Women can be successful powerlifters too
BROADACRES – A motivational story to all women who aspire to be powerlifters.
Broadacres resident and powerlifter, Michelle Letcher, shared her experience of her participation at the World Powerlifting Championships in Texas, USA.
She came third in the championships and received a gold medal in her category for the deadlifts. “It is amazing that I managed to achieve all of this in two years of training and being on a vegetarian diet which includes eggs, cottage cheese and a few different types of protein supplements,” Letcher said.
She added that she started competing as a powerlifter two years ago at the age of 43. “Powerlifting takes a lot of strength and requires you to be healthy by eating the right type of food that will give you strength. Being a vegetarian, I have to make sure I eat the right amount of protein and food to keep fit and strong in order to lift the weights,” she said.
Letcher added that she was very active and sporty when growing up and played provincial volleyball. She used to spend hours in the gym doing back squats, back lifts and high lifts and it was her coach who spotted her natural gift for powerlifting.
She was selected to represent South Africa at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in December last year in Vancouver Canada.
“With me sharing my journey, I wish to remove the stigma in female powerlifting that women need to be buff and masculine in order to be considered the best. I believe you can also be feminine and lean and do well as a powerlifter,” Letcher said.
“I am trying to eradicate the old fashioned way of thinking as I am trying to get more and more women to join and get experience in powerlifting. “Women out there should know that they too can do it.”
She is a health and wellness specialist at Virgin Active in Bryanston.
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