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Home » Fitness » Women vs. Weights: Lifting is a must for reaching fitness goals – Tri-City Herald

Editors note: This is the third of a three-part series on fitness and how it can benefit you.

Every gym has them. Racks and racks of free weights just waiting for someone to come along and put them to good use.

Kirsten Shockman and Julia Brigham have no qualms about piling plates on the bar, cinching up their weight belts and going to work.

The two local powerlifters have embraced the weights and the more the better.

I think a lot people respect you for it, Brigham said.

Added Shockman, Im more confident now.

While many women shy away from weights and gravitate toward cardio fitness, studies have shown that adding weight-bearing exercise to your routine has benefits that will help women as they age.

The social profile of what women are supposed to be puts women in a bad spot, said Derek Stump, fitness director and personal trainer at Golds Gym in Kennewick. Everyone is a different puzzle. You need weight training to improve your bone density, increase your metabolism and improve your overall health. If you want to do things later in life, you have to do the right things now.

Shockman, 24, is no stranger to the weight room. Her mom, Cindy Shockman, was a powerlifter and has a gym at her house. In her heyday, she bench pressed 248 pounds and pulled a 402 deadlift.

My mom got me into it, said Shockman, who played basketball at Hermiston High School and Mt. Hood Community College. She has taught us some good stuff. I thought I was pretty good at it and I wanted to be like my mom.

Shockman will compete in a meet Sunday at RAB Fitness in Kennewick in hopes of qualifying for the IPL World Powerlifting Championships from Nov. 2-5 in Las Vegas.

Her top marks going into the meet are a 402-pound deadlift, 180-pound bench press and a 360-pound squat. She needs a 941-pound total to qualify for worlds, and has a plan to eclipse the mark.

Im going to try and squat 370 pounds this weekend, she said.

Its amazing to be strong. Not having to ask for help with things is nice.

Finley powerlifter Julia Brigham

Shockman, who works as a physical therapy assistant at Oasis Physical Therapy in Kennewick, has seen first hand the issues people have as they age.

I want my bones to be strong, she said. I work with the elderly and I see a lot of things. I dont want that to be me.

While Shockman has been in the powerlifting world for years, Brigham, 35, has only been in the program since she met Shockman last fall at Elite Ambitions Training in Kennewick.

Ive been working out for three years, but I didnt start powerlifting until October, said Brigham, who played volleyball and softball at River View High School. Its amazing to be strong. Not having to ask for help with things is nice.

Brigham competed in her first powerlifting meet in April, and while she was a bit disappointed in her lifts, she enjoyed the experience.

I learned so much, she said. Overall, I was happy with how it went.

Brigham, who works at HAPO credit union, has top lifts of 160 in the bench press, a 280 deadlift and a 290 squat.

Powerlifting may be the right program for Shockman and Brigham, but women also can achieve their goals by choosing lighter weights.

Stump said he makes all of his female clients lift weights, whether they want to or not.

You have to come prepared to work, he said. Some worry about getting bulky, but most women dont have the testosterone, nor can they eat enough for that to happen. I run everything like a scientific method. There are studies about injury prevention, we need bone density to hold our structure. The human body is a miracle in itself.

The one saving grace is the ones who have had something broken and have been through physical therapy. They are used to using resistance bands and weights. They dont need convincing.

Stump, who also has a degree in exercise science, does not discourage his clients from cardio fitness, but instead tries to help them find a balance.

Being strong is empowering, he said. Cardio is important because your heart is your fuel pump, and you need it to work. Cardio is necessary, but not near as much fun as the weights. You want to be strong, pick up the heavier weights. You want to tone, you do more repetitions. Either way, in the end, it will benefit you.

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Women vs. Weights: Lifting is a must for reaching fitness goals - Tri-City Herald

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Home » Fitness » Women vs. Weights: Lifting is a must for reaching fitness goals – Tri-City Herald