Sault Ste. Marie woman prepares for world competition

Holly Lasante of Sault Ste. Marie is getting ready to return to the stage in just a few months for powerlifting.

"Powerlifting is basically a strength and conditioning sport where we focus on three main compact lifts which are the squat, the bench and the deadlift," said Lasante.

With several competitions under her belt and her sight currently set on the IPF Powerlifting International Championship, Lasante said the sport does more than keep your body in shape.

She began by training with her son and daughter as a way to spend time together.

"Then I went through a bout of really bad depression and my daughter essentially forced me out of the house and forced me to go to the gym with her,” Lasante said.

"I was able to start setting and achieving these crazy goals and I eventually started competing. And the rest is history.”

So far, she has competed in the Canadian Nationals five times and won gold four times. Right now, she is preparing for the world championship in Saint John's, Nfld., Oct. 8-15.

She describes training as a "part-time job," training 90 minutes to two hours every day.

"We do a combination of your strength moves, which would be your squat, your bench … you also want to integrate cardio sometimes and a lot of recovery work, as well," Lasante said.

"The thing with powerlifting is you are as successful as you want to be … Nobody is going to put that work in for you."

The powerlifting community is extremely inclusive, she added, with people competing from ages 18 to 80.

"When you’re out there, there’s nobody more supportive to the lifters on the stage than their fellow competitors," Lasante said.

"When you compete they’re the ones screaming the loudest for you to succeed."

For anyone who wants to get involved in the sport, Lasante said working with a good coach is always a good starting point.

"Make sure that you learn the basics, make sure that you learn the foundation," she said.

"You don’t want to go into a gym and you see someone squat 300 pounds and you think 'oh my God, I’m going to be able to do that tomorrow.' You want to start with that foundation. You want to start making sure that you know how to brace, that you know all the little cues that are going to help you be successful."