More Power To You

Meet the strongest woman in the world.Imagine this, a woman weighs less than 181 pounds, but she can squat more than 700 pounds, and bench press nearly 500 pounds. Meet Laura Phelps, one impressive powerlifter. She was the first woman in the history of powerlifting to ever total 10x her body weight in a competition. She weighs less than the average man yet can handle more weight than a lot of pro bodybuilders. This26-year-old from Toledo, Ohio is also a fitness specialist for the General Motors Corporation.Prior to becoming the woman she is today, she was a runner who competed in several mini and full marathons. Due to some aches and pains, Laura switched to doing some weight training, which she found a new love for. After only a few months of lifting, she entered a bodybuilding show and swept the competition, taking first place over all. Seven months later, she entered a bigger show, the GNC BodyRock where she once again proved herself by winning the lightweight class and the Overall. Since then, the rest has been history. She has officially been powerlifting for a year and four months, and in this time has broken the All-Time World Squat record in two different weight classes, a total of eight times. She also broke the All-Time World Total record in the 165 pound class twice and she recently broke the All-Time World Bench Press record in the 181 pound class. Three record breaks in less than a year and a half. Wow. If she’s had this much success in this small amount of time, look out for Laura and her success in the years to come!Info source: Ben Tatar of CriticalBench.comPhoto Source: Thomas Campitelli