The training and the straining don’t always bring gold, but when they do it’s pretty sweet.
Former Douglas College student and powerlifter Sumeet Sharma has converted a healthy hobby into an international passion, letting his bench press put him on the map when it comes to major competitions.
And while some may ask what it’s all about, for Sharma, the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment add up to strength.
“This was something I always wanted to do. I always knew I could lift heavy – at the first show I did in Abbotsford (in 2016) I finished second, but it was the feedback and encouragement that made me want to keep going,” recalls Sharma. “I just loved the experience.”
Two months ago he ventured to Panama City as a member of the Canadian powerlifting team for the 14th annual International Powerlifting Federation’s North American regional bench press championships.
It’s where he found a new limit and exceeded it, holding 370 pounds above his chest to capture the top prize in the raw, non-equipped division.
“The first lift was about 315 (pounds), then 350, and then jumped up to 370,” he says. “Prior to each lift, what happens is you go in the back with your coach, you have a quick, maybe half-hour workout, whatever helps you get ready, and then you wait until your turn comes.
“When I won it (the competition wasn’t) close to (370).”
For someone who has only had three years of competition under his belt, capturing an international gold title, with all the pomp and circumstance that it acquires, was incredible.
“Just the experience of representing your country is a huge honour. Going on the podium and hearing your anthem, it was a great experience. Growing up you watch that kind of thing on TV but when you experience it, it’s a whole new level,” he says.
It was just one of the medals the Iron Outlier Club member collected in 2019, which included competitions at provincials, Western Canadians and nationals.
His decision to compete in the raw division – where one attempts to press weights without a upper-torso belt – has been his choice since the first few competitions.
In his debut in an Abbotsford show, Sharma powered a lift of 335 and took home silver. A few months later, he returned for his second competition, still fuelled by the adrenalin of the first.
“From that (first competitive) lift I just loved it. So much positivity from your competitors, from the coaches to the fans and the people who are hosting. It was such a positive experience that I wanted to carry on with it,” he says.
The Justice Institute grad feels the community of lifters has given him incentive time and again to keep going, to add another couple of pounds to each attempt.
It continued in Panama after he set a new personal record.
“When I did it the coaches were like, ‘Dude, you have so much in the tank, probably in the next year or so you’ll probably hit 400. … Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do this much. You’ve got so much in the tank.’ It was so nice to hear from these national coaches for Canada. They’ve pumped me up to achieve 400 and that’s been my goal ever since,” said Sharma.
That encouragement is something he is eager to pay forward by helping instruct youth in the sport.
Working at B.C. Corrections, physical fitness and strength are important parts of the job.
Sharma feels they are elements which give him a source of pride and achievement that, as a pudgy teenager, he didn’t have when he was younger.
“Ultimately my goal is two things: one, to eventually go to worlds and win gold for Canada, and two, with the experience of powerlifting, I want to coach kids and youth and help them get to the next level.
“It’s some way I can give back to those who’ve helped me.”
