Student pharmacist earns powerlifting titles

Earning a Doctor of Pharmacy degree is a heavy lift for most student pharmacists, but East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy secondyear student Brie Levy’s strength goes well beyond the classroom.

Levy, from Chattanooga, was named a World Powerlifting Champion in three categories for her weight class – bench press, deadlift, and squat –while competing with Team USA in the International Powerlifting League Drug Tested Worlds in Surfers Paradise, Australia. In addition, she broke eight world records, six national records, and eight Tennessee records.

“It is really cool knowing that I have world records and am the best in the world for those lifts,” Levy said. “I think the best part of it is being able to hold some of the non-drug-tested records being a drug-tested lifter. I think this is a huge accomplishment and a testament to my hard work and dedication to the sport.”

But how does she do it all?

“It is definitely tough managing both the rigorous pharmacy school curriculum and a rigorous training regimen, but it is doable,” Levy said. “I train five days a week, for anywhere from around an hour to two and a half hours or more. I always work my training into my schedule because I have goal numbers I want to hit for powerlifting, and working out is a mental break that helps me not stress out as much in pharmacy school.”

After she graduates, Levy hopes to use her pharmacy training to help the powerlifting world “educate lifters on safe medicinal and supplement use when it comes to training and performance.”