Category: Uncategorized

Episode one of the Kennedy Lifts podcast is a list of things you need to know before you start lifting. From nutrition to commands, join me and tune in to the first episode!

I chose this Slideshare to incorporate some nutritional information. Eating is a very big aspect of health and fitness, possibly the most important.

People start Powerlifting for different reasons. Including: to improve health and fitness, wanting to live up to a certain standard, or wanting to change your physique. All of these reasons are why I joined the Powerlifting community.

Where I started:

Like I stated in my first blog post “You may be wondering how a 120 pound, 14-year-old girl got into Powerlifting?” Well, I started powerlifting because I got really interested in health and fitness. The first sport I started watching and enjoyed was CrossFit. I watched it every moment I could. Then soon realized I would not participate in CrossFit because it can have really intense cardio and I have asthma induced by strenuous activity. I needed to find a sport that’s competitive with no cardio. I stumbled upon Powerlifting and knew It was the sport for me. I’ve been lifting for about 3 years now.

Living up to a standard:

I also wanted to be in a sport because my brother wrestled in high school and my mom LOVED going to his competitions. Unfortunately, he was injured and cannot wrestle anymore. So I wanted to give her the same feeling of screaming and cheering in the stands and watching her child win. I’m not a wrestler so the next best thing was Powerlifting.

Improving health and fitness:

Another reason I started to lift is because I want to improve my health and fitness and change my physique. So I wanted to start exercising and in my mind eating better comes with that. I wanted to get strong like all the women I see competing in the CrossFit games, have muscles, and get big and bulky. Powerlifting would help me build muscle and contribute to my new fitness lifestyle.

So far in my Powerlifting career, I have found many wonderful coaches, friends, and acquaintances. I am grateful for everyone that has helped and believed in me. How did you start lifting? Are you considering? Let me know down below. To read more of my blogs click here. Until next time, keep lifting!

Meet Prep! Everybody has different ways to prepare for a competition. Some people gain weight. Others cut weight. Some people don’t even have a meet prep plan and go in and try to do their best no matter weight or strength. In today’s post, I’m going to tell you how I am preparing for an upcoming meet.

Water cuts:

The act of cutting water is basically overloading yourself with water. About 5 days before a meet competitors will double the amount of water they drink for two days, triple the amount of intake for another two days, and drink no water on the day of weigh-ins (if you’re doing an early weigh-in) or the day before if you’re weighing in on the day of the meet. When you don’t drink any water on the last day your body is tricking itself to think you’re still drinking a huge amount of water. You’ll then continue to urinate all of the water weight in your body out. Which results in weight loss (not permanent).

I am currently about 128 lbs. I want to compete in the 123 lb weight class. The way weight classes work is if you want to compete in the 123 lb weight class you have to be 123lb or below. I still have to drop a little more than five pounds so I plan to do a water cut.

Body Recomposition: 

This is the act of losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. You’ll consume around 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Large amounts of protein help retain muscle mass when you do a body recomposition period.

I am trying to consume around 130 grams of protein per day. I want to retain/gain as much muscle as possible before this meet so I don’t lose any strength during the water cut.

Training: 

Below is my training program that I have been following for about a month.

For the last 2 weeks of training I have and will continue to increase the weight and lower the reps. This week (3 weeks out) I will be doing 5 sets of 3 reps. Next week (2 weeks out) I will be doing 5 sets of 2 reps. Then the weekend before the competition I will participate in a mock meet (AKA a fake meet to see what weight you want to attempt in the real competition) the last week before the competition I will take off to recover, rest, and get massages. 

My competition is on May 22, 2021. I will keep you updated on my attempts and how I do. Do you have any competitions coming up? Any suggestions, tips, or questions for me and my prep? Let me know down below. For more information on weight classes and determining where you want to be you can visit this website. Until next time, keep lifting.

When you go to the gym there are a lot of different people coming to the gym for a lot of different things. There are people that go for Spin class, Pilates, Boxing, and a lot of other fitness classes. I go to the gym specifically for Powerlifting. Which I personally think has the most obnoxious people out of any other group at the gym. 

The Creeper:

It is ridiculous how many times I’ve heard my friends and/or other ladies at the gym complaining about men staring at them while they lift. This goes for women as well. You shouldn’t be creeping on people at the gym. Man or woman. Focus on yourself and getting to your goal. Not looking at someone’s butt.

The Music Person:

There is a specific guy at my gym that likes to come in and blast his music on his speaker. WHILE there is music playing through the gym’s speaker. I understand that the music pumps you up and helps you psych yourself up but I don’t want to hear your screamo music. Put some headphones in. Please and thank you!

The Dirty One:

With the Covid-19 pandemic still going on my gym has set out disinfectant stations and encourages people to wipe off any equipment they touch to keep everything clean. Some people think that rule doesn’t apply to them. WE ARE STILL IN A PANDEMIC! You need to do your part to keep people safe. People also like to leave their equipment out. If you took a barbell off the rack and you’re done with it. Put it back. It’s not that hard. Thankkkkssss.

What to do in these situations:

If you find yourself in any of these situations you should handle it properly. If you are being harassed and you feel uncomfortable I think you should do something about it. Whether it’s talking to the person that is making you uncomfortable or going to someone higher up to handle the situation. You should never feel unsafe. If you’re in the other two predicaments you can politely ask for them to turn their music down or to clean their equipment/area.

Do you guys have people like this at your gym? what other things at the gym get your gears grinding? If you want to see another interpretation of different types of people at the gym. I found this article to be pretty funny.
Until next time, keep lifting!

In Powerlifting there are three lifts. Squat, bench press, and deadlift. In a competition, you will usually lift in that order. In today’s post, I will be teaching you how to do these lifts.

Squat:

The first lift of any competition. Squats focus on glutes and quads. To set up for a squat you need to figure out your stance. Are you more comfortable with your feet closer together or farther apart? The farther apart your legs are the less range of motion you will have. Once you figure out your stance you’ll find your hand position. When I squat I put my hands on the end of the Knurling (AKA the rough part of the bar). You want your hands close together so you can keep your back tight. When the bar is on your back you should have it up high sitting on your traps (A muscle in your upper back). When you set the bar on your traps it’s like a natural shelf for the bar. Lift the bar off of the rack and get into your stance. Once you are ready you’ll want to bend at the knees keeping your chest up. For a full rep, you’ll want your butt to be parallel to the ground or below. Then push your feet into the ground to get yourself back up. When your knees are locked you’ve done a full rep.

Bench Press:

The bench press is chest centered exercise. The first thing you want to do for this movement is lay down on a flat bench parallel to a bar on a rack. You can lay flat on the bench or use an arch. Many Powerlifters arch their back to shorten the range of motion. With less range of motion, you can put more weight on the bar. The second thing you want to do is get your feet as close to your body as possible while keeping them flat on the ground. Once your body is in a comfortable position you’ll want to find a comfortable position for your hands. When I set up I put the tips of my thumbs on the inside of the knurling, extend my pinky finger as far as I can into a “hang loose” position, and where my pinky lands is where I leave it and grip the bar. Having a wider grip also shortens the range of motion in your bench press. Once you have your hands on the bar lift the bar up off the rack, bring it forward, and have it parallel to your chest. When it is above your chest and your elbows are locked you’ll bring the weight down to your chest, tap your chest lightly, and press it up. When you press the bar up you should push up and back to get it in the same position at the top. Your elbows should be locked out at the top indicating a full rep.

Deadlift (My favorite lift):

Deadlift focus on the quads, hamstrings, and back. There are two basic options you can choose for this lift. Sumo or conventional. I’m going to show you the conventional deadlift first because this is what I use. When deadlifting you want to find the stance you are most comfortable with and apply that to your workout program. I use my weaker stance as an accessory so I can build strength in that lift as well. Keep in mind that it is best to wear flat shoes like Vans or Converse. 

Conventional Deadlift:

In a conventional stance, you’ll want your feet to be about hip-width apart. Since your legs are so close you want your hand to be outside of your legs. Once you find a good place for your hands you’ll want to bend at the knees and squat so your butt is back and you’re parallel to the floor. Straighten your back. It is ALWAYS important to have a Straight back. If your back isn’t straight and you pull with your back and not your legs you can strain/injure your back. Once you are ready to lift the bar off of the ground and drive your legs into the ground and once you’re in a standing position make sure your legs are fully locked out. You just did your first conventional deadlift! 

Sumo deadlift: 

This lift is a variation of a conventional deadlift. When setting up you want a wider stance than conventional. These stances will vary from lifter to lifter. You’ll want to have your hands on the inside this time keeping them in between your legs. Just like a conventional deadlift, you’ll want to squat to be parallel with the floor, butt back, straighten your back, and lift! Making sure to lock out at the top.

Congratulations on getting your first lifts! I hope you all are successful in completing these lifts. If you’re interested in competing you can check out the IPF webpage (International Powerlifting Federation) or check out your local gym. Tell me how it went down below. Did you max out? which was your favorite lift? All that jazz. Until next time, Keep lifting!

Squat, bench press, and deadlift. The three Powerlifting lifts. I’ve been lifting for about three years now. You may be wondering how a 120 lbs, 14 year old girl get into Powerlifting? Well I’ll answer that for you. I became interested in lifting because I was never in a sport or club as a child so I wanted to do something with my life and improve my health and fitness. I searched around for a sport I could join. There are so many options. CrossFit (too much cardio), Olympic Weightlifting (too dangerous), and after a while I came upon Powerlifting.

I’ve been lifting ever since I found out what it was. My local high school just so happened to have a team and I’ve been lifting competitively for two years. Throughout the past couple of years I’ve gained about 60 lbs to my deadlift, 20 lbs to my bench and 30 lbs on my squat. It’d probably be more if I consistently trained. 

My Pr’s as of the end of the 2021:

Squat: 210

Bench: 110

Deadlift: 225

I will be training during the off season from now on so hopefully as a result, I will get to my goal of beating state records in 2022 in the 125 weight class:

Squat: 315

Bench: 140

Deadlift: 295

If you want to see all of the Ohio high school records click here

 I’m constantly doing research, asking questions, and hitting PR’s (personal record(s)). So, any time I have free time I’m learning how to add more to my lifts, how to gain muscle mass, nutrition and overall health. I’m always interested in what’s new.  In short, I believe I will be doing this sport until I physically can’t anymore.

I would love to hear how long have you been lifting and how you started. If you are looking into starting I’d be glad to give some advice.

The Woman, The myth, The legend. Jennifer Blauvelt! My first coach. Someone that many people and myself look up to in my gym.

Jenny was my first coach when I joined the Springfield High School Powerlifting team. I did not know how far our relationship would go and she is still helping me to this day despite me having a different coach. 

I read an article titled “How to spot a Hero”. When I read this I thought of Jenny. She works at a gym called Recovery X located in Springfield, Ohio. She helps people recovering from drug addictions through lifting! We held our last meet of the season at this gym. My team received bracelets that say “Recovery X #NoShame”. I’ve kept this bracelet on ever since I got it to remind myself to keep pushing.

I remember one time she was driving a few of my teammates and myself to a meet in Bradford. It was so much fun! Listening to the stories she and her friend were sharing. That helped me see Jenny as a friend and not just a coach. I am grateful to have her in my life.

You can check out Jenny’s Instagram. See her progress and hopefully get inspired as well.

Do you have anyone in your powerlifting life that you look up to like Jennifer? Tell me down below. Until next time, keep lifting!