RAISING THE BAR
Poorna Bell reveals how taking up powerlifting has helped her become physically and mentally stronger
Powerlifting has given Poorna Bell new-found strength inside and out
It is one of the best, most rewarding things in my life
Afew months ago, I had just finished my third powerlifting competition in a huge, draughty gym. When they announced the winner of the best female lifter trophy, and I realised they were calling my name, I was so shocked, I didn’t even register it at first. It wasn’t where I expected to be at the age of 39. I wasn’t remotely competitive at sports in school and was bad at all of them. Weightlifting wasn’t an option for girls, and it certainly wasn’t something I felt encouraged to try in the gyms I joined as an adult. Fitness, to me, had always been couched in terms of penance for whatever I’d eaten and, barring the days when I might go for a run, it usually meant a lot of joyless hours on the cross-trainer or stationary bike.
About five years ago, my life changed for ever when my husband, Rob, took his own life. In the first year, I don’t really remember much beyond going to work, eating food and intermittently going for a run. When the mist began to clear, I realised I’d have to adapt and evolve to a life without Rob in it. As painful as that was, it was also realising that physically, I had always relied on him to lift the heavy things around the house, or our bags when we went on holiday. I was faced with two options: either constantly rely on other people, or try to do it myself.
STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
Never having been very good at asking for help, I chose the latter but realised I had no idea about how to get strong, or lift weights. The free weights section of a gym had always seemed off-putting and intimidating. So I hired a trainer to show me the basics, and slowly built up my confidence. But I was still held back by worries about becoming too bulky and my body changing too much.
Eighteen months ago, I was carrying some extra weight I desperately wanted to lose and I found a new trainer called Jacek Toczydlowski. A couple of months in, my gym announced it was running an unofficial powerlifting competition, and I was invited to take part. I laughed – even the word sounded terrifying – but, when I talked to Jacek, I found out that he was a professional powerlifter. He explained that powerlifting is essentially performing three lifts – squat, bench and deadlift
– at the heaviest weight you can manage.
That competition was the first time I actually felt joyful when doing fitness. It was hugely fun and changed what I thought I knew about weightlifting. On the day, everyone was helping each other out, and there was none of the swagger and ego
I was expecting.
However, women lifting weights is still not the norm. I received comments from well-meaning people voicing concern about whether I’d injure myself, and also about my physique changing. I wasn’t getting very muscular, but I also wasn’t as small as I used to be. It’s a miracle I managed to overcome the comments and keep going, but I’m so glad I did. Weightlifting is one of the best, most rewarding things in my life.
GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WEIGHTLIFT
The truth is, anyone can powerlift. It’s a brilliant form of exercise, especially for women as we’re getting older, because it’s cardiovascular, it’s good for preventing osteoporosis, and if you train in a safe way and gradually increase the weights, the risk of injury is actually much lower than some high-impact sports. There is also no age limit when it comes to competing, so I could do this until I am well into my 70s.
Powerlifting may sound scary and seem overtly masculine, but what I’ve experienced through training and meeting lots of other women on a similar journey is that it teaches you so much about your own abilities. The blocks we put in place around our own strength don’t really make sense, when you consider that actually all you’re doing is making yourself more independent, empowered and capable.
And it’s not just about what I might win in a competition. It’s about the confidence this gives me in every other aspect of my life, whether that’s holding my head high while walking down the street or feeling self-assured in a meeting. I can’t imagine how far I would have come if I’d been taught all of this a long time ago, but at least I am here now. In Search Of Silence by Poorna Bell (Simon & Schuster) is out now