GYM GIRLS LOCKER ROOM - Joy Sistina (@joyjoysfitness_) reveals her Powerlifting Training and Diet, 'Look Good Lift Good' mindset and The True Impact of OCD

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

S2EP5 - Welcoming JOY SISTINA (@joyjoysfitness_) to the Gym Girls Locker Room! This episode isn't one to miss, especially if you're a girl who likes to lift heavy. Joy is a 20 year old power lifter that blew up on social media for showcasing her incredible strength and 'look good, lift good' mentality. Being a creator that grows quickly doesn't come without its challenges though as joy opens up about how she has dealt with anxiety, OCD and an eating disorder. Syd also finally gets to the bottom of the animal diet and what exactly this means... We hope you enjoy and remember to tune in every Tuesday for a new episode. 💘 join the GGLR community: INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/gymgirlslockerroom/ FACEBOOK COMMUNITY PAGE - https://bit.ly/3TqhxDG TIKTOK - https://www.tiktok.com/@gymgirlslockerroom/ 📲 find Syd on socials: INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/sydgrows/ TIKTOK - https://www.tiktok.com/@sydgrows/ Want to work with Gym Girls Locker Room? Email us: [e-mail] GYMSHARK - 10% off code: SYDNEY10 ESN - 10% off code: SYDNEY

Hello and welcome back to the Gym Girls of Crime podcast hosted by me, Sydney Cassidy. Sorry guys, I'm a little bit coldy today. I don't know. I can hear the raspiness in my voice. Don't worry, the episode isn't like this. This is just the intro. I hope you guys are doing well. I hope you're having a lovely time in gloomy January, if it's like that where you're from. Right now for us, it's really not giving, honestly. The weather is is cold everybody's coming down with colds but we go on don't we today i have got an amazing episode for you i am so pleased and honored to have joy sistina on the podcast joy is a 20 year old world level power lifter and mental and physical health advocate you guys may know her from her catchphrase look good lift good which

stems from her belief that if you look and feel strong then you will feel more confident in yourself and your abilities to lift she must be doing something right as her combined squat bench and deadlift comes in at an insane 467.5 kg in joy's episode today we discussed a lot about her journey to becoming a powerlifter and what it looks like to feel empowered in such a male-dominated space we also made sure to get the download on her workouts and i finally learned what the animal diet was joy was so very open and honest about her experience with ocd and anxiety and her eating disorder so please do take this as a trigger warning that

this episode may not be right for you if you are struggling I hope you enjoy it remember you can find us at gymgirls.com on all platforms and I think without further ado let's get on with the episode thanks Joy for joining us so pleased to have you how are you doing how's life uh pretty good yeah it's like the end of summer here so it's starting to get colder which I kind of hate but either than that everything's been going good I feel like we haven't had a summer over here it's been pretty miserable the first thing we'd love to ask people on the podcast obviously is the gym girls up in podcast what is your split so this is a little different because I'm a power lifter so it's not like a normal split per se but I train five days a week I train Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

and then Friday's my rest day and then I train Saturday and then Tuesday, I squat. And Wednesday, I deadlift and bench. Thursday, I bench. And then Saturday, I squat and bench and do a little bit of like RDLs as kind of a secondary day for deadlifts without completely frying my body. So deadlifts or RDLs are like a way of getting that motion in for deadlifts, but not just completely tiring out your body. So that's what my split is. It's a lot different than I'd say the normal gym girl split, but I also do accessories every day. So I might have a day where I do arms and a leg accessory because with powerlifters, it's more of a full body workout almost every day. So it's quite different from usual splits. And do you, with your accessories, is that where you feel like you get to like have a bit of fun with it? Like, are you a little bit more relaxed or are you still super like regimented with what you're doing? And, you know, so my coach, he does program me accessories, but he told me I can do a little extra back movements if I want to but either than that I try not to go outside of what he programs me just because with recovery I don't want to overuse my body and I want to make sure that I can just recover

enough to be able to hit the big numbers on the big three lifts for the girlies listening who don't know you which I'm sure there aren't many because you're just insane what are your numbers and I feel like they're gonna be in pounds do you know kg as well or do I need to do a quick little I do google um go on girl wait let me see I'll let me use my calculator to make sure that I'm saying this correctly why can't they just make it simple and like why can't we all just use the same one? Like America is the only place that really just use pounds over everything. So squat is the highest I've ever hit is 170 kg, which is 375 pounds. And then my highest ever bench was 130 kg, which is 287 pounds and then my highest ever deadlift was 185.5 kg which is 408

pounds and your body weight as well the part that like blows my mind the most is your are you 20 now or are you still 19 I just turned 20 you just turned 20 she's like I just turned 20 and I literally lift all of that it's giving major muscle mummy oh my god I'm just like obsessed I want to like talk maybe first about just like current training and like where you're at and then we can dive into everything else but how does it feel you know lifting at that sort of like level and that sort of like intensity and weight do you feel that way all the time or does it feel like work or you know what I mean like does it yeah I'd say now a lot of the time yeah I'd say yeah um I was just thinking about that earlier I feel like my body a lot of the time is tired and sore mostly going into workouts um so I actually look forward to having a deload week

because my body the rest of the time since I'm training so hard and like pushing my body to that intensity it is sore a lot and I definitely feel it like there's some days I'll be like wow I'm really having a good bench day I can really like get into position. I feel loose and like, that's a good day. But the rest of the days it's like, okay, I need to work into my position. I need to warm up a little more today. Like my lats are feeling tight or whatever. And that's the case most of the time. I think when you get to an elite level like that,

it's just going to be inevitable that you're just you're going to feel that way that makes sense as well why you said like you don't play around with those fun little bits and pieces as much yeah like maybe other people do or whatever because you're actually just like let me maximize recovery as much as I can yes because your girl needs it there's one thing in itself like being an elite power lifter as a man but as a woman when you bring in your cycle how do you find that do you feel that you really feel it at certain points of the month and how do you overcome that with your lift I'd say when I am on my period when I'm dead lifting I definitely feel a lot weaker. I've noticed that. And squatting with a tampon in is not fun.

Definitely not fun. But I'd say like, squat and bench, I don't really see that much of a difference. But deadlift definitely because I mean, think about it, you're bracing so hard, especially like wearing that tampon, it's uncomfortable. And yeah, I usually feel a lot weaker on deadlift when I'm on my period. But other than that, I feel pretty normal. I have a good coach that asks me when you're on your period, like when's your cycle. And he helps me with those kinds of things, which I think is important. Like, especially if any of you guys are trying to get into powerlifting, like make sure your coach asks you those things because they are important, especially as a female. My coach is a male, which like that, I just think

it's awesome that that was when I had my first call with him, that was one of the first things he said was like, I don't know if you're comfortable with sharing this or not, but I think it's really important being a female that you share with me when your cycle is or whatever, so I can adjust accordingly. So I thought that was really cool. Oh, I actually think that's so, so good. What do you look for? Like when you're looking for a coach? So I just recently switched coaches. And when I was looking for my new coach, communication is a big thing. I like being able to communicate with them. And he does this full time. So it's really easy to communicate with him and get a hold of him right away. Compassion, especially with like this social

media and mental health aspect of it that they are compassionate, but also they're a coach that will be like, all right, you're having a bad day, but you still got to get up and go to the gym. Like motivating and compassionate, you know, like they're not going to be like, oh, just suck it up. But they're going to be like, all right, you still got to get to the gym. You still got to do this.

Like you can do this. Also like a coach that is able to travel because I like having an in-person coach when I'm competing at a meet. I like them to be there. Do you have this like wider team at your level? Or I know you've like spoken in the past about like nutritionists and that sort of thing. So I don't have a nutritionist anymore. But so I work with the flex team, Joey flex, um, and Cranen actually works with them. I'd say like, she, they're my team. They're my, like everything.

And, um, very open to talking like a bunch of the athletes are just very supportive. So I used to have a nutritionist, but then I actually switched to the animal-based diet so I know I've been like I guess just listening to my body and like just eating pretty clean so yeah it's such a like unique thing as well and I really respect what you said and I think what a lot of creators say as well about like being like I'm not gonna share macros and calories and like I'm not gonna do that because we all have such different needs but yeah do you like go into a bit more detail about like the animal-based diet what you were on before and so last year well actually no it wasn't last year it was May was supposed to be nationals I was supposed to compete as 63 and I was cutting down to the class

because I was a little heavier than, I think I was like 66 kg. So I had to lose three kilos and I was just mentally struggling and the lack of food. Um, and just, I wasn't really dropping any weight. I was eating in a calorie deficit, but it wasn't high quality foods. It was like low calorie this, low calorie that, like just not good foods. I was relying on caffeine and energy drinks and just bad things to get me through the day. Since I had such low energy. I decided to drop out of nationals for my mental health because I was like, I cannot, if I push myself to get to this weight, I'm going to have to eat way less than my body needs. I'm going to lose strength on my lifts and I'm going to just mentally be deteriorated. So I decided to take a step back and kind of heal

my relationship with food because I do have a past of eating disorder. And I was like, I feel myself getting back into that cycle of like restricting. So I was like, I need to take a step back. I need to, after that I stopped tracking calories. So I haven't, I need to take a step back. I need to, after that, I stopped tracking calories. So I haven't tracked calories for about, I'd say almost six months now. It's been great. My boyfriend is very into like the animal based healthy eating and all that stuff. He's the one who got me into it. But so I have OCD, anxiety and OCD. And one of the diets that helps the most with that is actually the animal based slash carnivore diet, which I couldn't do the carnivore diet because I'm not giving up carbs like I need carbs to lift. So maybe eventually one day when my body gets used to

such low carbs and whatever, I'll be able to do that. But right now I still incorporate fruits, sourdough bread, honey, maple syrup for my carbs. But I kind of just eat all whole foods. And I've noticed it's helped my digestion. It's definitely helped my mental health. And I'm actually 63 kg without tracking anything for six months. I've literally been intuitively eating. I've been eating till I'm full. I haven't been restricting at all. If I'm hungry, I'm going to eat. I'm just picking things that are good and

nutritious for my body. And it helped me a lot. And most of the reason that I did that wasn't even for like, oh, I just want to eat healthy. It was like, I need to do this to help my mind. I need to do this to help my everyday life and how I feel. And like, honestly, it's helped a lot. And I, I love eating like this now. Like the first two weeks that I started it I was like oh my gosh this is awful but now like I actually look forward to eating like that so what are the main things that you have like cut out like if someone is like considering like what are those things that are like non-compatible with this diet so I cut out mostly all gluten, which I have always had a sensitive stomach.

So it's helped a lot. I eat mostly eggs. This one really good chicken sausage from Whole Foods. That's all clean ingredients. I saw you say that. It's so good. It's so good. I love that sausage. It's like literally what I look forward to the most every day.

It's like it's chicken and apple. And then I cook everything in butter. It's like, it's chicken and apple. And then I cut, I cook everything in butter. It's a really good, I can't remember the name of, I think it's like Kerrygold or something. It's a really good butter. And then I use pure maple syrup. So it's like just straight maple syrup, which is great. It tastes great. It's amazing with, I like dipping my sausage in it. And then for lunch, I usually have a really big yogurt bowl, just plain yogurt with this really good granola. It's purely Elizabeth and it's gluten-free and it's just very clean ingredients and it sits with my stomach very well. And then I just have a bunch of fruit with that, like a bunch of berries. And then for dinner, I usually have like a whole thing of beef and I cut it in half, make it into two burgers.

And then I get like raw cheese, which is just literally just raw cheese. It's just one ingredient. And I cut it and just put it on the burgers and make two burgers and have more fruit and it's a lot more fat but your body learns to run off of the energy from fat instead of carbs um and it helps a lot with mental clarity I'd say um and I think I'm eating more than I was before I started this it's just a different combination of things that I'm eating is than I was before I started this it's just a different combination of things that I'm eating is it a little bit like keto it sounds a bit like keto especially with the like running on the different sort of fat burning system or like well it's a little bit like keto but you can still have sourdough bread and I'm not sure I don't I don't know if

you can have like honey and maple syrup on keto since that's carbs keto is like no carbs I think this one's just lower carbs um but honestly like it doesn't have to be low carbs either like you can add more honey to your yogurt you can have more maple syrup with whatever like you could make it high carb also but like just the things that I am eating it's lower carb than I used to be eating what did you say was the main reason that you switched to this or what were your reasons I was diagnosed with OCD about five months ago and my boyfriend being the great boyfriend that he is did a lot of research um on like what can help me and an animal-based diet or carnivore diet is one of the diets that can really help mental clarity and just

overall health because cleaning your gut is cleaning your mind so it's just basically a diet that helps get my gut really healthy so that my mind can be more healthy. I have PCOS and I know that there's a lot of like things that people do to like naturally sort of heal. I say that with air quotes, but to heal the symptoms just by like making switches and like watching, you know, things that are going to spike your insulin. And it's crazy. Like you really don't know these things until you actually have some like agency over it and you like yeah no no no I'm gonna be in control I'm gonna go and like see what I can do and like your boyfriend did like when people love and care about you they're like okay what else is out there do you mind speaking

about your OCD like how did the symptoms manifest for you or like looking back on it now I can realize like wow I've had this my whole entire life but it's kind of just went undiagnosed I have a form of OCD called pure OCD which is purely just thoughts and mental compulsions instead of somebody who's like checking the doorknob or like you know checking if their car is locked or something like that mine is more of like the mental compulsions when I had my eating disorder apparently a really big sign of OCD is eating disorders because it's the obsession with food and then the compulsion to do whatever you have to to make that obsession become true. But it was never diagnosed back then. And then at the beginning of this year, I moved out into a new apartment. And one of the first

nights I was there, I ended up having to call the police because there was a domestic violence going on next to me. But I thought it was someone breaking into the apartment next to me. So I was woken up out of a sound sleep and I was like, just traumatized. Nothing really happened to me personally, but I heard this girl screaming, like, help me, help me, like at the top of her lungs. And it was just a very traumatizing moment because I thought like, oh, I'm next, like I'm the next person, next apartment next to her. And I really thought that someone literally broke in because that's what it sounded like. So after that, for a few months, it was very hard to sleep. I would wake up feeling like that whole thing was happening again and come to find out my therapist said that some traumatic event like that can cause your OCD still love me? Do I still love him and all of that stuff. But it's not like overthinking like someone who overthinks Oh, like for one or two

hours, it's like constantly 24 seven, like that's all you're thinking about. And it feels so real. Because OCD is a ego dystonic condition, which means like literally your worst fear your OCD has to do everything it can to make sure that that fear doesn't come true so it's constantly like checking that that fear is not coming true so like with the thing with my boyfriend it would be like okay I have to look at all of these pictures of him to make sure I still love him, to make sure I'm still attracted to him. And that would be like my checking, I guess. But it's more of mental things like that. Like another example is I was at church one time and I was thinking about like, oh, it would be so hard to like be a nun. And then my mind was like, what if you're being called to be a nun? And then I literally could not stop thinking about that for two weeks.

And I didn't want to pray. I didn't want to read the Bible. I didn't want to do any of that because my OCD was like, if you do that, like you're going to be called to be a nun. It convinces you of the most random things based on like things you really don't want to happen it just makes you so scared of that thing happening that you have to do everything in your power for that thing not to happen so that became really apparent a few months ago um yeah so that's the kind of OCD that I have um which is actually the hardest form of OCD to treat

so interesting and also so crazy that like, you really just don't know what goes on behind closed doors and you don't know what anybody's struggling with, you know? How are you working on like managing symptoms and the things that you're struggling with? So I've been on Prozac, which is an antidepressant for the last three months, which eventually I'm planning on weaning off of it.

I just kind of wanted to get into a place where it is more manageable. And I've also been going to therapy two times a week for an hour session each time because with OCD, it's a lot different than treating someone with normal anxiety disorder. You really have to dive deep and go to therapy like two times a week, which it's time consuming, but I've definitely feel like it's helped a lot. So that's what I'm doing now. I have very, I'd say more strict routine, I get up earlier, I have lowered my caffeine intake. I have gone to bed earlier, just making sure that I put myself first and do things that this is also a thing that helps is like doing things that remind you like why you're here and why you love to live like going on a podcast like this, sharing my story, posting on Instagram and sharing what I've gone through to help other

people, things like that. That really helps. And of course, going to the gym, like when I'm there, it just helps a lot because it's something that I've loved for the last four years. So it just reminds me like, okay, even though, you know, this sometimes this OCD or mental illness feels like it's controlling me I have something that no one can ever take away from me and that makes me want to live and makes me want to keep doing what I'm doing oh I think no I honestly think you should be so proud of yourself because like it seems even from what you just said like in the past conversation like you are working on it actively and like it seems like you are really putting in the work like

and I'm sure that you'll like see everything sort of ease and become way more manageable you've always been like super sporty like you were a gymnast first like quite serious you know like training a lot doing it like what six times a week or something ridiculous and then you've gone into like lifting so for you it's like always been a part of like your existence it seems but like I wonder where does like lifting and where does exercise come into play when you're kind of doing it for a different purpose like you are elite you're doing it to compete and like all those sorts of things like do you find that gym still does give you that sort of like mental like escape and clarity oh yeah I definitely say that it does it's the thing I look forward to the most every single day is going to the gym I guess it's like you have to have the passion for it. You have to have the love for it

because I have the love for powerlifting. It's my favorite part of life right now. It's my favorite thing to do. I like going on walks. I like boxing. I like trying out new things, new just things to move my body because it makes me feel good yeah I feel like exercise it's always just an outlet for me no matter how I'm moving my body just being able to move my body has always kind of been an outlet for me do you find that like when you are exercising you do have like this like moment of silence within your brain or do you are those sort of OCD sort of compulsions still there or so I'd say like the OCD thoughts they're always like circling you just get better at managing them and how you react to them when I'm at the gym they're a lot quieter I'd say they're still

they're still there but it's way easier to be like, okay, you need to put yourself in this present moment. This is what you're doing right now. Even though that thought is there, you need to recognize it and move on from it and be present in the moment. So that's why doing things, staying active, and just having a routine helped OCD a lot because even though those thoughts are there, you're having something to do to kind of ground yourself and make yourself more present. Yeah. So what was like diving or jumping like all the way back? Like what was it like growing up in like a super competitive swifer?

Like you've done like the classic character arc of like competing as a child in one sport and then switching over to gym and being like hi I'm here yep yep oh it was great I loved it too that's why like I'm so passionate about powerlifting because I was so passionate about gymnastics I started when I was three so I was really young and I just loved it like I was always climbing on monkey bars and doing cartwheels and just always being crazy and just trying to flip on something and um I just loved it so it was really fun it taught me a lot of discipline I'd say especially with school I was just always taught to work hard and follow the rules and be very disciplined, which has helped me with powerlifting because I've just always learned to work hard ever since I was little.

But I actually broke my ankle three times. That's why I had to stop doing gymnastics. So there was a period of time, this is where my eating disorder kind of started, where I didn't know what I wanted to stop doing gymnastics. So there was a period of time, this is where my eating disorder kind of started, where I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know what my purpose was anymore, because I couldn't do gymnastics anymore. And I was really lost because gymnastics was the thing I was most passionate about in life. And I just lost that. I tell people it was like my first breakup. I just, I didn't know who I was without it. And it took me two years to find powerlifting and find something that I was passionate about again.

But yeah, I just, I think that it's always been really important for me to find something that I really have passion for. And yeah. And so that like in between place you've just finished gymnastics because not by choice but because you have to and then you're you've not quite found powerlifting yet and that's where you start getting these sort of like eating disorder like tendencies and and struggles did it feel like it was sort of like some sort of control that you were trying to have out of a situation it definitely was it was kind of the only thing I had to focus on it was also during COVID which sucked right when COVID started that's when I broke my ankle

and I had a cast on for the very beginning of quarantine. So I literally could do nothing. So really the only thing that I had control over, I felt like was food. I couldn't even like, I couldn't go around the neighborhood and go on walks like other people were doing. I literally was in my room with my cast on and felt like that was the only thing that I had control over. So that went on for about like a year. And then I started actually going to the gym with my brother when I was about 16. And I would just bench all the time because he was in football and that's all they do is bench. So, and I was really strong from the beginning because of gymnastics. But I would go there like once or twice a day. And then that became unhealthy and obsessive because I was like

working out so much. But then this one guy came up to me one time in the gym and was like, have you ever thought of getting into powerlifting? And I've never really heard of it before. So I looked it up. And once I found a powerlifting coach and actually got into a routine and actually wasn't over using exercise then I really started to find myself again and kind of find that passion that I've been craving for the last two years but yeah I'd say definitely it was a lot of the control aspect when I felt like I had nothing else to control. So did you find that that naturally just like worked its way out into like healthier patterns of eating just through finding powerlifting? Or did you actually get like professional help with that?

Because from my perspective, it seems like now you've got, I mean, I don't want to speak for you, but it seems like from what you've explained, you've got like a really healthy relationship with food. And I feel like maybe from what you said, a time where you didn't really see it this way, it seems that you really view food as like your fuel now. And you're very aware of like how it can be this like thing where you're not restrictive and you eat intuitively. So it took me a while a while to get here it's still a journey I tell people all the time eating disorders it never goes away you always have those thoughts just like with OCD you're always going to have those thoughts and it's just how you manage them so it's taken me a while to get to this place. I'd say probably four years. I think the last few months has really been a turn in my recovery and I've really felt like,

wow, I have control over this and wow, I have a really good relationship with food. But it used to not always be that way. Even last year, cutting into nationals, very unhealthy relationship with food. Um, afterwards I was just like, I didn't know what to do with myself because when you're cutting for so long, you almost forget how to eat like a normal human. You don't really have your hunger cues or anything like that. So, um, yeah, it took me probably like four months after I stopped cutting this year to get back into the hang of like okay my body's hungry my body's full it's actually knowing when my hunger cues are like talking to me instead of being like oh I'm just thinking about food all day because I have to eat this much amount of calories and I can't go over that. And, but I, I hit my macros, but I'm still hungry. And like that

constant battle back and forth in your head all the time. Um, so yeah, it took me a while to be like, all right, I'm not counting calories. And I think that's why the animal-based diet is so helpful because almost knowing like, wow, I'm putting nutritious foods into my body and I am fueling my body to become stronger mentally and physically, like viewing food as that instead of like, oh, I have to hit this macro goal and I have to do this or this or this. But no, it's like, oh, I have to hit this macro goal and I have to do this or this or this. But no, it's like, oh, I'm eating these fruits because they help nourish me and I'm eating this protein because it's helping me build muscle. Changing your perspective on that or my perspective on that has been a game changer, but it took me a really long time to get to this point I still struggle every day

with it like not to the extent that I used to but you still have those thoughts a lot and you just learn how to cope with them and you learn how to kind of talk yourself down from like oh well I just want to be skinny and then it's like do you want to be skinny. And then it's like, do you want to be skinny? Or do you want to bench three plates one day? Like things like that, what help you like, kind of navigate it. I still I love ice cream. So if I'm craving ice cream one day, I'm gonna get ice cream. You know, if I'm at my family's birthday party for one of my family members, I'm gonna eat the cake, like, things like that. I'm not gonna be like, Oh, my gosh, no, I can't have that because it's not like super clean ingredients or whatever. Like I still, this is why I say this is like the healthiest my relationship has ever been with food because I allow myself that freedom of like, wow, I'm really craving crumble right now. Crumble

cookies. I'm going to go go get crumble like I allow myself that freedom and that freedom actually helps me not crave that stuff as much and crave the fruits and the the eggs and like whatever good things I'm eating and well those things I don't like to say good or bad foods but like the nutritious foods that are really like just helping my body I started craving those instead of the other things I used to crave when I restricted them so much yeah but I think that word you say like freedom is exactly it like I think those are those little tests almost where like you can show up for yourself in real life and be like hey I want to just because I want a little treat and I think you're so right like I definitely think like the whole good bad food thing is like

a really dangerous like place to walk down you know because yeah it's all within reason really and it's all when you look at that like bigger picture um I want to talk about what which you briefly mentioned that guy who I've heard you like mention a few times that walks up to you and says like have you heard of power lifting it sounds really similar to like a really profound sort of thing that happened in my whole like journey where I was kind of lifting and I didn't really know anyone at the gym I just started and um these guys came up to me and said like whoa Sid you're like really strong do you have you tried and exactly the same thing and I just wanted to know like what your experience has been of like the gym community because I know

certainly for me like it's been like so special I mean perhaps for you since you were in gymnastics maybe that's something you've always experienced but for me it was certainly very new it's been like so special. I mean, perhaps for you since you're in gymnastics, maybe that's something you've always experienced. But for me, it was certainly very new. It's been great. I still go to the same gym that I started lifting at. It feels like home to me. It's literally a commercial gym. It's Crunch Fitness.

It's like not like that ideal for filming or even lifting, but it just feels like a safe place for me. It feels like home. The first guy that ever spotted me on my first two plate bench ever, he still goes there. He still says hi to me. One of the guys that spotted me on my first 190 pound bench, he still goes there. He still says hi to me. So it's just a very supportive community. And I know all my gym friends there and they've always been so supportive. Also me and my brother, we used to not really get along. And then we started going to the gym together. And now our relationship is closer than ever because we have something in common um even some of the people that I used to go to high school with that I was never friends

with in high school I'm friends with them now because of the gym so yeah I've always had a really positive experience with the gym and I've made so many new friends from the gym. I loved what you said as well before about how you had like the same pair of converse that you decided you're going to shelve and just like have them there and, you know, retire them and keep them. And I'm like such a little sentimental girl like that. I'm like, she's she's been here for the journey. Like, I love her. And I feel and I feel like it's she's been here for the journey like I love her um yeah and I feel and I feel like it's the same way with the gym like I definitely you know it breaks my heart that I don't train at the gym that I had my whole like you know discovery through because I think it does mean so much like when you do find a gym that you really connect with and yeah kind of are able to walk

through there and be like damn like for you like the journey you've been on and like the lifts you do now compared to like when you first started yeah I can imagine that must just be really lovely to be there and in that definitely yeah on the topic of converse what are your like holy grail lifting items bits and pieces like what are your gym staples you cannot be without let me think okay uh first since I do do my makeup at the gym I like the one size setting spray because literally if I put that stuff on it will not move my makeup will not move in the gym and that's like I like wearing makeup so that and then um let's say my helimix shaker bottle because nothing else quite works as well as helimixes um liquid chalk especially at a commercial gym especially at a commercial gym that doesn't usually have chalk.

I love my liquid chalk and straps for RDLs because sometimes my grip strength is just not there with the weight that I'm lifting. SBD belt, definitely if you're getting into powerlifting, invest in one of those. They're not cheap, but I've had mine for the last almost four years and it has not budged um it's the best it's the best belt I've ever tried um Avancis which is a new shoe brand that I started working with which I used their stuff before I even started working with them and like I I just love them because they're like a shoe but also a deadlift shoe and bench shoe or squat shoe I use heels for squat but like they you could wear them around the gym and they look like a normal shoe you you can even wear them like out and they look like a normal

shoe but then they also have the grip and like the support for benching. And they're also really cute. They have them in a lot of colors. So, um, I'd say those are like my go-to things. Oh, there's this, there's one more. Um, it's, I can't remember the name of it. Jamal just told me about it. Another one of the Gyms it Jamal just told me about it another one of the gym truck athletes just yeah tell me about it um it's chocless grip enhancer so I know a lot of people that are going to like college or uni whatever you guys call it I know you call it uni there or something but um it's like literally you stick your hands in a bag and you take them out and then it's like, there's nothing on your hands, but your hands are grippy for like four or

five sets. So if you're going to college or uni and they don't want you to have liquid chalk or any chalk, like this is literally, it's, it's called grip enhancer and it just, it's like chalk, but you can't see it and it doesn't make a mess so that's also pretty awesome I used that before too what are your go-to like outfit combos do you have are you like you know recently I've been really not vibing with leggings maybe it's the summer have I either have I, yeah, I also get like sensory issues. I don't know.

It's a new thing. I'm like, I don't like the feeling of it. So yeah, I just wonder what do you love to wear? Like what are your go-tos? I'm a shorts girly. Definitely a shorts girly. I'm like, I'm more quad dominant. So whenever I put leggings on, I feel like they never sit in the right places, I guess. And then I've been loving the Safari Collection by Gymshark, those shorts.

Those are the shorts that I wear the most. I just re-wear those shorts over and over and over again. And then I do like a little crop top moment. I'll tuck it into my sports bra if I'm squatting or like dead lifting because I can't do it when I bench or else my back will slip on the bench but um yeah and and I've been loving pink lately definitely pink with with the new blonde hair I've been been loving the pink so yeah um I can't believe I didn't even mention before but the blonde hair is just exquisite

I didn't like it at first because I was like so like in shock of it because I've never dyed I've never dyed my hair before so I just didn't recognize myself but now I love it it's so nice it suits you so so well I wanted to ask you know you mentioned that you train at a commercial gym yes how do you find because like the common thing I always hear from like powerlifters that I like you know train at the gym with or whatever is they often talk about like how crappy the benches are for powerlifters at commercial gyms and maybe like the plates or whatever do you find like I do find it kind of iconic that you still train at a commercial gym at the level that you do train um and compete so I just yeah how do you find the equipment my theory is that you always have to adapt to any of the odds so like the first

worlds I competed at there was no. It was sweltering hot. And the benches were like, they were not very grippy. So you would slide on them. And I'm like, you know what? You're never going to know what the equipment's going to be when you go to a meet. It's never going to be the same as it is at your gym. So I kind of have taught myself to train on anything. And I try not to let it affect me that much being like oh well the equipment was this so that's why I didn't move like this it's like

yeah well yeah like to a certain extent like if you don't have chalk and the bar is slippery but like either than that I kind of am just like well I'm still training I'm still hitting my numbers I'm still putting in the work. It might be a little different equipment, but also when I go to a meet, it's going to be different than like one meet could have different combo racks than another meet. So, I mean, for like heavy weeks when I am taking very heavy singles, I try to train on like power lifting equipment but other than that I'm just lifting I'm just living and lifting and I've kind of just like I've also have like developed a balance between having to be so strict on that stuff because I definitely used to be like that and now I'm just like you know what life is short. It's a barbell and it's weights.

I am getting the work done. So I'm not going to stress over if this is the same weight as the kilo plates because the kilo plates are calibrated versus the pound plates or whatever. I'm like, I'm just lifting. I'm putting in the work and I'm just going to leave it at that. I have too many other things in my life that I could be worrying about either than like if the equipment is just right. Yeah, no, I completely understand. And also I wonder if there's a sense of like if you do train in like harder, harsher environments with less favorable equipment, then actually by the time that you get to the meets, you like this is so easy for me yes um you guys you have a little slogan that we're I feel like as an audience learning to

love which is if you wouldn't mind saying go on is it there I have two of them so is it hair done makeup hair done makeup done look good good? Or is it like... I do love, I do, I was referring to look good, lift good, because I think that's just so incredible. I love it. Where did that come from? Did you just flippantly say it in a video or? I did.

And it kind of like, people loved it. Like I just said it one day and then people kind of just loved it. And was like oh okay well I'm just gonna run with this because like I do my hair and I do my makeup before I go to the gym because when I feel my best is when I lift my best and I also see like which I I hate a lot of men commenting like why are you wearing makeup to the gym? Why are you doing your hair to the gym? I'm like, bro, this is my fashion show. This is my time to shine. This makes me feel good.

This isn't for you. This is for me. This makes me feel good. This makes me feel confident. This makes me feel strong. It makes me feel feminine in a male dominated space. And I just love to do it. And it just, it kind of started with like, showing men that like, we don't do this for you. We do this for us and it's okay. Or like kind of

spreading the message to other girls. Like it's okay if you want to do your makeup for the gym. It's okay if you want to do your hair for the gym like it's okay if you want to do your makeup for the gym it's okay if you want to do your hair for the gym it's okay if you want to put a cute outfit on for the gym like if that makes you feel good then like do it and you don't have to feel bad about it so yeah yeah and also like the more that you comment on this and say it as a bad thing the more I'm just going to double down and do it even more and you best believe next time I'm going to look even cuter and even more fire outfit no I love it I really I think that's something that I very quickly came to uh realize within my own journey like I do feel more comfortable and not from an insecurity place but actually from like an empowered place I do feel more comfortable going to the gym with a cute outfit on with like my hair done especially

like because you know us curly girls when we have curly hair it just goes crazy yeah I do just like to like do these little bits of like self-care and I do genuinely believe that I have a better session afterwards and I think there's always this thing of like I don't I could always hear this sort of chatter maybe from like growing up growing up of, like, oh, you know, why are you wearing makeup to exercise? Like, you know, that kind of really, like, belittling sort of thing. And I do, I really love that, like, so many girls are like, look, let me just do what I want to do. You can do what you want to do. I'm thankful because I never grew up with that, which is kind of, I think, why, like, I have always, yeah, I'm just like doing my hair and makeup and going to the gym. And like, I've never really like

thought about it like that until I started getting the comments on social media. And I'm like, what this is crazy. Like people actually say this, like people actually are like, why are you doing this? Like, I've never gotten questioned on that in my whole entire life until I started posting on social media and also like another thing is when you go into the gym confident I know a lot of girls I get a lot of girls commenting like how are you so confident in the gym like because there's a woman's only section at crunch and a lot of the girls will just stay there and they won't venture to the other side because they're just nervous and like they don't feel confident and I'm like

do your hair do your makeup walk into there like you own the place walk into there like you know what you're doing keep your head up high just walk in with confidence even if you're not fake it till you make it and that confidence will slowly come to you with time because I used to be the same way I used to be I used to be super socially anxious when I went to the gym and then I kind of just like started changing how I carried myself and I guess that's why I talk about it a lot too to just help the girls feel more confident in the gym and it can look different for everyone like what we're talking about is just like doing what makes you feel confident like for some people that would be their worst nightmare they would feel like oh my god everyone's staring me I never want to yeah I don't like this

like if confidence if if you can feel the most confident by just wearing some like trackies and like some trainers and just chilling like then do that but like I I'm exactly the same like I think I just try to really help people understand that like it is actually such a safe environment yeah so funny and I wonder what your take is on this but I often think like gosh when you do actually get to a point where you are really confident with the gym you realize that like literally nobody cares and it's all in your head like everything feels so much more intense and that's not to like make your your worries feel small and insignificant but it's just funny that like yeah as you do gain confidence you realize actually it's a really really lovely space to be in yeah and I think like

with us having a social media following you kind of almost learn after a while to kind of only worry about the opinions that matter the most to you like your close friends and your close family and I mean I get a lot of hate and I have kind of learned to just like not really care about other people's opinions if I'm doing what makes me happy which has helped me in the gym because if I'm doing like makes me happy, which has helped me in the gym. Because if I'm doing like, I used to be scared to do like this one Larson bench because your feet are up in the air when you're benching and it looks funny in the gym. And now I'm just like, wow, like this is really helping my bench grow. And I just, I don't think twice about it now, which I used to do that. And I think like, in a way way social media has helped me kind of

be like wow like this makes me happy so I'm I'm gonna do it and I don't really care like what other people think it's crazy to me that you say you receive a lot of hate because I guess it's like yeah what you pay attention to like for me I am like how how could she possibly like I feel like that you only put out good incredible inspiring empowering stuff and I wonder just as a quick one before I go on to my next point what is your split do you get a lot of like male hey is that where it comes from would you say or yeah yeah it's just like it's it's not it's because people not even like that I get a lot of hate of like oh she's on steroids which um first of all I compete in a drug tested federation where they could literally test me at any time but I guess men see a woman benching more than them most of the time and they're like well there's no way that this is possible naturally there's no way that like

she can be this strong without having to take steroids and that's where I get a lot of the hate is from like oh there's no way there's no way that this bench can be from her hard work and she has to be on something. So that's like where most of it comes from. We had a conversation before, Lucy Davis and I, one of the other Gymshark athletes. Incredible, incredible athlete. Does a lot of like high rocks and ultras and just really pushes her body to like the extreme and she gets a lot because she again was the same has literally done intense like competitive exercise since she was a girl she's now like a woman a grown woman extremely muscular but also very very

cut and and lean yeah obviously to serve a like it serves a functional purpose like because her body can carry her like these insane distances and do these insane things but she gets so much hate and criticism about from men for the most part about her being on steroids and we were speaking about how sad it is that we live in a world or you know we have to be around people that really are taking something that should be such a positive thing the fact that you have put so much dedication and like work into like your craft and your thing and you've been doing it literally your whole life like you were saying since you were three and that this really really wonderful thing of like not being able to fathom or comprehend that someone could

be that good and you actually take it into like a negative and you're like oh well yeah and then you belittle that person and I think it's yeah shame what has being a freshly turned 20 year old been like navigating the whole online space I think I heard you say that in one week you gained 800,000 TikTok followers online I just can't even imagine growing up and making sort of like a dent in the world and then also navigating this insane online presence how has that been for you uh so I blew up so fast like um there was one video that went viral that I literally have it in my saved in my notes because I would like track my following because I was I never like I never wanted to be an influencer like that was never my goal I guess I liked posting on social media for fun but I also

did keep track of like my followers because I just thought it was oh this is cool to see me grow so in 2022 I had 25,000 followers on TikTok and then 2023 I had 1.2 million. So I have like, in one month, I gained like a million followers from that one video. And then on Instagram, it was kind of pretty similar. I gained like 600,000. And mind you, at this time, I was, I got my my GED I was a high school dropout because of like how bad I was doing mentally because of the ankle break from gymnastics and all of that so I was kind of just getting my life back together when I blew up I was kind of just like getting really into power lifting and And I just found myself like I just found this new passion. And I just finally started becoming mentally better. I was working

three jobs, three jobs to pay for everything. And then I was blessed with this great opportunity to pursue social media. But it was just a very big adjustment because I'm 18 I was 18 at the time I didn't know how to negotiate with brands I didn't know what to say to them I didn't know what brands I like wanted to work with I was just saying yes to the first brand that asked me because I was so excited about a brand reaching out to work with me. And then like, it was so much positivity at first. And then about six months, that's when the hate started coming. So when I was getting so much hate, then it was adjustment, seeing all those positive comments, and then them turning into like more negative comments.

So and then like transitioning into not working a normal job and kind of being able to travel more and work from pretty much anywhere and not having much of a set schedule. It was a big change. And yeah, it took me about a year to get used to it I'd say I yeah I can't imagine and I think the thing with social media and being on social media and receiving these hate comments like if you even receive one it feels like it does feel really intense and yeah there's no way that you can't take it personally, even if you are rationally telling yourself, this person doesn't know me.

They literally, you know, it's purely coming from a place of, I think, self-hatred on their own part. But it feels so intense. Like we have, as humans, we just have this like negative bias as like a survival mechanism. So to then suddenly receive all of that whilst you're still I think at 18 a girl like you know you're still growing up you're not like you're not even really

an adult like I can't even imagine what that's like insane yeah yeah it was crazy but I'm grateful for it now yeah exactly how do you feel like you built up like a resilience to I don't know just navigating that whole that whole space um I had a brother growing up so um okay so far yeah I feel like I've always had tough skin because like siblings you're just gonna tell them how it is you're gonna make fun of them and like they're gonna give it right back to you so I feel like I've always had kind of tough skin but it got to a point where like I kind of realized that these people don't know me at all and they don't know anything about me and their opinions are quite, just irrelevant unless they're someone that really knows me in person and that has known me my whole life and knows the truth, I guess. So I just stopped responding to, well, I wouldn't respond to hate comments, but I stopped looking or paying attention to them.

Just like some final questions really just kind of trying to check off I'm sure a lot of girls that are really interested in powerlifting are listening so I just want to make sure that I've like asked those questions that they're probably dying to have you answer um what's something that you feel like people don't speak enough about in the powerlifting world I'd say training consistency and challenges that come with it. If you have to cut weight, your numbers are going to drop. If you have an injury, your numbers might drop. If you go through something mentally or something traumatic or you're grieving or something like that

and you're not able to make it to the gym as you're you're not able to make it to the gym as much and you're not able to be as consistent like those things happen and a lot of the stuff I've been getting lately because my numbers have been down is like oh like she's off of she's off of gear or she's this or she's that and I, no, like something happened in my life. Things happen in life and they can set you back. Like I broke my ankle in gymnastics. That was a setback. I got diagnosed with OCD. That was a setback for a while. And I feel like it's not talked about enough that like even the greatest, like one of a really, a really good powerlifter Taylor Atwood he got injured and Russ or he he got second place at worlds like even the best of the best like they have setbacks but

the setbacks that you go through ultimately build you into a better version of yourself I think but I guess it's okay to have those setbacks and everyone has them because we're all human it's just kind of how you come out of them and that you choose every single day to just become a little bit better after those setbacks I think you said it perfectly what would you say to the girlies that are listening that are like, okay, I love lifting heavy. I'm really enjoying it. I've kind of reached that point where like I've decided, yeah, I want to work on strength training. I would love to compete, but that scares me shitless.

What would you say? Because I think it can feel really daunting to even think about going into that as a newbie do you have any words of wisdom as someone who has competed at the world level multiple times now I get scared before every single meet like I am always nervous but when you're nervous about something it means you care and it means that you've really given your all into what you're doing so yeah like I'm not going to sugarcoat it if you compete for the first time it is going to be scary and and you're going to be nervous but just remember that

every single person I can guarantee you that cares about it and that wants to succeed is nervous too and you just have to get out there. I say, get your first squat done. First squat is always gonna be the most nerve wracking, but once you get that done and you feel that adrenaline rush and you're locked in and you're doing the thing that you really love, like all those worries, all that nervousness

when you're out there on the platform, just doing what you love to do goes away. But yeah, you're going to be nervous and that's okay. Nerves are okay. And I think they fuel you to be greater because if you're not nervous, then like, what are you doing that for? You literally like nerves show how deeply you care about a certain thing and how hard and how much dedication you have put towards something. Also, powerlifting community is like one of the most supportive communities that I think there is. I know. I know. Like everyone, everyone cheers for you when you're going. If you have nobody there for you, if you have no family, if you have no friends there for you to

watch you, like the crowd's going to cheer for for you no matter what which I think is super awesome your competitors are gonna cheer for you like at the world's meets your competitors are cheering for you and hoping that you do well it's just it's a very uplifting sport I think it's like um for gym really and the whole fitness community I think for the most part it's just everyone wants to see each other win don't they well where can people find you joy joy joy's fitness underscore on instagram tiktok and youtube well thank you so much for joining us genuinely I think that was really really insightful and it was fantastic to get to know you better I think you're doing incredible and I think you should be so proud of yourself to not only be competing and lifting at such

incredible numbers but to be navigating the whole social media online space the way you do and also working on your own personal battles I just think you're incredible I thought you were before and I think you are even more now okay take care joy thank you so much bye bye thank you so much for listening if you got this far into the episode um I hope you guys loved the episode as much as we did it would be an absolute pleasure and honor if you could give us a five star review it really really helps us out in terms of pushing the podcast out further gets us up on the charts remember you can find us at jimgirls.com on all platforms have a lovely lovely week and i will see you in the next one