Another day, another PR closer to this year’s USA Powerlifting Raw Nationals. We’re about about a month and half out from the kickoff of Nationals that are taking place in Spokane, Washington on October 10th-15th. This year, over 1,200 athletes have signed up for Nationals, so needless to say, there’s going to be plenty of competition across the board.
In the women’s -84kg weight class specifically, Minnesota based powerlifter Amanda Lawrence is moving full steam ahead with her squat and deadlift warpath, as evident by her latest Instagram video. The feat of hitting a lifetime PR is great, but breaking your all-time PR twice in one day is even better.
Lawrence, no stranger to moving heavy weight, recently upped her squat PR twice in one lift finishing with a squeaky clean 236kg/520 lb squat. In Lawrence’s Instagram video’s description she writes, “520lbs / 236kg PR!!! AFTER hitting a 510lbs PR beforehand, yo. Don’t let your body fool you on how it’s feeling. Had a super long day on my feet first day on the new job. It’s about how bad you want it.
P.S. this is like a 20lb PR for me if we’re not counting the 505lbs I did awhile back that was high. That’s right, I’m not afraid to admit it. Aha there’s still so much time left for this prep”
Author’s Note: A video of her PR smashing squats is embedded below and also available here if you’re having trouble seeing it on your mobile device!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnAD5sSBbON/
The weight above is crazy impressive, but what might be most impressive is how Lawrence can dig deep to push lifetime feats with a tired body. A strong mentality is key to any heavy workout, so we asked Lawrence about her mental and physical game plan that she uses when pushing new feats when feeling fatigued.
She told us, “I honestly tell myself that the weight is lighter than it really is. It’s about playing mind games. Turn on your PR song and tell yourself there’s only one way, and that’s up.
I try to warm-up beltless up until I hit 405 lbs. It just makes everything feel so much lighter after that when you finally put a belt on. A big thing for me that has changed by squat is having a bit of a lower bar position, and really bracing my core harder than usual. I’ve always had an issue with the bar rolling up my back. That has seemed to fix it, so I can keep pushing through the rep at those heavy weights”
We don’t know about you, but we’re pumped to see the epic battle that’s revving up in the women’s -84kg weight class for USAPL Raw Nationals (Lawrence vs. Daniella Melo). What will Lawrence hit come game day? It’s tough to tell with still so much time in prep!
Feature image from @miss_amanda_ann Instagram page.
