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Interview with CPU Powerlifter Melanie Durrant by Gunnar Henriksson

Gunnar: According to your bio you’ve only been lifting for 1 ½ years. What or who caused you or why did you become interested in powerlifting and competing?

MD: Well it’s more like 2 yrs now that I’ve been competing in PL. I have always been interested in lifting weights and working out. I was first introduced to the sport by Aaron Ziffle (fellow 90 kg CPU National level powerlifter) it was right up my alley. I was sick of going to the gym and having no real goals.

Gunnar: What did your friends and family think when they found out that you were becoming a powerlifter?

MD: My family has always supported me in my sporting adventures so of course they fully supported me in Powerlifting even though they weren't familiar with it. I do wish that some of my meets were closer to home because lots of family and friends haven't been able to see me lift yet. However, having Nationals in Moose Jaw next year will definitely change that!

Gunnar: You’ve only been training for a short time and yet you’re setting national records. In your (TSC) bio you mention you figure skated for 9 years. Is there any specific tools from skating that have helped you in powerlifting? Flexibility I’m guessing helped and I also imagine figure skating develops leg strength.

MD: Yes I attribute a lot of my success to my skating background. Not only did it help build great strength and flexibility but it helped prepare me mentally for powerlifting. Sometimes I think you have to be crazy to do both..Haha.

Gunnar: You recently had a whale of a meet in Edmonton where you set a Canadian record for the total at 442.5 kg in the 67.5 kg weight class in the women’s open. This is up from last years meet in Pincher Creek where your total was 405kg. That’s an improvement of 37.5 kilos which is awesome. You set this record without setting any individual records which is a testament to your all round ability. What is your secret to this amazing feat?

MD: Oh man, there are so many factors that play into a good meet. I had a very busy semester in school prior to that meet and my training wasn’t going as well as I wanted so I just went into the meet with a neutral attitude and I would do what I could…..not really how I like to approach a meet but I guess sometimes the less pressure you put on yourself the better you lift.

Gunnar: You’re real close to Rhaea Fowler's squat record of 183 kg (8 kilo's away) and you’re only 10 kilo’s away from her bench record of 110kgs too. While we're on the subject of records there’s the Deadlift record in sight too. You’re only 11 kilo's away from the record of 178.5 kilo's. Any prediction of when you’re going to break them?

MD: Well I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to break all 3 records at Worlds!!!

Gunnar: You’re young, coming on 26, how long do you see yourself lifting and what do you see in the future?

MD: I plan on lifting for a while or until life happens to get in the way….but I’m hoping I can balance both.

Gunnar: What are your goals, 500 total and wilks 520 are on your bio but what else. Do we see a 200 kg squat and perhaps a 200 kg Deadlift?

MD: Absolutely those are future goals….or should I say 200+ kg for squat and deadlift and to get a 125kg bench for sure.

Gunnar: How important is nutrition and what specifically do you take? I often find life gets hectic and I’ll miss a meal or two. Being a student you must run into this too. What do you do to get around that?

MD: Yes life is hectic. I pre-make a lot of meals so I always have something healthy on hand and so I don’t miss many meals. Plus if I miss a meal, I’m quite the bear, so that isn’t fun for anyone. I believe nutrition is just as important as training your lifts. I eat quite clean all year; however, I definitely cheat a little and let myself indulge in some goodies! I eat a lot and take a few supplements……multivitamin, creatine, glutamine, omega 3, BCAA, protein. I don’t take everything year round, but definitely when I’m training hard.

Gunnar: I’ve been following your workouts and I see you’re having shoulder troubles, boy can I relate. What caused it and what do you do to get around it? You mention a number of rotator cuff assistance things you do but I don’t understand what they are. What caused it?

MD: No idea…..I have had problems for roughly 6 years and can’t pin point a definite time I hurt it. I have a history of playing ball and being a pitcher so I’m not sure if that was an instigator or if it was a combo of lots of things. I know bench doesn’t help it….causes me the most grief. I try to do a ton of rotator cuff exercises to help strengthen and even out my back and chest. I basically just do external and internal band rotations. Gunnar, I will show you sometime what I do exactly and some various versions I have learned.

Gunnar: Also what are you doing about it in the future? I saw recently you went to a shoulder specialist and you’re waiting for an MRI?

MD: Yes I went to a specialist the other day and he believes it’s not my shoulder but a problem with my bicep tendon. He gave me a shot of cortisone to help settle down some inflammation and relieve some discomfort for me. He said to see how it feels in 6 weeks and if there isn’t a big change then we will look further into the MRI. I would just like to have some relief so I can train my bench consistently and be able to bench more than once per week.

Gunnar: That’s amazing the results you’ve been getting on once a week doing bench.

Gunnar: It’s also amazing how many lifters are medical students or in the medical field. Is this a coincidence or is it a conspiracy.

MD: I’m not sure. You know what is even more interesting is that Rhaea Fowler was also a figure skater…maybe we need to scan the rinks for future powerlifters???

Gunnar: I noticed that you compete in two different weight classes. It doesn’t appear that you give up any strength by going into the 67.5 kilo class as opposed to the 75 kilo class. Can you comment? Also do you see yourself eventually staying in the 75 kilo class and going after the records there?

MD: Well I have only competed in 75 kg weight class my very first meet and I don't plan on going up anytime soon since my teammate, Rhaea, is in that weight class and has nicely jacked up the records!! Haha. I don't feel I am a real 75kg lifter yet.

Gunnar: Who is your favorite strength athlete?

MD:Priscilla Ribic has always been inspiring to me.

Gunnar: I have to confess, I didn’t know who Priscilla Ribic was so I looked up on the net and came across her website. All I can say is, unbelievable. You picked an awesome favorite.For those of you who don’t know who Priscilla Ribic is. She is a lifter from Spokane Washington who consistently wilks over 600.

Gunnar: I’ve worked out with RaeLene Marion and Kristen Young and I remember once all three of us were at the gym at the Grant McEwen campus and the girls were doing deadlifts and they were intimidating the hell out of the young guys in the gym. I remember another time Raelene had some guys at the Leduc gym so impressed that they were scared to come downstairs and work out in the same area. I’m sure you could share some stories like that with us?

MD: Ya I definitely notice that guys treat me different in the gym, some are funny and completely intimidated by my training. Some of them are really good and understand that I train my butt off. However, this summer I was approached by a guy who asked if I was on the "crank”. I laughed in his face and politely explained how the IPF/CPU is a drug tested federation and I train as a drug free lifter. His comeback- "Well you don't look like you are on steroids. You are just really strong for a girl" LOL.

Gunnar: Do you train mostly with the guys or with some of the other gals or alone? I tend to like training alone myself but then it's hard to find decent spotters when you go real heavy. Do you ever run into that and what do you do to get around it?

MD: Ya I generally train by myself in Swift Current, it is super hard to train heavy by myself so I do what I can and try to get a decent spotter. When I do any gear work I drive to Moose Jaw to train with the rest of my team.

Gunnar: I checked on Map quest and it’s almost a 2 hour drive one way for you to go to Moose jaw. That is real dedication, that’s what makes champions.

Melanie's Past Meet Results

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