A 63-year-old Saskatoon woman has broken 10 national records in powerlifting.
Janet Hills, weighing in at 92 pounds, trains three days a week at Mackie Physiotherapy and adds an additional day closer to competitions.
Powerlifting consists of three different lifts: squats, bench press and deadlifts. Over the past two years, the retired physiotherapist took her training to the next level as she starred in the Western Canadian Powerlifting Championships.
“The first experience was a year ago, and that’s where I actually set the records. There was nobody in those categories and this time my goal was to see if I could improve on those records and so with eight successful lifts, I set 10 new records. I don’t think I fit the stereotype of what they think a powerlifter looks like.
“That’s the advantage of being old and small, because there aren’t a lot of puny old people lifting weights.”
Her first taste of competition started with triathlons, then led to CrossFit. The intense workouts eventually caught up to her due to injuries. Physiotherapy took Hills to her new passion.
“Part of the treatment was strengthening. When the treatment was actively finished and my back felt better, I wanted to continue in some forms, so here they had strengthening classes and that’s what got me started.”
Hills can squat 171 lbs., bench press 100 lbs. and deadlift 205 lbs., more than double her body weight. Hills wants to take her ability to a national level.
“It makes me very happy and very proud that the hard work I’ve put in to and the consistency has paid off.”.
So what advice would Hills give to those considering powerlifting?
“Well I hope that in powerlifting, because it goes by weight and age, that you can lift at whatever size you’re at and whatever age you’re at. Give it a try, if you’ve ever thought about it, give it a shot.”
