Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo

This is a sponsored feature. All opinions are 100% from Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hawaii chapter.

Nothing is hotter than a girl who can LIFT!

That’s not the reason why I got into powerlifting, but it is an ego-booster when I tell my tinder dates I’m a powerlifter. I got into powerlifting due to general interest and it boosted my confidence like no other.

A little bit of background before we dive into the good stuff! I used to be roughly around 170lbs and had little to no confidence whatsoever. It was only till I cut down to one dinner, water, and a lot of walking that I dropped to 140lbs. I know, 30lbs! That is a lot of weight to lose for doing just the bare minimum. Dropping those 30lbs boosted my confidence a bit; It boosted my confidence enough to where I dared to get a 24hr membership.

Going to a gym was super intimidating and uncomfortable but you gotta do what you gotta do. I used to be somebody that worked out solely for appearances. So most of my workouts revolved around weight loss, weight loss, weight loss. After going to the gym for about three weeks I realized I hated doing accessories, running, and all these cardio-bunny shit. My goals began to change when I started noticing other guys at the gym lifting some HEAVY weights. 

I had an epiphany. I wanted to be just as or stronger than the guys at my gym.

I switched my interests into powerlifting. Powerlifting consists of three movements—squat, bench, and deadlift. I have never touched the barbell EVER in my life. I was already super shy and scared of the gym, so it took a lot of courage for me to even touch a barbell. When I did get the courage, I was already making a fool of myself. Like SIS IT WAS SO BAD! The rack was too high for me to comfortably unrack a bar because I never worked with a rack before. So, whenever I would unrack or rack the barbell I had to tippy-toe. I’m so glad somebody saw my dumbass because I would’ve gotten hurt.

The kind stranger gave me some tips and advice on how to start and I kinda just ran with it. I never really did much research behind the sport, which is why I spent two years bullshitting my program and relied on newbie gains. It was only till I got a coach I decided to become serious about the sport. 

The benefits I noticed after the first two years of powerlifting is my ass looked SO GOOD, my chest muscles began to develop which made my itty-bitty-titties looking like I got something and so much confidence in the gym. When I started hitting bigger numbers my confidence and comfort in the gym have grown so much. I never felt more comfortable in my body ever since. 

I highly suggest trying the sport out and see if you like it. There are a lot of physical benefits as well as mental benefits. I would definitely look up other girls that powerlift! The Instagram accounts I normally find inspiration/motivation from are @jgglybuff and @liftingnhude. Also, follow my coach @thekoreanhulk!

Your physical strength translates to mental strength and that shit is amazing. 

Carena Pham

Hawaii '20

Hi, my name is Carena! I am currently a senior in UHM majoring in English. I'm excited to write freely without the weight of an assignment looming over me. With all the busyness of college and work, writing apart from school helps me keep my skills up to date! Aside from writing I enjoy going to the gym! I enjoy powerlifting and the occasional cardio (once every blood moon/eclipse). Check out my blog! https://karinacarena.wordpress.com