When Julie Robertson, 56, was faced with a partial knee replacement roughly five years ago, the physical therapist worried she was heading down the path of becoming a \u201cfrail adult\u201d after losing a lot of muscle in the wake of her surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To push back against this fate, Robertson signed up for Logan Health Fitness Center\u2019s \u201cBarbell Strength\u201d class. By February 2024, she was competing in her first powerlifting competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s empowering,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cWe will look at each other, and we\u2019re like, we just did that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFive years ago, I never would\u2019ve imagined \u2026 I mean, literally, when I had had my knee replacement and just lost so much muscle, I was just like, oh my gosh, I\u2019m an old lady now,\u201d she added with a laugh. \u201cNow I\u2019m like, oh heck no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like Robertson, Darla Meadors, 55, has been a longtime member of the Kalispell gym on 205 Sunnyview Lane, even touring the facility over two decades ago during its construction \u2014\u00a0back when it was called The Summit.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until Meadors started working with a personal trainer a few years ago that she even considered powerlifting, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where they said, \u2018No, you should really try this class out,\u2019\u201d Meadors said, referring to Logan Health\u2019s barbell strength class. \u201cI was like, \u2018I don\u2019t think so. That\u2019s for really strong people. I can\u2019t do that.\u2019 They were like, no, you really should try this class.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just over two years later, Robertson\u2019s broken 15 state records, a national record, and a world record, and Meadors has 13 state records and a world record for their respective sex, weight and age classes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two also made their first appearances at the United States Powerlifting Association\u2019s Ultra National competition in Anaheim, California, earlier this summer. Robertson set a national and world record in deadlift, while Meadors set a world record in the same discipline at the multi-day competition that brings together more than 800 powerlifters from across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, there\u2019s nothing like the feeling of hitting the platform, especially at nationals,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cThey call your name, they say platform ready. I mean, when they say platform ready, like I just got goosebumps saying that right now, you have 60 seconds to get on there and perform your lift. The lights are on you and everyone\u2019s out there cheering and it\u2019s just such a cool feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
While empowerment is the overwhelming feeling for Robertson and Meadors when hitting the gym these days, that wasn\u2019t always the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Apprehension, hesitation and doubt were more fitting for the two as they began their powerlifting journey. For Robertson and Meadors, the sport simply felt like something they shouldn\u2019t do \u2014 something they couldn\u2019t do.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was all new and all different and all like wow,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot involved as far as learning all the rules and all the equipment and all the commands. So yeah, it was very intimidating.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the fear, the two took the leap out of their comfort zone, ultimately getting hooked on the sport as soon as they stepped on the platform \u2014 an outcome that wasn\u2019t surprising to coach and class instructor Michael Staudenmayer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sport catches a lot of people off guard, but once they get in it, they\u2019re pretty pumped up,\u201d Staudenmayer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once a source of anxiety, powerlifting now serves as a place of solace and therapy.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is crazy,\u201d Meadors said. \u201cThe last few years have been quite a roller coaster in my life, but this is the place where you can come and truly do it for yourself. It\u2019s just you and the weight.\u201d<\/p>\n Powerlifting competitions, which include three attempts of bench press, squat, deadlift, or all three lifts, have historically been a male-dominated affair \u2014 although an influx of women like Robertson and Meadors into the sport is starting to change that.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor USPA, it\u2019s about 46% women; it\u2019s almost 50-50,\u201d Staudenmayer said. \u201cTen years ago, it was not. It was not at all. 95% men.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the scales starting to even out in competition, public perception hasn\u2019t quite done the same. While the weight room has become a place of comfort for Robertson and Meadors, the notion of women in powerlifting \u2014 especially women over age 50 \u2014 is still decidedly uncomfortable for the broader public.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople always ask me if I have to put a bikini on to compete, like bodybuilding versus powerlifting, so you have to do a little education on what powerlifting is and what your goals are and how it\u2019s different,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot more women in the sport now, but kind of outside the sport, people don\u2019t truly understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Educating people on the difference between powerlifting and bodybuilding isn\u2019t the only thing Robertson is trying to teach. The physical therapist and Flathead Valley Community College professor also preaches the importance of women lifting as they age, especially as they approach menopause.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor women our age, there\u2019s still this kind of misconception of, well, I can\u2019t lift heavy weights; I don\u2019t want to get bulky,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cBut there\u2019s more and more education out there, speaking as that era of a menopausal woman, is that you need to build bone density, and you need to build muscle for longevity and for health.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn your 30s is when you start losing muscle if you don\u2019t strength train, so you\u2019re going to lose 3 to 8% of your muscle mass every decade,\u201d she added. \u201cThe older you get \u2026 you have to do more load to get the muscle that you used to when you were younger. My soapbox as a physical therapist and as a powerlifter is like, come on, you\u2019ve got to do this; eat your protein and lift some weights.\u201d<\/p>\n The perception of women in powerlifting is one Meadors often sees firsthand, experiencing a stark contrast between her and her husband, who also competes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTechnically, I have a higher PR than him right now, which is my point,\u201d Meadors said. \u201cBecause we will come back from a competition and we\u2019ll be standing side-by-side, and people will be like, \u2018Oh, congratulations, Larry! You did such a great job!\u2019 And I\u2019m there like, hmmm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Once Meadors hits the platform at a competition, however, all the noise fades away \u2014 whether that be the lack of external acknowledgement or her own internal doubts.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think the competition takes that right out because, well, you\u2019re walking up there in a singlet in February with pasty white skin,\u201d Meadors said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s gonna watch.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Meadors welcomes the eyes on her.<\/p>\n \u201cLet them watch. Because you don\u2019t know how many people you might be inspiring,\u201d Meadors said. \u201cIt\u2019s important for them to see you fail and do it again. It\u2019s not only about success. It\u2019s about failure. Muscle is still built on failure.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Although there may only be one name next to each state, national and world record, it\u2019s the community behind Robertson and Meadors that lifts them to success, they said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really is an incredibly supportive community, and definitely in Montana, we\u2019ve all made this Montana connection throughout the whole state and support each other,\u201d Robertson said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just something about the powerlifting community,\u201d Meadors added. \u201cYou compete against each other, but not really. You\u2019re really just competing against yourself. You might be competing against their numbers, but you\u2019re competing against yourself. I think my last attempt at the national record, the person that was cheering the loudest for me was the current holder of the record that I was trying to break.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Meadors and Robertson also train with nine others who are part of the barbell strength class at Logan Health Fitness Center and participate in powerlifting competitions. The group, who are all over age 50, with one teammate being\u00a083 years old, have set a combined 104 state records.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was on nobody\u2019s radar until all of them all just wanted to do it,\u201d Staudenmayer said. \u201cI feel like a good majority of the team are still surprised that they are here.\u201d<\/p>\n Class instructor and trusted leader Staudenmayer, however, is one of the most important pieces of their powerlifting community and success, Robertson and Meadors said.<\/p>\n Staudenmayer, who participated in his first powerlifting competition in 2018, didn\u2019t even step foot into a gym until he was 30, going from \u201ccompletely sedentary to strength training\u201d about 10 years ago, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was very cathartic to lift; the gym was my therapy,\u201d Staudenmayer said. \u201cI just fell in love with that, and then there was a competition locally. I knew nobody. I knew nothing about the sport, and I just signed up for it and went by myself. No coach, no experience, and after that I was hooked.\u201d<\/p>\n After competing in a couple of meets of his own, Staudenmayer quickly made the decision to transition to coaching, slotting in as one of the instructors for the barbell strength class.<\/p>\n \u201cI connect with my clients very well, so their successes are my successes,\u201d Staudenmayer said of to why he prefers coaching. \u201cI am more hyped for their wins than I am for my own. I love this team, and honestly, this is probably the job I would do for free if I didn\u2019t get paid for it. I love the sport, and I love the people I coach.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to training, Staudenmayer becomes even more vital once his athletes hit the platform, with Robertson describing him as their \u201cmanager\u201d at the meets, carefully selecting their next weight attempts and keeping their confidence high.<\/p>\n \u201cMike will have a whole spreadsheet saying, \u2018All right, you feeling good that day? That moved really fast. We\u2019re going to go for your higher number on that range,\u2019\u201d Robertson said. \u201cOr, that didn\u2019t move very well; you struggled with that. We\u2019re going to maybe shoot for one of the lower numbers, you know give you confidence kind of thing because you never want to overshoot and then miss it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo that\u2019s a big piece of that, right there at the platform, making those decisions,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s huge to have an experienced coach.\u201d<\/p>\n While Staudenmayer pushes his athletes to be their best, Robertson, Meadors and the rest of the team do the same \u2014 inspiring him and so many others.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, they\u2019re an inspiration in getting more people to sign up for competitions,\u201d Staudenmayer said. \u201cWe have two new people who are going to compete in February who never thought about it until nationals and seeing these two in the gym. I just started training my mom three weeks ago because she saw [them] at nationals. She\u2019s 63 now. She\u2019s getting into it too.\u201d<\/p>\n Growing the team and getting more people involved with the sport is a key goal for the three going forward. With Robertson and Meadors training only for about an hour or so three times a week, the two assert powerlifting is accessible to everyone, no matter the stage of life they\u2019re in.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe class is welcoming to anybody, brand new beginner, or if you\u2019ve got years of experience under your belt,\u201d Staudenmayer said. \u201cThree hours a week is all it takes for you to make some big gains and get ridiculously strong.\u201d<\/p>\n For those who might be on the fence, just as Robertson and Meadors once were, their message is a simple one: push past the uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople get intimidated because they\u2019re like, oh, well, I can\u2019t go do that like these guys are, but we were there a few years ago,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cI literally started with the bar, and struggled with a bar. Forty-five pounds used to be very heavy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt pushes you out of your comfort zone. You learn to live with a little discomfort, which is a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n [email\u00a0protected]<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/flatheadbeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260723_POWERLIFTERS_0205-1200x800.jpg\")
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