Penny’s a power house on the weights!

 

 

 
Ask Penny Phillips about her involvement in power lifting and she would say it is brilliant, and she wishes she had taken it up many years before there is a great camaraderie, a feeling of well-being and the chance to test herself in a way that she hasn’t experienced before.
 
She would say that she has never been the most competitive being in the world but has already tasted success in a sport which is almost as testing mentally as it is physically, and which she only entered because her daughters Hayley (27) and Amy (25) had grown up and moved to Cardiff so she needed a new stimulus.
 
And it couldn’t have come from a better place because she had every encouragement from her husband Adrian, who is better known as Haydo and is already an experienced power lifter after many years in rugby and keeping fit before that.
 

 
It came almost as, “well if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” because Penny had watcher her worse half in action on a number of occasions and did a bit in the garage with his weights there before she went with him to the gymnasium to give it a go.
 
“Prior to that I had walked the dog every day,” admitted Penny, “and enjoyed swimming as part of my keeping fit when the girls were younger, but at five feet four and a half inches and weighing 60kgs this was a big step for me.
 
“I was very nervous at first,” admitted Penny, “especially since I had trouble with the squat technique straight away, even though I only had a 20kg bar with no weights attached.
 
“But there was a really warm welcome and loads of encouragement which caused my doubts to disappear before I left that first evening.”
 

 
Hard work has paid dividends, however, because she has done really well in her first two competitions under the auspices of the Welsh Strength Association, both in Pontardawe, near Swansea.
 
It is a hot bed of power-lifting and all the Pembrokeshire power lifters, including Penny agree that the ‘spotters’ (the people who make sure the bar is safe at all times) are the best in Wales and help to make the sport safe.
 
It certainly helped Penny because she won her first competition there and her second success earned her the Welsh title with a personal best total of 217.5Kgs that was made up of Squat (80kgs), Dead Lift (100kgs) and Bench Press (37.5Kgs).
 

 
“I was so nervous before my first competition because once your name is called there is no hiding place because you are out in front of everyone,” Penny told us, “and it is a matter of keeping calm but focussed, knowing that you have put in the work beforehand, and just trying your best.
 
“I was particularly pleased with my dead lift because I had hung around on 90kgs for a while in the gym,” Penny told us, “and the squat was OK too but I hate the bench press because it relies on real arm strength only and I’m on the small side to really press the bar up straight and hold it with my arms locked until the judge says that the lift is good.
 
“It was the only lift that I was given a red light on, which signifies a failed lift, but I’ll keep working at it though, alongside Adrian, Laura Elcomb and Jim, who are brilliant at supporting me, and I know it will gradually improve as I gain in strength and technique.”
 

 
Penny’s second success, in the Welsh Championships, earned her qualification for the British Championships, held in Scotland during April, and although she knows it is another big challenge she is ready to give it a go.
 
In the meanwhile she will continue to train three nights a week at the Strength Academy Wales gymnasium run by Simon Roach and Owain Rowlands.
 
“Both of the boys are great because they provide tremendous support for us power lifters, although they are busy with people who do the Olympic Power Lifting sport with most of their members.
 
“We are there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and we have some fun as well as work really hard, with the emphasis on a disciplined approach to every lift so that it becomes second nature before going out to compete.
 
“The rest of our small team of power lifters know that we can call on world champion Paul Murphy’s expertise at any time and we make suggestions to each other about minor changes in technique – but are never too critical that it would undermine others’ confidence.
 

 
So now it is on to other smaller competitions to gain confidence as Penny goes out under the spotlight of power lifting. Whatever the event she will join her colleagues in the same format, with three lifts in each of the bench press, squat and deadlift categories – all to be decided by Penny and her coach, who is usually husband Haydo.
 
“And that is where confidence comes in because the choice of first weight lifted in each of the three sounds out a message to the opposition. Aim too high and you risk a failure; aim too low and it could give them a boost and a lead that allows them to get the better of you.
 
“You have to watch out that you don’t get injured trying to push too hard at the outset and so the choice of weight undertaken really needs a great deal of thought, based on how we feel on the day.”
 
“It’s a kind of tactical thing and my aim for the British Championships will be to have nine successful lifts because then I’ll know I have done my best on the day.
 

 
“I also know there will be terrific encouragement from my supporters and from opponents alike so I am determined to enjoy the day and not be too concerned about trophies.
 
“It’s the same with this article – if there is one more woman out there who sees it and decides to give power-lifting a try then it will be worthwhile.”
 
One only has to chat to Penny Phillips for a short while to see how much satisfaction she gains from her sport and we wish this modest and unassuming lady from Narberth continued success, but, above all else, the satisfaction of just being involved!