On Sunday 2 November, 26 lifters gathered in Bristol to compete in the regional Trojan Powerlifting Winter Storm.
On Sunday 2 November, 26 lifters gathered in Bristol to compete in the regional Trojan Powerlifting Winter Storm.
The host, Trojan Fitness, was voted the best independent gym in the UK in 2024. Established over 13 years ago, it prides itself on creating a community of athletes, and this atmosphere was definitely present at the Winter Storm event.
The atmosphere was unparalleled – I was there as a spectator, and with this being my first ever powerlifting competition, I had no idea what to expect. For those new to powerlifting, competitors must undertake three lifts – the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Judges allow or reject lifts based on their alignment with International Powerlifting Foundation (IPF) rules.
The Trojan Winter Storm had the audience holding their breath as lifters pushed their bodies to their limits, and erupting into cheers when a lift was declared successful.
After the competition, I got in touch with the organisers themselves, Trojan Fitness, and asked them about the practicalities of the event. The gym hosts two competitions associated with the IPF a year, and a qualifying competition with another federation.
All events hosted by Trojan Fitness are free to spectate and run entirely by volunteers, “for the love of powerlifting,” as Matty Hudd, the owner of Trojan Fitness, told me.
Matty added that people “love to compete” there because of the way the gym is set up “like an arena,” with lots of warming up space for competitors.
From South-West title holders to first time competitors
Speaking of competitors, Jeff Taylor, a second-year aerospace engineering student at the University of Bath, had only been training for three months. The 20-year-old said that, because he was new in the gym, “having a fixed goal with a fixed date” was helpful for his training, adding that the event was a good opportunity to network and connect with like-minded people.
Jeff, having taken a week off of training in the lead-up to the competition, happily reported that he was able to hit many personal records, and appreciated how well-run the event was.
This was Tom Barnard’s first competition too. Tom, 19, and from Taunton, said “it was amazing being surrounded by so many people striving to push themselves to their absolute limit. Trojan Fitness Bristol was an incredible host still making me feel part of the family.”
19 year-old Tom hit a “huge squat personal record and [got] incredibly close to a 300kg deadlift.” His total qualified him for nationals as an under 93kg junior which he’s “super excited for.”
Mirroring Jeff’s sentiment, he added that “competing for me was a way to tie my training and motivation together.”
Tom and Jeff are good friends, and Tom describes how Jeff “signed up alongside me and it was incredible to see the progress he made in such a short span, largely driven I’d like to think by the competition.”
This was Poppy Summers’ second competition. Aged 23 and from South West London, Poppy was “so happy” to have achieved personal records in all of her lifts, with a 12.5kg total personal best compared to her previous competition. She described powerlifting as a “you versus you” sport, saying it “doesn’t matter how much you lift compared to the next person.”
Eli Turner, 17 and from Bristol, had previously competed in another regional competition but also in the most recent national competition for his age category, and holds an impressive six South West powerlifting records. He was happiest with his deadlift, noting that “everyone just wanted each other to succeed and have a good day.”
Maddy and Hugh raise money for powerful cause
Maddy, 28, and Hugh, 30, siblings from Bath, competed together to fundraise for CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably). This was Hugh’s 5th competition, and he used to train in the Sports Training Village here on campus. He’s been powerlifting for 3 years, and after “several months grappling with poor mental health” he returned to the sport with “renewed intensity” and was ultimately “incredibly pleased with the results.”
Hugh achieved full white lights, meaning that he didn’t make any mistakes and described the “brilliant and frenetic energy from the crowd which gave a real sense of support” as well as the “hype and camaraderie from the volunteers and staff too.”
Hugh also described his sister, Maddy, as a “constant source of inspiration” and the support from their JustGiving page gave him an “enormous boost.”
At the time of writing, Maddy and Hugh’s fundraiser had raised over £2,000, with the brother and sister duo raising money in memory of Maddy’s late partner Cam, who died by suicide last year.
Maddy, who won the award for ‘Best Grind,’ described how both Cam and her brother “were both so helpful in getting me into the gym […] I’ve found the space is just full of really lovely people.”
Maddy added that when “people start talking about [mental health issues], you become aware of sadly how common it is, but it always helps to get the conversations going.”
BathTime would like to thank all those who contributed to this article, and if you have been affected by issues raised in this story, we encourage you to reach out to the University of Bath’s student support services who can be found at 01225 383838 and studentsupport@bath.ac.uk.