Firstly, a proud wife of a Kargil Hero and a proud mother of two. Bhavna’s feat as a Power Lifting Champion is a secondary achievement for her. Been training consistently since past 6-7 years, she was least bothered about competing at any tournament. It was due to Instagram where she discovered the world of Power Lifting and its competition. Unknowingly lifting 120kgs of weight in a competition and winning is no less than a true spirit of fierceness a woman holds within. Due to the immense support of her husband and children, Bhavna lifted all the stereotypes and threw them away like light weighted dumbbells. She is indeed an inspiration for not only women in motherhood but for everyone who wishes to pursue Weightlifting and Power Lifting as a career.

Team imd1 wishes Bhavna more hours of training to lift more heavy weighted accolades in coming years.

We are really keen to know; how did your journey begin?

I started weight training around 6-7 years back. One year from now, I never know I would compete in any competition because I never heard of Power Lifting. I was very dedicated and focused and always gave more than 100% in whatever I do. Power Lifting didn’t hit me all of a sudden, I was very consistent towards it since the beginning and I never thought of any competition. My preparation for the tournament began from 10th of February 2019 onwards.

Know me Beyond Power Lifting

What were the hardships / hurdles you have encountered during your journey? How did you overcome them?

I got a lot of support from my husband and kids since the day I started weight training. My husband being a Kargil Hero, is my training partner. He has been a greatest support without I would’ve never achieved this feat. The tough part was me being not fit, I have to take steroids once in a while which I still have to take along with immunosuppressants and anti-allergy medicines. My body takes lot of time to recover from heavy workouts. With medications, I still feel very tried during my workouts. Another obstacle was weight training not being familiar with women in India. People believe in a myth that weight training makes women look masculine. Lots of nasty comments I had come across like “itna weight utha k kya karna hai; is age mai ye sab karne ki kya jarurat hai; she is doing all this to look younger” and the same lady who passed such comments was the one getting Botox treatment infront of me. There is always an age and stage to do everything and lots more, but I never bothered about what world said and kept on training and all this when I never even had a thought of competing. Currently I am gearing up to compete in World Championship which is on 14th and 15th of December 2019 and I also need sponsorship to participate in it.

What's your success mantra?

Keep working hard and give your 100% in whatever you’re doing.

Success is incomplete without its share of setbacks. What advice would you give to others about handling them?

If you keep on thinking about success from the beginning, then you will never succeed. I never thought of competing or wining anything as I never knew about the competition. Just keep working hard and when the opportunity comes, grab it.

Who has been your influencer in this journey & how?

I feel no one can influence, inspire or motivate you if you yourself are not motivated. Inspiration and Motivation has to come from within.

Tell us something about your Coach…

Previously I had been trained under IAF bodybuilding team members who were participating in the Indian Air Force Bodybuilding competition. All of them were very dedicated and pushed me to workout harder. My recent coach, who has shifted to Darjeeling keeps on asking me about my workout routine even today. That’s how supportive he has been since when we were training together. Right now, I’m taking an online coaching from Mohammed Ahmed who himself participates in various tournaments.

Do you think Power Lifitng and its learnings can be helpful in life even if one does not want to consider it as a career?

By exercising and weight training, you can build a lot of confidence. It is a self-esteem booster. When you are feeling low, just step inside a gym and workout and you will see the difference yourself.

What are the pre-coaching essentials e.g. Right age, mindset or any other?

I started at 40. There is no age bar, just start doing it. You only have one life so just do it.

How has technology transformed the world of Power Lifting?

Technology has helped me to reach here. If there wasn’t Instagram, then I would never know about above 40 years category in a Power Lifting tournament. I have met my online coach Mohammed Ahmed through Instagram only.

What according to you is the scope of Power Lifting in India?

If you do it dedicatedly, then you have lots of scope in it.

If you were to bring one big change in the way people get trained in Power Lifting, what would that be?

You have to train under a good trainer. Just going to the gym is not enough. Otherwise you will injure yourself if not trained with proper guidance.

What do you suggest for better accessibility of Power Lifting training in remote parts of India?

This is not a very much popular sport. I heard about powerlifting through internet. You don’t need a very high level of equipment or a Gold’s Gym membership to practice. Just a couple of basic dumbbells, weights, etc. will do in the beginning. A proper training under the guidance of a coach is all that matters.

Your piece of advice to parents who are skeptical about their children taking up a career in any co-curricular activities?

Studies are definitely important. But cocurricular activities are more important for children to be confident to face the world. I make sure that my children go out and play. I take them to the gym every day.

Your piece of advice to the youth of our country…

You must pursue a very good education and a cocurricular activity as well.

Which was “that” moment when you considered yourself as “I Am The 1”?

I literally cried when I was announced as the winner of the tournament. I lifted 120kgs which I never even lifted in the gym training sessions. I didn’t even know it was 120kgs, my coach did not tell me they’re giving me so much weight to lift up. When I lifted the weight, put it down and left the stage, I asked my teammate about the weight and couldn’t believe, hence this was my “I Am The 1” moment.