The 77 year old will compete in the IPF 2022 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships
For the team at Ruthless Barbell Club in Judea, powerlifting is about much more than just shifting tin for medals and adulation, it's a way of life.
That's how master lifters Karen Humphreys, 59, and Barry Patchett, 77, described what it means to them.
In less than two weeks' time,they head to Auckland with coach and Ruthless Barbell Club owner Mike Jones for the IPF 2022 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships
Powerlifting is a strength sport consisting of three attempts on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. Competitors are split into weight divisions and age categories, meaning the likes of Humphreys and Patchett are up against people their age and weight.
For the pair, powerlifting is an outlet from some of the hardships of their lives.
"Having returned to the sport of powerlifting ... my health has improved immensely," he said.
"Encouraged by a friend, Robbie Shorter, I started to train again and after three months of training, Mike has trained me since. The support team [I have] outside the gym is very, very important.
"He [Mike] took me on with me having all sorts of physical issues. With his training and my determination to succeed, we have together achieved amazing results.
"Mike says we're the ones doing the work but we would have not produced these results without him. We do enjoy everyone's success at Ruthless Gym and I feel so proud to represent Ruthless."
Patchett, competing in the under 74kg range, holds the national bench press record of 80kg (and regional with 85kg), and his personal bests for squat and deadlift are 105kg and 137.5kg respectively.
Humphreys' journey started after losing a son to leukemia, having spent the first year of her 50s helping care for him in hospital.
The self-described "typical mum of four" laughed about doing a bit of aerobics in leotards in her 20s but "really did nothing" sports-wise for the 30 years that followed.
She had spent time in the boxing ring but that became a "no-no for people over 50" and it wasn't until after her son died that her daughter, who had started powerlifting herself, suggested it.
No pain, no gain. Photo / Mead Norton
Competing in the under 63kg range, Humphreys holds the national record for the squat with 110kg, and her personal bests for bench press and deadlift are 62.5kg and 130kg respectively.
Humphreys said people were surprised to learn she was a powerlifter but as someone who loved competition, it was a perfect fit.
"People have the perception that you shouldn't lift; 'you're wrecking your body, what are you doing?', that's what I got when I started, but it's the opposite.
"You can compete in your age group and your weight group. A lot of sports don't give you that difference between whether you're 30 or 60.
"You can't beat a 30-year-old, it's as simple as that but in this sport, you can compete because you're competing against people who are your weight and age."
And like Patchett, Humphreys was full of praise for coach Jones.
Ruthless Barbell Club owner Mike Jones. Photo / Supplied
"I wouldn't have started [without him]," she said.
"It's probably more head and heart coaching than strength. Our brain is the most powerful muscle in our body and if he can get that right, the rest is just working."
Asked about the changes he noticed in his lifters' lives, Jones said he gave them the tools to make themselves proud.
"It's not my job to be proud of them or for them, it's my job to deliver them what they need themselves. That's how I look at my role.
"I very much appreciate them giving me their bodies to train and try and get them to perform on the day.
"I coach a lot of people and feel every single one of their lifts but I can't do it for them. Once they're out on the platform it's up to them to do a job."
That job starts on November 30 for Patchett and Humphreys at the Due Drop Events Centre in Auckland.
Their message was simple for anyone who thought about powerlifting but wasn't sure.
