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shawna walker, larissa reis, michelle jin, wrestling, tracey toth, kira neuman, female bodybuilding, cindy phillips, britt miller, casey daugherty, lyris capelle, jill brooks, olga guryev, olga guryeva, kristy hawkins, cheryl faust, lindsey cope, lindsay cope, veronica miller

Heather Lee's Painful Strongman experience

March 2005 - Heather Lee is a National ranked bodybuilder who most recently competed at the 2004 NPC Nationals and is preparing for the 2005 Nationals where she says she plans "to avenge that crappy placing last year!" Although said in jest, you know that Lee will 'bring it!' and judging from her experiences in both powerlifting and strongman, it's obvious that the talented athlete is hard core.

Heather Lee and MartaHeather gave us a little look at her experience that we've excerpted here. To read the full details and to see more of Heather, check out her website: www.heatherleenj.com

We think you'll enjoy her commentary and we have a new level of respect for this amazing woman!

In her own words...

March 22 Diary entry: "I have not been able to get out of bed or off of the couch since Saturday when I got home. Can you say...PAIN?!?! If I could make that word PAIN larger or more bold to emphasize the amount of pain I am in, I would. Does that explain how I feel???

"Let me start off by saying I have the highest level of respect for the women who compete in Strongman. I have found both Powerlifting and Bodybuilding to be painful in ways...whether it be in the dieting and water depletion in getting ready for a bodybuilding show...or the extreme internal pressure you feel "in the hole" while squatting in a canvas suit...or the grueling workouts you put yourself through for both. However, I can say with not one ounce of doubt...none of that even remotely compares to the pain I felt while competing in strongman.

"I arrived on Saturday morning around 8 am and got breakfast. Then I headed over to the arena. The show was set to start at noon. I weighed in at 156 pounds, and then had time to play around with the equipment before the meeting and rules. Now mind you, I never trained for this, nor have I ever used any of the equipment that I would be using during the competition. I was able to have a friend show me how to get under the tire (which was 500 pounds) and throw my body into it to flip it...that is all technique (and of course some strength). The way I originally tried to do it rendered the tire motionless. Once I was shown how to do it, it moved, not necessarily with ease, but nonetheless, it flipped. Ok, some confidence there. I played with the rest of the equipment but didn't really get the full force of it because no weight was on the apparatus. The only exception there was the kegs...I had to lift 150 pound kegs, which I tried and was able to do.

Heather Lee - strongwoman

...

"I ended up taking 4th place in the event. I am proud I gave it a shot, and though I had a really hard time and I am paying for it now, I am happy I did it. I have nothing but respect for those women I competed against. They were all amazing, and all so very nice. I didn't expect the level of camraderie that was there....when it is your event everyone rallies around you and supports you, cheers for you, and tries to egg you on to finish the event no matter how painful. I was introduced to a world in a sport I knew nothing about, and they welcomed me with open arms!!!

"I also have to thank my support crew....My husband and family,and all of my friends for coming to support me...Marta, Bianca, Claudia...and Elena who was there in spirit since her brother was getting married that day. She would have been right along side me cheering me on, if not competing herself! And a special thanks to Bianca who worked 'till 4 am the night before and still got her butt up and drove all the way there for me!!! :) (Even though I caught her napping in the competitors warmup area, LOL!!!!!!!) HAHA!!!! BUSTED!!!!

...

'Till next time,
Keep pumpin' hard!!!
XOXO
Heather Lee

Last Updated: 3/22/2005


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