: protein isolate, glutamine, creatine, BCAA’s, CoQ10, DHEA, NO2, Vitamins A, C, and E, ALA, Chromium, digestive enzymes, glucosamine, fish oil, green barley, a multivitamin and ionic minerals. I have never been injured lifting and I attribute my success to using the correct supplements and a healthy diet. For me it has been hard work (which I love), consistency and no training injuries.
12. You operate a thriving dental practice, have teen-age children you are involved with, and play violin in an orchestra. How do you prioritize to find time for all of this?
I am often asked how I find time to do all that I do. It’s not easy balancing a full time dental practice, two demanding teen-aged daughters, a husband, and being a violinist with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. My comment to that is usually that I don’t watch TV! I also try to make every moment count and don’t make excuses not to train. I still like to take a night off every now and then but I stay focused on what I have to do accomplish and my goals for lifting. The key for me is consistency and having mental discipline. I am not a quitter and never have been.
13. Who are your sponsors?
John Inzer provides me with the best possible powerlifting gear available. I can not thank him enough for his sponsorship and believing in me. Having the right equipment is critical to performing at one’s best! I am not sponsored by any nutritional companies and am currently looking for one to provide me with the best supplements possible.
14. What message would you send to women to encourage them to lift and compete?
I see a lot of female lifters that have excelled in one or more sports in the past and take on powerlifting. A lot of these women are truly gifted athletically and enjoy the lifting. But all too often they quit too soon. They get frustrated when they can’t win right away. It seems as if so many of them want to come to the meets and set records immediately. They get upset if they can’t beat me or anyone else at the top. I didn’t start out winning right away or being at the top with all the records. It took time and perseverance. I also never try to compete against anyone but myself. Often, I see lifters trying to calculate their lifts to beat someone and this ends up backfiring. I just try to go out there and lift as much as I can and if I can lift more than I did at the last meet I am always happy! (Well, unless I get a bad call on a squat.)
15. What are your competition plans for the rest of 2008?
My immediate goal this year is to be nationally ranked in four different weight classes: 105, 114, 123 and 132. I also plan to get the historical all-time high in the squat, deadlift and total at 114lbs. and to continue improving.
16. Do you have any final comments?
I truly love powerlifting. It is my passion. It teaches one mental focus, discipline, and dedication. You have to be absolutely convinced that you can accomplish your goal. Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently asked how his background in bodybuilding helped him to become one of America’s greatest leaders. His reply: “If you have 500 pounds of weight in front of you, the only way you know you can lift it is if you try.” So true! If you fail, then you keep on trying until you make it.
This sport is unique in that it has a remarkable camaraderie. Many have helped me in my achievements and this “helpfulness attitude” is prevalent at meets. More often than not others are encouraging each other. Many difficult personalities blend together and encouragement seems to be the norm. Considering all the muscle and adrenalin, meets are generally very positive experiences, which says a lot for our sport. See you at the next meet!
Thank you for your time Margaret and good luck on your quest of breaking the historical all-time records in the squat, deadlift and total at 114 lbs.
By Cheryl Clodfelter and Steve Maxson
April, 2008
Margaret Kirkland has set numerous records, competed in the WPO at the Arnold, claimed the #1 spot in the Squat in the 114 lb. weight class (topping the men) and the #2 Total in the 114's, and has had her picture on the cover of PLUSA
1. Please share some background information with the NC Powerlifters: Hometown, education, family, career?
I live in Bradenton, Fl with my husband Barclay and two teenage daughters, Cari and Chloe. My husband and I are both dentists and I have a full-time dental practice. I come from 5 generations of professional violinists beginning with my great great grandfather Gindi from Austria, so I grew up playing and performing with orchestras and ensembles. Currently I play with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. My daughters also do lifting, both Olympic lifting and powerlifting. They both lettered on the Manatee High School team and both won the Sunshine State Games last year. My husband helps all three of us call our lifts at various meets we do. We sometimes all train together but because of very different and busy schedules, sometimes that is impossible to do. So, as a result, I train by myself or with some of the guys at Muscle Works Gym.
2. Where you athletic growing up?
I played tennis and softball in school but was not very fit. After college and while in dental school I decided to get in better shape and I started lifting weights. I had become overweight from spending all my time studying and it was a challenge to get the weight off. I started running for my cardiovascular health and the pounds started dropping. I quickly found out how strong I was once I focused on lifting. I felt like I had more natural strength than most women I would see in the gym and I didn’t mind pushing my body to its limits to reap the benefits. I also enjoyed being able to lift more weight than a lot of the guys around me.
3. When did you start powerlifting and what brought you into the sport?
At the age of 4, my father started me squatting. He was a powerlifter and had the Michigan bench press record back then. None of his friends believed him when he told them he had me squatting 70 lbs. as a skinny little 4-year-old. Since seeing me on the cover of the Powerlifting USA, his friends finally believe him now! After my parents divorced I didn’t pick up lifting again until my mid 20’s. I started lifting to gain muscle and lose fat and I just wanted to feel better. Immediately I had more energy, and lost about 40 pounds. My first date with my husband, Barclay, we went to the gym and then out to dinner, so we have committed to this together for a long time. As a kid Barclay worked out at Harry Smith’s gym in Tampa where Frank Zane trained. He introduced me to Frank at last year’s Arnold Classic. I trained this way for about 10 years and really felt good keeping in shape. Then, in 1999, Barclay trained at a gym in Lakeland, FL called All American Gym and they had meet results posted on walls. Kim Austin had some of the AAU state records and was the same size as me (105 lbs.). It looked like with some work, many of them were within reach. The very first meet I entered was a Deadlift competition. I was so excited to have pulled 200 lbs., it was almost twice my bodyweight. In fact, I thought I could have pulled 205! Anyway, I started getting records right away and have been hooked ever since.
My first equipped meet was in July 1999. It was the Senior Nationals in Daytona Beach, FL, at Kieran Kidder’s Huge Iron Gym (his first meet too!). There I met Mike Farantelli who encouraged me and helped me with the gear and training techniques. Neither Barclay nor I knew anything about gear. My inauguration to lifting had begun. I squatted 265, benched 143 and pulled 231 at 105 lbs. Through the years I have gone up a few weights classes (and gone back down). This past year I have lifted at 105, 114, 123, and 132 lbs.
4. Where do you train and who are your training partners?
I have two gym memberships in Bradenton. One is a regular gym that caters to the “normal crowd” near my home and one is a more hardcore true powerlifting gym across town where the real strong boys go and they help me when I train heavy. It is called Muscle Works. We have quite a few powerlifters there. Then I have a small gym at home, one at our farm, and an Olympic platform at the lake in Kentucky. I would like to thank John Inzer and Inzer Advanced Designs for providing me with the best gear possible. It is a great benefit which has been a real boost to my lifting! I want to mention my training partner, Mike Alloco, who spots me on my heavy squats and comes to most of the meets. His help has been so valuable! And most of all, I would like to thank my family for their help and support.
5. What is you’re best squat, bench, deadlift and totals for each weight class that you have competed in?
My best lifts this past year have been the following:
Weight Class/Bodyweight/Squat/Bench/Deadlift/Total
105 lbs./104/462/209/380/1,051 - 10X bodyweight!
114 lbs./114/475/240/430/1,145 – 10X bodyweight!
123 lbs./118.5/480/255/450/1,185 - 10X bodyweight!
132 lbs./124/485/248/446 - 1,179
6. What is the highlight of your powerlifting career?
The highlight of my lifting year has been at the AWPC Worlds in Chicago this past August. I was injured before the meet due to a fall water skiing while on vacation at the lake in Kentucky. I had to go to the chiropractor the 3 weeks before the meet and could not do any of my heavy lifts. God and Dr. Woosley performed some great therapy! Since I was down in weight a bit, Barclay decided to lift me at 105 lbs. I did some severe weight loss the last 3 days prior to the meet and Barclay had to carry me to the weigh-in at 4:05PM, ten minutes before the close. I made it. I rehydrated with electrolytes and ate modestly. The next day I squatted 462 lbs., which is now the new all-time historical squat record at 105, beating the old record held by a Russian girl by 22 lbs.! This was quite a surprise considering I almost didn’t compete when I realized I had pulled out a rib water skiing three weeks before.
This past year I have totaled 10x bodyweight in three weight classes: 105, 114 and 123 lbs. I made Michael Soong’s list for the number 1 woman in the world with my squat and total in the 105 lb. weight class.
7. Do you follow the Westside template of Dynamic and Max Effort days? Outline your training week for us.
I usually will do a heavy day and a speed day for upper body and legs usually 72 hours apart if I do not have a meet coming up. I have found that this takes the constant stress off the body when one is lifting heavy basically all the time or year-round. This would mean doing box squats on Tuesdays and maybe some speed deadlifts. Lately, however, I seem to always have a meet a few months around the corner so I have started incorporating regular deadlifts into my training cycle on Tuesdays replacing the box squats and speed pulls. The speed workout can be just as demanding as the heavy Deadlift training but in a different way. So, I follow quite a few of the Westside principles but it is a modified routine. I do quite a few meets every year so my training varies some depending on what I have coming up, but I’ll lay out the foundation here:
Sunday – Speed Bench:
▪ Bench press: 9 sets of 3 reps, raw using 40-50% of my max shirted bench with doubled mini bands or chains narrowing my grip with each set of 3
▪ Incline bench WG: usually sets of 8-10 reps going up in weight each week
▪ JM Press: 3 sets of 10 reps
▪ Tricep push-downs: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Dips sometimes either weighted or on a machine: 3 sets of 10 reps
Tuesday – Speed Squats/Deadlifts:
▪ Sumo deadlifts: up to a max 3, 80%-90% of my contest max, and then one final set as many as I can get
▪ Rack pulls from just below knees: 3 sets of 5-6 reps
▪ Glute Ham Raises: 4 sets of 10-12 reps or Reverse Hypers: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Speed squats on a 12” box with chains or bands from the bottom: 10-12 sets of 2 reps
▪ Speed pulls with 60-70% of 1 rep max
Wednesday – Max Effort Bench:
▪ Flat bench: up to 1-3 reps, then sometimes a downset of 10-12 reps
▪ Incline bench: usually sets of 8-10 reps going up in weight each week
▪ Board Presses: working up to a triple or double with different boards
▪ Dumbbell pause presses: 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Skull crushers: 3-4 sets of 10 reps
▪ Lying dumbbell extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps
Thursday – Back
▪ Pulls-ups or lat pull downs: 6-10 sets of 6-10 reps
▪ Biangular machine pull-downs: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Seated rows: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
▪ Bent Over Rows: 4 sets of 10 reps
Friday – Shoulders
▪ Biangular machine front shoulder press: 4 sets of 10 reps
▪ Dumbbell press: 4 sets of 10 reps
▪ Dumbbell lateral and front raises: 3 sets of 10 reps
▪ Heavy shrugs: 3-4 sets of 6-10 reps
Saturday – Max Effort Squat
▪ Squats: using monolift working up to a max or either 5,4,3,2, or 1 rep; usually 3 heavy work sets over 90%
▪ Heavy Partial Squats: 4-5 sets of 5 reps working up to 100 lbs. over max squat or Leg Sled: 4-5 sets of 10 reps working up in weight
▪ Hack Squats: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
▪ Leg extensions: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
▪ Leg curls: 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps
▪ Calves, seated or standing: 3-4 sets of 10-20 reps
I also try to do restoration training if time allows following some of my heavier days just to help get blood flow into the muscle and to help recovery. I also believe in GPP and do some when I can.
8. Who do you draw your inspiration or motivation from?
I am basically self-motivated. I learned how to focus my energy early on and mental discipline came with that. Striving to be the best violinist that I could be and getting through dental school taught me a lot about fine-tuning my mind and body to achieve the best that I could.
9. Has there been any one breakthrough in your training you'd like to share?
If you try something different and don’t succeed immediately, do not quit! Keep on trying and be patient with yourself. Adopt a learning curve attitude. Consistency in training and attention to detail with every rep is so important to succeed in this sport. Everyone wants instant gratification and that seldom happens. For example, when I first switched over from conventional to sumo deadlifting, I was so much weaker sumo-style. I did not let that discourage me and I kept on with it. I continually focused on building up my abductors and adductors through various exercises. A few months later I couldn’t believe how much stronger I was pulling sumo and I have surpassed my conventional deadlift by over 100 lbs.! Never quit learning and be patient!
10. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I would consider my greatest achievement in powerlifting to be getting the number 1 ranking in the 105 lb. class for the squat and the total in all time historical women’s powerlifting top 20 world rankings by Michael Soong.
11. Does nutrition and supplementation factor into your lifting success?
I take a lot of supplements. I started supplementing before I started powerlifting for health/longevity. As my knowledge base grew I was made aware of all the benefits one can achieve through the use of supplements. Some of the supplements that I take are the following: protein isolate, glutamine, creatine, BCAA’s, CoQ10, DHEA, NO2, Vitamins A, C, and E, ALA, Chromium, digestive enzymes, glucosamine, fish oil, green barley, a multivitamin and ionic minerals. I have never been injured lifting and I attribute my success to using the correct supplements and a healthy diet. For me it has been hard work (which I love), consistency and no training injuries.
12. You operate a thriving dental practice, have teen-age children you are involved with, and play violin in an orchestra. How do you prioritize to find time for all of this?
I am often asked how I find time to do all that I do. It’s not easy balancing a full time dental practice, two demanding teen-aged daughters, a husband, and being a violinist with the Sarasota Pops Orchestra. My comment to that is usually that I don’t watch TV! I also try to make every moment count and don’t make excuses not to train. I still like to take a night off every now and then but I stay focused on what I have to do accomplish and my goals for lifting. The key for me is consistency and having mental discipline. I am not a quitter and never have been.
13. Who are your sponsors?
John Inzer provides me with the best possible powerlifting gear available. I can not thank him enough for his sponsorship and believing in me. Having the right equipment is critical to performing at one’s best! I am not sponsored by any nutritional companies and am currently looking for one to provide me with the best supplements possible.
14. What message would you send to women to encourage them to lift and compete?
I see a lot of female lifters that have excelled in one or more sports in the past and take on powerlifting. A lot of these women are truly gifted athletically and enjoy the lifting. But all too often they quit too soon. They get frustrated when they can’t win right away. It seems as if so many of them want to come to the meets and set records immediately. They get upset if they can’t beat me or anyone else at the top. I didn’t start out winning right away or being at the top with all the records. It took time and perseverance. I also never try to compete against anyone but myself. Often, I see lifters trying to calculate their lifts to beat someone and this ends up backfiring. I just try to go out there and lift as much as I can and if I can lift more than I did at the last meet I am always happy! (Well, unless I get a bad call on a squat.)
15. What are your competition plans for the rest of 2008?
My immediate goal this year is to be nationally ranked in four different weight classes: 105, 114, 123 and 132. I also plan to get the historical all-time high in the squat, deadlift and total at 114lbs. and to continue improving.
16. Do you have any final comments?
I truly love powerlifting. It is my passion. It teaches one mental focus, discipline, and dedication. You have to be absolutely convinced that you can accomplish your goal. Arnold Schwarzenegger was recently asked how his background in bodybuilding helped him to become one of America’s greatest leaders. His reply: “If you have 500 pounds of weight in front of you, the only way you know you can lift it is if you try.” So true! If you fail, then you keep on trying until you make it.
This sport is unique in that it has a remarkable camaraderie. Many have helped me in my achievements and this “helpfulness attitude” is prevalent at meets. More often than not others are encouraging each other. Many difficult personalities blend together and encouragement seems to be the norm. Considering all the muscle and adrenalin, meets are generally very positive experiences, which says a lot for our sport. See you at the next meet!
Thank you for your time Margaret and good luck on your quest of breaking the historical all-time records in the squat, deadlift and total at 114 lbs.