Under the Bar -- My Journey with Powerlifting
2024.9.3 - forever

Before powerlifting, there was bodybuilding.

My journey with weights began with bodybuilding. I learned how to shape my muscles, understand my body, and eventually stepped on stage for a bodybuilding competition. Back then, training was largely about how my body looked. I loved seeing it change, but I hadn't yet discovered how much more it could mean to me.

Everything changed when I met my friends from THU Powerlifting. What started as a new way of training soon became a huge part of my life. I fell in love with the feeling of getting stronger, the excitement of competitions, and, most importantly, the people who shared this passion with me. So far, I've competed in five or six meets, and somehow, I still get excited every time I step onto the platform.

Powerlifting has changed much more than my body. It has changed my personality, my confidence, and the way I approach life. I've learned to be patient, to embrace failure, and to trust the process. Some days the weights feel impossibly heavy, and some days they fly. I've learned to accept both.

Sometimes I feel like the only time I'm truly grounded in this world is when I'm training. Under the bar, there's no room for overthinking. All I can do is breathe, feel my body, and be completely present. For those few seconds, nothing else matters. I'm simply here, fully alive.

I used to train to change how my body looked. Now I train because I love what my body can do, and even more, how it makes me feel.

I don't know how strong I'll eventually become, or how many more competitions I'll do. But I hope I'll still be lifting when I'm 80, regardless of the numbers on the bar.

Because somewhere along the way, powerlifting stopped being just a sport. It became a way of being myself.