The last time I blogged, I was getting ready to compete in the Show Me State powerlifting competition. The week before I was slated to compete, I pulled a forearm muscle. When I was training, I didn’t really know what I was doing and just going off of what I would read from the internet. I learned one very valuable lesson….not to lift a week before the competition, as in nothing. This seems completely backwards to me, but as I usually learn the hard way, it’s a great way to pull a muscle or injure yourself during the competition if you don’t take a break. So, all last fall, I worked on healing my muscles and seeking out a weight lifting team that I could work with.

For the past several months I have been going to the gym and pushed myself to work out harder and lift heavier than I ever have before. Three days a week I am in a boot camp class at 5 am where we flip tires, sprint up hills and have done too many mountain climbers and burpees to count, among other various feats.  I know now that when push comes to shove, sure I can do 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, 100 push-ups and even 100 assisted pull-ups in 45 minutes. The other two to three days is when I lift with my new team.

Being able to train with my new team and new coach has really helped me in gaining self-confidence. Our coach constantly tells us to use our minds in weightlifting and he is totally right. These days I am deadlifting more than I weigh and that is a complete mind game. Before I lift that weight, I will stand at the bar with my eyes closed and picture myself completing the rep. I have learned that my body can only handle so much physical training so when I am not on the platform, I take mental reps. My team and I have formed a close bond these last few months training for our competition this July. This team is very passionate about these lifts and I am lucky to have met them. They have been some of the most supportive people who encourage each other to go after bigger goals. 

My weight lifting team is much like my Financial Aid team Jamie D FA Team. I have made a lot of friends in this career and I am so thankful for the support and encouragement we all can provide to each other. I love that not only do I have a support group in place for my personal goals, I also have an awesome support group to make sure I am working towards and growing my professional goals.

Jamie Davis is MASFAP’s Vice President and Program Chair