In mid-August, Dana Linn Bailey announced that she’ll be switching from formal bodybuilding to powerlifting. On Sunday, September 10th Bailey competed in the Lehigh Valley Powerlifting Championships in the 138 lb (63kg) weight class in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
She ended up going 9/9 and totaled 865 lbs (392.5kg), which earned her first for her weight class. On top of her first place finish, she also qualified for Nationals, and crushed the women’s Open 138 lb national qualifying total of 710 lbs.
Her final lifts on the day included a 309 lb (140kg) squat, 209 lb (95kg) bench press, and 347 lb (157.5kg) deadlift. Check out her Instagram video below highlighting all of her third attempts.
There had been conversation in online forums about Bailey competing in the USAPL due to drug tests, but she addressed those concerns in her announcement YouTube video. In addition to the concerns, the USAPL requires athletes to have been drug free for at least three years before competing. Bailey’s last time on the Olympia stage was in the fall of 2014.
Bailey shared a photo on Instagram recapping the day, and wrote, “First @usapowerlifting lifting meet: Went 9 for 9, with 865lb total at under 63kg/138lb weight class, 429 Wilks score, WON 1st place in my class, AND Best Lifter Awarded, AND qualified for Raw Nationals in Orlando!!! I’d say it was a pretty good first time experience. Now on to Nationals!!! Huge Huge Thank you to @ct_whitney @whitney.sp for getting me ready for today!!! And now I guess programming for NATIONALS!!
#andchosenforthedrugtest #whowouldathought #wearegoingtodisney”
It’s going to be interesting to see what Bailey can do with her numbers as she dives deeper into her powerlifting career. Could she eventually work towards some of the 138 lb records? Time will tell. We’re hopeful Bailey stays healthy and we’re excited to see what she’s capable of.
And if you’re interested in watching the video where Bailey makes her initial powerlifting announcement, then check out the clip below.
Feature image screenshot from @danalinnbailey Instagram page.
