{"id":6626,"date":"2016-06-03T09:22:59","date_gmt":"2016-06-03T09:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fitproblog.mysites.io\/powerlifting\/"},"modified":"2016-06-03T09:22:59","modified_gmt":"2016-06-03T09:22:59","slug":"powerlifting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/powerlifting\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerlifting has helped me take control"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet the powerlifter who originally despised school sport but is now representing Great Britain in Texas. Olivia Hubbard talks deadlifts, depression and Taylor Swift with Cambridge girl Camille Holland.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exactly two years ago this week, Camille Holland hauled her older brother Alex onto her back and began squatting him. Her sibling weighs 85kg (13.5st). Not your average family activity, no. It was probably then that her brother began to take Camille\u2019s weightlifting interest seriously. Clearly, this wasn\u2019t a hobby. The astonishment was evident, grinning from ear to ear as he was lifted in the family\u2019s kitchen \u2013 his victory arm wrestles of childhood now seeming somewhat pitiful. That was two years ago. These days, the 27 year old has just competed in the World Bench Press Championships in South Africa, where she took bronze (with a\u00a0PB of 107.5kg) and is now en route to the World Powerlifting Championships in Texas.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Olivia Hubbard: Camille, can you tell me about your early relationship with sport and fitness?<\/h5>\n

Camille Holland: It was non-existent! Although I was pretty active as I lived in the country, I absolutely hated PE at school. We did the typical school-type sports, such as netball, tennis and athletics. I was rubbish at them and would try to get out of going whenever I could.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: It was your older brother who got you into weights, is that right?<\/h5>\n

CH: Yes, he did. After finishing university, he gently persuaded me to go and train with him at the gym. We\u2019ve always been close so I trusted him to look after me (although I was very anxious). It started by just messing around with weights and I didn\u2019t really know what I was doing, but I loved the feeling it gave me. At this stage, I had no idea powerlifting existed or where I wanted to go with it. I didn\u2019t achieve much for a couple of years before I took it more seriously.\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: <\/strong>Can you tell me about your journey from novice to competing at the European Powerlifting Championships?<\/h5>\n

CH: For me, competing feels the same whether it\u2019s at a local competition or on an international stage. I suffer really badly from anxiety and it doesn\u2019t seem to matter which platform I\u2019m on, I\u2019m unable to sleep and get quite stressed in the lead up. Once you\u2019ve got your first competition under your belt and all of the \u2018silly\u2019 questions have been asked, you know what to expect going forward. No one cares about the weight on the bar; they care about you. There is a great community in powerlifting.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: <\/strong>Where do you train and can you tell me about the relationship between you and your PT?<\/h5>\n

CH: I train at the House of Fitness in Cambridge. It\u2019s a small, family-run gym and everyone is very supportive. I\u2019m trained by Rhett Milton who is an IPF coach \u2013 we\u2019ve been friends for around two years and met through training at the same gym. I switched to training with him at the beginning of this year when I found out I was going to be competing internationally.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Camille<\/a>

Camille Holland (centre) with strength\u00a0coach and PT\u00a0Rhett Milton\u00a0(left) and owner of House Of Fitness Mark Housden (right)<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n

OH: Why the change?<\/h5>\n

CH: Rather than just receive a training programme and guess what weight I needed to do each session and essentially \u2018blag it\u2019, I needed help with my form and to learn how to properly cycle my training so I would peak at the correct time for competitions. First and foremost, Rhett is such a friendly person \u2013 we can talk about anything. He is extremely knowledgeable and is constantly learning. He\u2019s open to new ideas that I bring to him and he reviews my programme on a daily basis to ensure I\u2019m getting in the correct volume in the lead up to competitions. I train with Rhett three times a week and he sends me my programme for the other three days.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Training for gains<\/strong><\/h5>\n

There\u2019s certainly not much time for Camille\u00a0to enjoy some \u2018chill time\u2019 (or for her brother Alex to practise his arm wrestling) as she\u00a0is training six days a week. Her commitment to the cause is so evident: training can last between one and\u00a0three hours on an evening.<\/p>\n

OH:\u00a0Tell me about your training programme.<\/em><\/h5>\n

CH: We start off with the heavy, compound movements (squat, bench, deadlift) and then use accessories to focus on smaller muscle groups. As I\u2019m in the 84+kg weight category, I don\u2019t need to watch what I eat as much as the lighter weight classes, but I do need to make sure I\u2019m taking in enough protein for recovery and enough carbohydrates during the day so I\u2019m fueled for my training. At the beginning of the cycle, it\u2019s all about high reps and high sets at a lower weight. A few weeks before the competition, the volume decreases (my favourite time!) and I\u2019m lifting heavy for a maximum of three repetitions for several sets.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: How much do you lift? And how have you gradually increased the weight since you started lifting?<\/h5>\n

CH: It\u2019s all about the numbers! My current one rep max weights\u00a0are: squat 200kg, bench press 107.5kg and deadlift 200kg. When you take up lifting, you always start with the empty 20kg bar or sometimes just dumbbells if the bar is too heavy. After five months of powerlifting, I competed for the first time and finished on a 140kg squat, 70kg bench and 150kg deadlift. Gradually, your \u2018beginner gains\u2019 trail off \u2013 this is a great time to get a coach if you haven\u2019t already got one as they can keep you progressing.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: I\u2019m guessing you don\u2019t devour a glass of wine once you\u2019ve done a 100kg bench press?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

CH: I don\u2019t drink or go to bars because I know it will affect my training. My sundays are all about resting and meal preparation for the following week. I will do whatever it takes to get me to where I want to be.\u00a0<\/em>The GB team is\u00a0very fortunate to be sponsored by SBD, who ensure we are kitted out with the best kit to train and compete in. In addition, my family, close friends and colleagues are incredibly supportive, I\u2019m really lucky to have them all behind me. It makes things much easier!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: What weight are you aiming to achieve?<\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CH: In powerlifting, you\u2019re never satisfied and there\u2019s never enough weight \u2013 at one point, my goal was to get a 200kg squat and deadlift, and a 100kg bench. As soon as you achieve it, you look at your next goal. There\u2019s no end point!<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: Where do you turn to for your education?<\/h5>\n

CH: Reading helps me to stay engaged with my sport, rather than relying on hearing everything from my coach. I love sharing new ideas with my coach from articles I\u2019ve read and we always discuss them. I\u2019m very critical with what I read \u2013 I don\u2019t take everything at face value so I enjoy the debates we have. I enjoy posts from Layne Norton, Breaking Muscle, Alexander Ferentinos and HeadStart Clinics.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Family support<\/strong><\/h3>\n
OH: Most mothers would be cheering on from the sidelines, but your mum has also taken to the sport. How did that come about and what events has she competed in? That must be an incredible support for you?<\/h5>\n

CH: It\u2019s so awesome having her compete with me! She\u2019s competed twice now \u2013 once at a local event, which qualified her to compete at the British Championships where she took first place and three British records. As powerlifting is such a huge part of my life, I love that I can talk to her about my training sessions and she understands all the terminology, the struggles and the excitement of a new personal best.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH:<\/strong> How does it feel to call yourself an athlete?<\/h5>\n

CH: I try not to think about being a GB athlete. It\u2019s an absolute honour to be chosen for the team as we have some incredible lifters, but I\u2019m just doing what I enjoy doing. I\u2019m doing this for myself. I love being able to share the experience with the best in the world but if I wasn\u2019t competing alongside them, I\u2019d still be powerlifting and bettering myself. I\u2019ve just come back from the World Bench Press Championships in South Africa where I took bronze \u2013 I now have one month before the World Powerlifting Championships in Texas. After that, I\u2019ll have around four months of high volume and no competing before the Women\u2019s British Classic.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: <\/strong>How does it feel to be representing British women?<\/h5>\n

CH: I truly believe there is a sport out there for everyone \u2013 regardless of your age, weight or gender. Don\u2019t be put off because you\u2019re not the fastest runner, or because you can\u2019t get a ball through a hoop. Look at what your strengths are and look into sports that will take advantage of them. I\u2019m a solid build, have short legs and build muscle easily, so powerlifting is perfect for me. I promise when you find your \u2018thing\u2019 \u2013 whatever it may be \u2013 it\u2019ll be worth it and you will shine.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH:\u00a0What\u2019s your ultimate sporting goal for the future?<\/h5>\n

CH: Keep lifting, keep improving! One day, I\u2019d like to be a world champion with a world record. I know I have to put in a lot of work to get there. It\u2019s something I\u2019m prepared to do; I just need to be patient and consistent with my training.<\/em><\/p>\n

OH:\u00a0What\u2019s your favourite track to wind down to after training?<\/em><\/h5>\n

CH: I\u2019m a massive Taylor Swift fan! I\u2019ve been listening to the same album for several months now. I love having a sing song on my way home from training.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

OH: Finally, how has powerlifting benefitted your life?<\/h5>\n

CH: Powerlifting has done a huge amount for me. The obvious benefit is that I\u2019m stronger \u2013 I help friends move house and can carry all the shopping in from the car in one trip! I\u2019ve also become a lot more confident.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still sensible \u2013 but things don\u2019t scare me any more. After experiencing an exceptionally difficult time in my young adult years, I certainly had the \u2018victim\u2019 mindset where I felt powerless and had lists of excuses as to why I couldn\u2019t do something. Powerlifting has helped me take control of my life and do something positive with it. I\u2019ve met lots of interesting people in the sport and haven\u2019t yet met anyone who has a negative mindset or wishes you to do badly. It\u2019s a supportive community and you go through so many highs and lows with fellow lifters \u2013 you know you\u2019ve made friends for life.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Don’t miss our Inspirational Trainer<\/em> feature in Fitpro’s<\/em>\u00a0autumn magazine. Fitpro<\/em> speaks to Camille’s mother Ghislaine Holland about\u00a0how coach Rhett Milton has motivated her to lift at 60 years old.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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