Martensville resident Rashenna Grzybowski gives a whole new meaning to the term “girl power” as she prepares to head to the North American Powerlifting Championships to represent Canada in Costa Rica on August 7th and the prestigious Commonwealth World Powerlifting competition in St. John’s on September 20th.
At only 23 years old, Grzybowski, who has trained tirelessly to get her where she is today, can squat over 400lbs, bench over 210lbs and deadlift over 455lbs. None of this happened overnight and took much hard work and passion since she walked into a gym in 2017 and had a power lifter suggest that she pursue the sport. “They suggested I try power lifting and I didn’t think much of it and did not think that I was very good. I have a naturally competitive drive in me, so I decided to go for it and try a competition. I signed up for my first one ever and managed to qualify not only for Westerns, but for Nationals as well. From there, the addiction started,” Grzybowski explained. “Powerlifting has had such a positive impact on my life. When you have the barbell in your hands, nothing else matters. All of your worries go away and it is just you and the weight.”
For the first year and a half, Grzybowski trained herself and did not have a coach guiding her. She went to Nationals and placed 5th, which she was not satisfied with. From there, the young athlete decided to find a coach that she knew could help get her to where she wanted to go and moved up a weight class. Placing 2nd at Westerns in 2018, only second to the current female record holder, Grzybowski knew she was on the right path.
This year, Grzybowski earned herself a bronze medal placing at Canadian Nationals. With her incredible placement, she pursued the opportunity to compete on an international level and was excited to learn that she was invited to compete in Costa Rica this August. “I had also applied for Commonwealth Worlds and never imagined that I would have the chance to compete at both competitions. Never in a million years did I think that it would get to this point for me when I first began this journey.”
Currently working at Forged Fitness as a trainer, on top of her day job, Grzybowski takes pride in helping others achieve their fitness goals. For those just starting out, Grzybowski offers this advice, “It is hard to wait around for something you know might never happen, but it’s even harder to give up when you know it’s everything you want.”
Being involved in a sport that is 100& self-funded, it can be difficult to compete in all of the competitions that you qualify for. Once she returns from Costa Rica, Forged Fitness will be hosting an event to help Grzybowski fund the trip to St. Johns. For more information about this event, visit ‘Forgedgym’ on Facebook and Instagram.
