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fulcrum barbell

Why We Train: Health and Connection

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Why We Train: Health and Connection

Several times per week, these ladies gather together to take charge of their health and strength. Some have trained with weights for years, others just a few months. These women come from many different backgrounds, but share the common goal of aging healthfully - by improving their physical capacity and maintaining their physical independence.

The best part about this particular session? Seeing these women applaud each other, congratulate each other, cheer each other on, and articulate how inspiring they find each other’s accomplishments. Witnessing authentic connection and genuine support between training partners never grows old. Strong work ladies!

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Meet Recap: USAPL Washington State Championships, February 2019

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Meet Recap: USAPL Washington State Championships, February 2019

Gaven competed last weekend at the USA Powerlifting Washington State Championships and came through with a phenomenal performance. He set state records in the squat, deadlift, and total for his age (teen one - 14 and 15 year olds) and weight category (-66kg). At a bodyweight of 65.6 kgs (144 lbs) Gaven finished with a 152.5 kg (335.5 lb) squat, 65 kg (143 lb) bench, and 192.5 kg (423.5 lb) deadlift, giving him a 410 kg total. This bested the previous state record total by 25 kgs! Very strong work from this talented and hard working 15 year old.
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Next up for Gaven is high school baseball season. He will continue to train with weights throughout the spring, before returning to training full time in the summer. We are excited to see how his strength transfers over to the baseball field, and look forward to supporting all of Gaven’s future athletic pursuits. #strengthmatters

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Meet Recap: Industrious Fall Classic Weightlifting Meet

Another great competitive training cycle is in the books! Nine Olympic weightlifting athletes represented Fulcrum Barbell Club at the Industrious Fall Classic meet this past Saturday. Each individual competitor was successful in their own way - whether that was a result of increasing their meet total, pushing their opening numbers, facing fears and insecurities, or sticking to their commitments through the challenges and difficulties of meet week.

The first session saw three different Fulcrum lifters. Kelley had a rough morning unrelated to the meet, but was able to get herself to the meet, put on a positive attitude, and come away with five successful attempts. She finished with 40 kg in the snatch and 60 kg in the clean and jerk.

Tal, in her first meet on American soil, came away with top lifts of 60 kg in the snatch and 69 kg in the clean and jerk. Tal proved herself to be a fierce competitor, and has big things ahead of her as she intensifies her training schedule in anticipation of her next meet!

Janice blew everyone away as usual, totaling 123 with 55 kg in the snatch and 68 kg in the clean and jerk. This qualifies her for USAW Nationals as a 45 kg lifter, and shows once again what a phenomenal athlete Janice is. As she shifts her focus towards training solely for weightlifting, it will be exciting to see where she takes her talents!

Our second batch of lifters was full of variety - some are experienced competitors, others relatively new to the sport. Some had great training cycles with few interruptions or distractions, others overcame many obstacles in simply showing up to train. Everyone came away with a successful outcome on meet day, and we are grateful for the experience to work with such a wide variety of personalities and people. Strong work everyone, and congratulations on your big day!

Akansha’s total has increased in leaps and bounds since she began competing last year, as her technical proficiency catches up to her impressive strength. She finished out this meet with best lifts of 52 kg in the snatch, and 69 kg in the clean and jerk, taking her total to 121 kgs. It will be exciting to watch Akansha continue to grow into her potential as an athlete over the next several years. 

Sarah was able to open up with the numbers that were third attempts in her last meet. While a seven kg increase on her total initially doesn’t seem like much, three kilos is a wide margin in the long game of weightlifting. The work she has put in to refining the technical aspects of the lifts really showed on the platform, and there is even more to come from Sarah! 

Rachel finished the day with a strong showing in the snatch, topping out at 56 kgs, and a competition PR of 72 kgs in the clean and jerk. Rachel had an emotional lead up to meet day, but on the day of, her experience as a competitor showed in her calm and composed approach to each attempt, and the numerical results speak for themselves!

Jen spent much of this training cycle traveling for work, and thus spent many sessions training alone in an unfamiliar gym across the country. Those difficult and lonely hours paid off on meet day, resulting in meet PRs of 61 kg in the snatch and 75 kg in the clean and jerk. Jen’s dedication and focus to her training is admirable - we are excited to continue supporting her wherever her travels take her!

The last session of the day saw some great lifting. Lesley flourished in the organized and structured approach to competition day, putting up a PR total of 138 kgs. She finished with a competition best snatch at 63 kgs, and a strong 75 kg clean and jerk, narrowly missing the jerk on her third attempt at 80 kgs. We look forward to supporting Lesley’s continued growth and progress as both a lifter and a person!

Kristen’s quiet and focused attitude in competition was easy to work with and reassuring for her teammates. The consistent progress she has made over the last few years, both numerically and in her technical proficiency, continued to show where it counts the most - out on the competition platform. She had a perfect day, going 6 for 6 with meet PRs of 69 in the snatch and 81 in the clean and jerk. Those numbers also match her all time best lifts, and she increased her meet total by seven kgs. Strong work Kristen! 

Overall, yet another very successful day for the Fulcrum Barbell crew. The support from the Fulcrum Training Hall community was wonderfully evident in the crowd of spectators, well-wishes at the gym, and positive vibes felt throughout the meet day experience. The next training cycle has already begun, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support each athlete in their individual journey towards strength and health!

#strengthmatters #fulcrumbarbell

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Connection + Community

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Connection + Community

The process of learning about self care and self development is inherently a solo one, but it is a difficult process to undertake alone. It takes a whole community of like-minded people working together to create a space for each individual to explore what it means to be all of who they really are. 

Looking around you to see friends, teammates, and peers who are working through a similar yet unique experience is reassuring and inspiring. A special form of connection, a deep trust and appreciation, forms between the people who show up and allow themselves to be seen, to be vulnerable in their journey of self discovery. 

In the photo below, the 10 am crew shares a moment of rest and reflection between sets. Their positive camaraderie, mutual support for each other, and genuine interest in each other's lives feels like the kind of welcoming community anyone would want to be a part of. Through training alongside each other week after week, these women have developed a unique connection and friendship - an authentic, loving, empowering kind of friendship.

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Meet Recap: USAPL Empire Classic, January 2018

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Meet Recap: USAPL Empire Classic, January 2018

Francesca and Amanda traveled last weekend to Spokane, WA for the USAPL Empire Classic. It was the second powerlifting meet this year for both women, and they came away with successful results and a positive experience. 

Travel plans interfered with Amanda’s training leading up to the meet, but she went in with a great attitude and enthusiastic outlook. She made her opening attempts at 90 kg in the squat, 47.5 kg in the bench, and 130 kg in the deadlift. After getting on the board, Amanda pushed her capacity and reached for big numbers, coming up just short of setting a new state record in her age and weight class for the deadlift. Overall, a wonderful learning opportunity with lots of positive take aways for Amanda. 

Francesca pushed her total from the last meet by a significant amount, and set big personal records in all three lifts. After a strong opener at 150 kg, and a technical foul at 157.5 kg, she set a six kilo PR in the squat with her 160 kg third attempt. She was very successful in the bench as well, coming away with a 65 kg competition PR. Her biggest improvement was in the deadlift, where she eclipsed her numbers from last meet with a 160 kg pull. 

Next up for both - the Washington state regional meet will be held later this summer. Francesca is aiming for a total that will qualify her for October’s national meet, while Amanda will continue to use competition as a way to push herself and test her limits. We are excited to be supporting both in their individual journeys!

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Why We Train: Health and Strength for Life

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Why We Train: Health and Strength for Life

Seventeen year old Steph recently had a strong PR squat at 120 kgs (264 lbs). Steph has been training with barbells since the age of twelve. On her third day in the gym, back in 2012, she squatted 12 kgs for sets of five across. Five years later, she regularly squats over 100 kgs for multiple repitions. 

Unlike many trainees her age, Steph isn’t working with barbells to support goals in another sport or athletic endeavor. She has been able to fulfill her physical education credits for school by writing about her experience with barbell training, but for the most part she trains just for the sake of training. Steph’s time in the gym is not just about numbers - she is developing skills that will enable her to train for health and strength for the rest of her life. #strengthmatters

Left: Steph squats 100 kgs for the first time, in May of 2016.

Right: Steph sets a new PR at 110 kgs, in May of 2017. 

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Above: Steph squats a life time best 120 kgs (264 lbs), in November of 2017.

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Meet Recap: Industrious Fall Classic, October 2017

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Meet Recap: Industrious Fall Classic, October 2017

The Fulcrum Barbell team took it's largest contingent to date to the Industrious Fall Classic on October 21, 2017. Some were first time competitors, looking to challenge themselves by participating in an Olympic weightlifting meet. Others are experienced athletes competing with the goal of qualifying for a national event. All twelve athletes had an exciting learning experience and the day was a great celebration of months of hard work. 

Industrious consistently hosts a smooth and organized meet, with commitment to details and plenty of staff on hand. It was wonderful to see members of the Fulcrum Training Hall community at the meet supporting the team, providing words of encouragement, snacks, helping hands, and good vibes. We are grateful to be connected to so many positive and strong people!

Akansha, Donna, Giannina, and Liz all competed for the first time over the weekend. The day was a wonderful celebration of how hard these women have been working to prepare for the new and unfamiliar experience of an Olympic weightlifting competition. It has been fun to follow each athlete's progress, and there is so much more to come!

Rachel had an incredible meet on many fronts. Not only did she persevere through the intensity of a tough training cycle, push her opening attempts from her last competition, and make five out of six lifts, she also posted a qualifying total for December's American Open, one of two national meets held each year by USA Weightlifting. Her best lifts were 58 kgs (127 lbs) in the snatch and 71 kgs (156 lbs) in the clean and jerk, for a total of 129 - enough to be invited to compete as a 48 kg lifter at the AO. This has been a goal of Rachel's for a long time. Her dedication to her training is coming together, and we are excited to support Rachel in whatever she chooses to direct her talents towards next! 

Burrows and Skinner each went into this meet with the intention of gaining platform experience and improving upon their last competition lifts. Burrows opened higher in both the snatch and clean and jerk by several kilograms than her last meet with Fulcrum Barbell. Between owning a small business, working to be accepted into the fire academy, and training for this meet, Burrows has had a very busy schedule, but came through with a great performance on meet day. Skinner finished with a competition PR in the snatch at 63 kgs (138 lbs). She has been working diligently to refine the technical aspects of her movements and the attention to detail came together nicely out on the platform. 

With Burrows preparing for the fire academy, and Skinner looking ahead to the next competition cycle, both have jumped right back into training this week. These two have big things ahead of them, and we are grateful to have them as part of the Fulcrum Training Hall community!

Hope went into this meet with the goal of qualifying for the American Open. She had a clutch performance in the snatch, bravely hanging on to her second attempt and smashing a personal best at 75 kgs (165 lbs) on the third attempt. Her 83 kg (182 lb) opener on the clean and jerk solidified the total she needed to qualify for the national meet. Nearly three years of hard work culminated in this performance, and we are thrilled to be supporting Hope in to the next phase of her weightlifting career. She also placed third overall in the meet!

Cat headed into competition looking very strong and snappy. After three beautiful attempts in the snatch, she came back for a great showing in the clean and jerks, her best being 100 kgs (220 lbs). Just as impressive as the 100 kg clean and jerk - Cat's mental fortitude through the intensity of the competition experience. Strong work Cat!

Meaghan had a wild ride on meet day - after a solid performance in the snatch, making her opener and third attempt, she fought through severe cramping in her left leg to take the platform for clean and jerks. She was successful with her 70 kg (154 lbs) opener, meaning she totaled in her first meet - a huge accomplishment for a first time competitor. 

These three worked relentlessly to prepare for meet day, always bringing a fierce and focused energy in to their training. It will be exciting to see how Hope handles the jump to national level competition, how Cat continues to up her mental game, and how Meaghan continues to refine her skills as a weightlifter. 

In the very last session of a very long day, our lone male athletes competed in a varied field of lifters. Stamm, in his second meet with Fulcrum Barbell, gained great platform experience and had a consistent, solid performance. His best lifts were 95 kgs (209 lbs) in the snatch, which matches his competition PR, and 114 (250 lbs) in the clean and jerk. Weightlifting in a competitive sense will take the back burner for now while Stamm shifts his focus to the upcoming snowboarding season. 

A tremendous amount of effort went into preparing all twelve lifters for this meet. It takes not only physical strength and technical proficiency, but also huge mental and emotional resolve to train as a competitive athlete. Regardless of the lifts made or missed on meet day, everyone succeeded by simply choosing to show up. What a gift to be a part of a community that supports such a monumental celebration of self discovery for so many!

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True Competition

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True Competition

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       The root word of “competition” is a Latin word meaning “to strive for” and a preposition meaning “with”. In the words of Joe Ehrmann, “Competition therefore is not defined by winning or losing, but by the degree to which all competitors realize their fullest potential. True competition is a mutual quest for excellence”. In this context, we never work against our competitors, or look to conquer or depose someone else. We strive towards excellence in conjunction with, and because of, our competitors. Competition is a wonderful opportunity to work with others - your coaches, your teammates, your opponents - to learn, develop, and grow into the best possible version of yourself. 

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