STRONG BODY STRONG MIND

How Lifting Weights Gave this Local Nurse a Needed Lift in Life

By Wendy Rose

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REBECCA ADAMS

has some serious goals for 2020. They include competing in and hopefully coaching on Team Canada at an international powerlifting competition, seeking StrongFirst Certification, and maybe competing in the World Open Powerlifting Championships in Norway and NAPF Powerlifting Championships in the Cayman Islands.

While all events and travel are uncertain in these pandemic times, it hopefully won’t sideline Rebecca’s new passion for long. To say she’s invested in her current trajectory might be an understatement. With three years of powerlifting now under her lifting belt, the Conception Bay South-based nurse reflects on the journey that led her to become the person she is today – strong, determined and unafraid.

“I had no idea how much this gym was going to change my life, but I’m forever grateful for walking through the doors,” Rebecca recalls. She had joined the gym in an effort to lose weight after gaining close to 50 pounds.

“I struggled with almost every exercise during that first 21- day fat-loss program, which is why testing my strength with the deadlift ladder at the end of the program was such a pivotal point for me – I was good at it and I felt strong!”

Rebecca prepares for her next life in front of a crowd.

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“I signed up for a strength-based program next, started getting coached by Rob King, started getting stronger, and within a year, stepped on the powerlifting platform for the first time. I fell in love with the people, the training, the community and the process – all of which has kept me powerlifting for the past three years with no signs of stopping anytime soon.”

The first few weeks were gruelling, as Rebecca adjusted to lifting weights and dealing with sore muscles, but soon she was addicted to the rewarding and challenging sport. “I started to enjoy working out for the first time in my life,” she shares.

“I was shocked by how fast I was getting stronger, and I loved that feeling. It was so refreshing to take the focus off the weight on the scale and focus on the weight on the barbell instead.”

Explaining the nature of the sport, she says, “In a nutshell, powerlifting is an individualized strength sport in which you lift as much weight as possible for one repetition in each of the three lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift. During a powerlifting competition, every lifter is allowed three attempts at each of these lifts, for a total of nine lifts throughout the competition. The lifter who receives the highest total in their weight class (best squat, bench and deadlift combined) wins the competition.”

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In the beginning, she had no interest in competing. “The thought of wearing a spandex suit and standing on a platform in front of an audience while lifting weights sounded more like a nightmare than a sport I wanted to pursue,” Rebecca laughs.

Her coach convinced her to try it out. “My first competition was a local meet at Metabolic Meltdown back in 2017. Within minutes of starting the competition, I realized the fear of being watched and wearing a spandex suit was built up in my head unnecessarily… All I saw when I walked out on the platform was the barbell, and all I thought about was lifting the weight,” she says.

Just two years later, Rebecca competed internationally for the first time, representing Team Canada at the 2019 Commonwealth Championships and the 2019 NAPF Bench Press Championships in Panama, later travelling to South Africa to help coach Team Canada at the 2019 Masters World Championships.

“I’ve been nursing a back injury for a couple of years now; so to be honest, lifting wasn’t my top priority in 2019,” she says. Her focus shifted to back rehab, fat loss, improving her calisthenics and “becoming more in tune with my body and my mind,” she says, noting that “2019 really opened my eyes to fitness beyond powerlifting.”

Last year she turned her focus to helping other nurses attain their fitness goals. “I feel like a different person after the physical and mental transformation I’ve been through on this fitness journey. Helping other nurses who are struggling [both physically and mentally] with their own transformation has become a real passion of mine,” Rebecca shares. In 2020, Rebecca’s top priority is continuing to build Fitness For Nurses – a community of nurses on a journey to improve their own body, mind and life.

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“I’ve learned the value of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and doing things that scare you. This concept alone has changed my life both in and outside of the gym,” Rebecca says. “Pushing myself past my perceived limits and successfully reaching goals I never thought would be possible has led to a much-needed confidence boost as well. I was overweight, awkward and lacked selfconfidence the vast majority of my life. Getting stronger and losing over 80 lbs along the way has transformed me in more ways than I can begin to describe. Through strength training, I found the ability to conquer my body, and with conquering my body, I found the strength to conquer my mind. Lifting has become like therapy.”

When asked if she has any advice for anyone starting on their own fitness journey, Rebecca imparts some wisdom:

“Don’t be discouraged by being a beginner, we all start there… It takes time and hard work, but you are capable of more than you think. Be patient, work hard and push yourself past your comfort zone. Focus on getting stronger, getting faster and moving better instead of focusing on the scale,” she advises.

“I don’t have a motto specifically for tough days; however, something I always try to live by is ‘be thankful for all you have while you pursue all you want.’”

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