To me, strength isn't just being unshakeable. It's showing up anyway, even with shaky hands and a heavy heart. My last powerlifting meet came during a season when everything in my life felt heavy...and not just the barbell. I was overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and honestly I questioned a lot about myself. Training became my anchor. It didn't ask me to be "okay", just to show up the best I could. Every session forced me into the present, offering a break from the chaos outside the gym. When it was time to step onto the platform, I didn't hit every number I wanted. Not even close to new PRs. But I showed up, I lifted, got white lights and a few medals, and I walked away prouder than ever. Powerlifting has made me stronger, for sure, but the kind of strength I'm most proud of from that meet isn't measured in kilograms. - Katie Crawford, NASM Certified Trainer @katiekeepsitreal www.fitblissfitness.com/katie-crawford
What started as a joke with my mate turned into the most disciplined year of training I've ever had. We made a bet: who could squat the most by the end of the year. Winner got a steak dinner. Loser picked up the bill. But the real prize was bragging rights. I added nearly 50kg to my squat chasing that goal. I don't think I've ever trained legs that hard or that consistently. CrossFit comps and powerlifting meets were great, but nothing pushed me like trying to beat your mate. It taught me that consistency over time crushes intensity every time.
I was doing something that felt equally intense: 100 days of Murph. If you're not familiar, the Murph is a CrossFit workout: 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, then another 1-mile run — all while wearing a 20 lb weight vest. I did it every single day for 100 days straight. No rest days. No scaling. Just me, a weight vest, and a countdown clock that felt more like a dare. The physical toll was absurd. By week two, my shoulders felt like glass. By week five, I couldn't sleep because my legs would twitch all night. I once pulled over mid-drive just to cry from sheer fatigue. But that wasn't the hard part. The hardest part was waking up on day 37, 52, 88... knowing exactly how much pain was coming. The mental side of it wrecked me and rebuilt me. It forced me to confront the stories I told myself — about what was "too hard," about what I could or couldn't do. Here's the weird twist: I became emotionally calmer during that stretch. All the typical startup chaos — fundraising fires, app bugs at 2 a.m., whatever — it just stopped rattling me. When your body is in a daily state of hell, emails don't feel like emergencies anymore. I walked away with a completely different barometer for stress. Not a "you can do anything" cliche. More like: you're capable of so much if you're willing to be uncomfortable longer than your brain wants.
One strength training challenge that really pushed me beyond my limits was a local powerlifting competition I participated in last year. I had been lifting for a while, but this event was a step up in terms of intensity. I set a personal goal to deadlift 450 pounds, which was far beyond my usual max. During the competition, I faced a moment where I felt completely exhausted after my second attempt, but I pushed myself through it with the support of the crowd and my fellow competitors. I ended up hitting my goal and even surpassed it by 10 pounds. What I learned from this experience is that mental toughness is just as important as physical strength. It's not just about lifting heavy—it's about staying focused, trusting your training, and knowing when to push through discomfort. That challenge helped me realize my potential and solidified the importance of setting high goals and embracing the journey, even when it gets tough.
Hi, Biking has been my primary fitness activity for years now, but I still am and was heavily into strength training in college to become a better biker. I once participated in a powerlifting competition hosted by my college's strength club/community. Moving away from my primary sport to focus on another domain in a much more serious manner than I ever had taught me more about biking, lifting and fitness all together. Sticking to a rigid and highly consistent schedule involving progressive overload, hyperactively tracking my lifting progress, increasing my protein intake and scheduling my workouts and meals for optimal training results helped me figure out how to optimize my fitness routine in general. Focusing on heavy progressive overloading in a 4-week span also made me realize that rest is equally, if not more, important than your workout. Focusing on fitness crucially required me to take care of my body's needs more than ever, ensuring I don't injure myself in the process. I ended up managing an increase of 20lbs in my bench press PR. Keep in mind that I wasn't lifting too heavy in the first place to make this possible. Learning to expand my body's limits allowed me to grow more in-tune with my fitness. Cheers! Shailen BikingBro.com
About 7 years ago I get in the National Crossfit Games in my country. I was very nervous, I didn't think I'd make it but there I was in the arena competing with so many strong athletes. I never saw myself as an athlete, I mean, I like to stay healthy, I love training hard, working with heavy weights and see how my body keeps adapting and going on. This competition was a big challenge for me, I was scared and excited, I didn't know if I could perform good through all the exercises but I wanted to do my best. I push and push my body to levels I didn't know I was capable of and even I didn't make to the podium, I finished in the 5th place of my category out of 25 amateur athletes that look stronger and fitter than me (or that I thought). This was a very good experience that will always stay with me. I learned that if I am in a place of competition is because I worked hard to be there, it was no luck it was me and I am just as good as the other competitors. I also learned to trust my strength, not only physical but mental, and to value my position even if I don't win. The competition is always with myself now and I'm always trying to be better than yesterday.