12 Questions with Jennifer Thompson

1) Who is Jennifer Thompson? (where are you from, what do you do, a bit about yourself (hobbies, etc)

Originally from Rochester, Michigan, but current resident of Denver, NC. I am a high school nutrition and health teacher and the NC USA Powerlifting State Chair. I run several local powerlifting competitions, including the Southeastern Regionals this year. I have a high school powerlifting club that meets after school.

I love the Blue Ridge Mountains and spend every opportunity up
there hiking. I also love water and snow skiing. My two boys, Tucker (14 years old) and Brody (12 years old) have just started competing and I enjoy training with them along with my husband, Donovan.

I have won 5 IPF Bench Press Titles, 3 IPF Powerlifting titles, I currently hold the 63 kg World IPF Bench Record of 314.2, (72 kg WR of 317.5lbs) and Total of 1086 lbs.

2) How many years have you been training?

My very first powrlifting meet was in 1999, but I had been working out for a couple of year prior.

3) Whats been the most challenging/hardest part of your journey so far? and how have you overcome them (set backs, rejections, injuries, basically anything difficult that you have had to overcome)

The most challenging part is just juggling life and being a competitive athlete. There is a lot of travel involved which is hard to workout with family and job. It has been great seeing powerlifting grow in the last few years.

When I first started, it was somewhat unusual to see a female in the free weight section of the gym. I got a lot of positive and negative feedback. It has taken some time to learn how to deal with the negative.

4) What does your typical workout/diet routine look like?

We train on an eight day cycle where we workout for two days in a row and then take two days of rest. My diet is somewhat managed. I concentrate on getting enough protein in each day and then try to balance my carbs and fat.

5) What new knowledge have you learned over this past year regarding training, lifestyle and nutrition?

I am coming off of hip reconstruction surgery last May. So I have learned a lot about physical therapy and how important it is to stretch and warm up your muscles before you lift. This should be something everyone does whether you are injured or not. So now I spend at least 30 minutes warming up before training.  

6) Whats your favourite cheat/Treat meal?

My favorite cheat meal is pasta! I am also a sucker for dark chocolate

7) Whats one supplement that you could not live without?

SSP Nutrition Pre workout drink. It really is the best. It helps me push through to the end of my workouts without losing energy or motivation.

8) If you had to start your Journey from scratch with your health & physique what would you do differently and why?

I wouldn’t train so much. I have found that rest and recovery are a huge component to getting strong. In the beginning I was lifting five days a week for about two hours. I was overtrained most of the time.

9) Who do you look upto in the fitness industry and why?

I look up to Martina Navratilova. She is an amazing lady that transcended her sport of tennis. She was able to do this as one of the first athletes to really incorporate weights into their training. 

I also love Lindsey Vonn, I believe her mental toughness is unmatched. There are a lot of people that I think have made big impacts on the fitness industry.

I love Meg Squats because she preaches self awareness and acceptance.

I love Dana Linn Bailey because she owns who she is and she and her husband have created great companies based on their interests.

I also think Mark Bell has made a great impact with not only his Slingshot, but has brought attention to our sport with his Podcast and other avenues.

In powerlifting, I look up to Dennis Cieri and David Ricks who have been at the top of our drug free sport and have shown that age is just a number.

10) If you had to give one bit of advice to people starting out what would that be?

It is so important to have proper technique. It will affect you for the rest of your lifting career. Make sure you do your research and find a good training partner that can give you feedback.

11) What new goals do you have on the horizon?

I have The Arnold Classic coming up. Here I would like to post the best women’s wilks score in our history. Then I am going to IPF World Powerliftng and Bench Press Championships. I hope to continue my winning streak and make a big impact on this sport.

12) Where can people find you? (website, social media accounts)

I have a new workout on My Strength Book

IG Jenthompson132

FaceBook 132 Pounds of Power

YouTube 132 Pounds of Power & Thompson’s Gym 

www.132poundsofpower.com