At 101 pounds, Julie Makin is not what most people picture when they think of a weightlifting champion. But the diminutive 42-year-old Queen Anne resident broke five state records at an Aug. 26 competition on Alki Beach.
She garnered a first-place award in the over-40 Masters Division for bench-pressing 85 and 90 pounds-lifts that both broke state records for her weight division of 104 pounds and under. Makin might have broken a third state record, but the one of three lifts she attempted didn't fly with the three-judge panel, she said.
Bench-pressing involves taking the barbell down from the rack and placing it on your chest, then lifting it and pausing. "You have to wait for [the judges] to say, 'rack,'" before you can shelve the weights, she explained. Makin also won a first-place award for bench pressing in the all-ages division for her weight class.
Makin was on a roll, too, because she won a first place for deadlifting 200, 210 and 220 pounds, all three of which broke state records in her division. Deadlifting involves picking the weight up off the ground, bringing it up to your waist and holding it till you get the word to drop the barbell, she said.
Makin said she trained at regular weightlifting at Pro-Robics on Queen Anne Hill for a couple of years, "but I started the heavy weightlifting in January."
So what prompted Makin to take up such a demanding sport?
"The boys and I were watching a Strong Man competition on TV," she said of herself and her two sons. "I was just a natural, I guess."
Heavy weightlifting takes dedication, though. Makin said she trains for heavy weightlifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Pro-Robics, and runs for cardio fitness on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"But two or three week weeks before a meet, I stop cardio and do just the heavy lifting," she said of sessions that last between half an hour and 45 minutes.
Makin shifted into high gear a week before the Alki meet by doing six sets of six reps each at a certain weight one day, followed by five sets of five reps at a higher weight the next day, then four sets of four, three sets of three, two sets of two and one set of one on successive days, with the weight increasing each time.
Nutrition is always a factor for weightlifters, and Makin is no exception. "I just try to eat a really balanced diet, but I eat a lot more protein than I used to," she said with a smile.
Makin isn't worried about bulking up too much. "My mom is really concerned about that," she conceded. But not to fret, Makin says. "I won't get that big ... and I like the muscle."
Her husband and her sons are proud of her accomplishments, but people she knows on Queen Anne Hill are surprised to find out she's a weightlifting champ, Makin said.
Frank Rongo, her weightlifting trainer at Pro-Robics, isn't. "Julie's tougher than any guy," he said. "She's very, very rare; she's a gem. Most people are not like Julie."
Makin isn't the only woman on the Hill who lifts weights at Pro-Robics. Rongo said 75 percent of the clients he coaches at the neighborhood gym are women.
For the most part, men at the gym like to train on their own, but women like to have the help. Rongo saw the power-lifting potential in Makin early on, he said.
Makin is going to take part in another weightlifting competition on Oct. 21, and it will include not just bench presses and deadlifting, but also squat lifting, which is where the lifters squat and stand up with the weights resting on their shoulder.
"I can guarantee she'll beat state records," Rongo said of squat lifts. He also predicts she'll do better than she did at the Alki Beach meet with deadlifts and bench presses.
Would Makin recommend power lifting to other women? "Yes, definitely, especially for women my age," she said.
"It feels great to feel strong," Makin explained. "It gives you confidence."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached by email at the address rzabel@nwlink.com or by phone at 461-1309.h. Queen Anne woman shatters state weightlifting records By Russ Zabel
At 101 pounds, Julie Makin is not what most people picture when they think of a weightlifting champion. But the diminutive 42-year-old Queen Anne resident broke five state records at an Aug. 26 competition on Alki Beach.
She garnered a first-place award in the over-40 Masters Division for bench-pressing 85 and 90 pounds-lifts that both broke state records for her weight division of 104 pounds and under. Makin might have broken a third state record, but the one of three lifts she attempted didn't fly with the three-judge panel, she said.
Bench-pressing involves taking the barbell down from the rack and placing it on your chest, then lifting it and pausing. "You have to wait for [the judges] to say, 'rack,'" before you can shelve the weights, she explained. Makin also won a first-place award for bench pressing in the all-ages division for her weight class.
Makin was on a roll, too, because she won a first place for deadlifting 200, 210 and 220 pounds, all three of which broke state records in her division. Deadlifting involves picking the weight up off the ground, bringing it up to your waist and holding it till you get the word to drop the barbell, she said.
Makin said she trained at regular weightlifting at Pro-Robics on Queen Anne Hill for a couple of years, "but I started the heavy weightlifting in January."
So what prompted Makin to take up such a demanding sport?
"The boys and I were watching a Strong Man competition on TV," she said of herself and her two sons. "I was just a natural, I guess."
Heavy weightlifting takes dedication, though. Makin said she trains for heavy weightlifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Pro-Robics, and runs for cardio fitness on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"But two or three week weeks before a meet, I stop cardio and do just the heavy lifting," she said of sessions that last between half an hour and 45 minutes.
Makin shifted into high gear a week before the Alki meet by doing six sets of six reps each at a certain weight one day, followed by five sets of five reps at a higher weight the next day, then four sets of four, three sets of three, two sets of two and one set of one on successive days, with the weight increasing each time.
Nutrition is always a factor for weightlifters, and Makin is no exception. "I just try to eat a really balanced diet, but I eat a lot more protein than I used to," she said with a smile.
Makin isn't worried about bulking up too much. "My mom is really concerned about that," she conceded. But not to fret, Makin says. "I won't get that big ... and I like the muscle."
Her husband and her sons are proud of her accomplishments, but people she knows on Queen Anne Hill are surprised to find out she's a weightlifting champ, Makin said.
Frank Rongo, her weightlifting trainer at Pro-Robics, isn't. "Julie's tougher than any guy," he said. "She's very, very rare; she's a gem. Most people are not like Julie."
Makin isn't the only woman on the Hill who lifts weights at Pro-Robics. Rongo said 75 percent of the clients he coaches at the neighborhood gym are women.
For the most part, men at the gym like to train on their own, but women like to have the help. Rongo saw the power-lifting potential in Makin early on, he said.
Makin is going to take part in another weightlifting competition on Oct. 21, and it will include not just bench presses and deadlifting, but also squat lifting, which is where the lifters squat and stand up with the weights resting on their shoulder.
"I can guarantee she'll beat state records," Rongo said of squat lifts. He also predicts she'll do better than she did at the Alki Beach meet with deadlifts and bench presses.
Would Makin recommend power lifting to other women? "Yes, definitely, especially for women my age," she said.
"It feels great to feel strong," Makin explained. "It gives you confidence."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached by email at the address rzabel@nwlink.com or by phone at 461-1309. Queen Anne woman shatters state weightlifting records By Russ Zabel
At 101 pounds, Julie Makin is not what most people picture when they think of a weightlifting champion. But the diminutive 42-year-old Queen Anne resident broke five state records at an Aug. 26 competition on Alki Beach.
She garnered a first-place award in the over-40 Masters Division for bench-pressing 85 and 90 pounds-lifts that both broke state records for her weight division of 104 pounds and under. Makin might have broken a third state record, but the one of three lifts she attempted didn't fly with the three-judge panel, she said.
Bench-pressing involves taking the barbell down from the rack and placing it on your chest, then lifting it and pausing. "You have to wait for [the judges] to say, 'rack,'" before you can shelve the weights, she explained. Makin also won a first-place award for bench pressing in the all-ages division for her weight class.
Makin was on a roll, too, because she won a first place for deadlifting 200, 210 and 220 pounds, all three of which broke state records in her division. Deadlifting involves picking the weight up off the ground, bringing it up to your waist and holding it till you get the word to drop the barbell, she said.
Makin said she trained at regular weightlifting at Pro-Robics on Queen Anne Hill for a couple of years, "but I started the heavy weightlifting in January."
So what prompted Makin to take up such a demanding sport?
"The boys and I were watching a Strong Man competition on TV," she said of herself and her two sons. "I was just a natural, I guess."
Heavy weightlifting takes dedication, though. Makin said she trains for heavy weightlifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Pro-Robics, and runs for cardio fitness on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"But two or three week weeks before a meet, I stop cardio and do just the heavy lifting," she said of sessions that last between half an hour and 45 minutes.
Makin shifted into high gear a week before the Alki meet by doing six sets of six reps each at a certain weight one day, followed by five sets of five reps at a higher weight the next day, then four sets of four, three sets of three, two sets of two and one set of one on successive days, with the weight increasing each time.
Nutrition is always a factor for weightlifters, and Makin is no exception. "I just try to eat a really balanced diet, but I eat a lot more protein than I used to," she said with a smile.
Makin isn't worried about bulking up too much. "My mom is really concerned about that," she conceded. But not to fret, Makin says. "I won't get that big ... and I like the muscle."
Her husband and her sons are proud of her accomplishments, but people she knows on Queen Anne Hill are surprised to find out she's a weightlifting champ, Makin said.
Frank Rongo, her weightlifting trainer at Pro-Robics, isn't. "Julie's tougher than any guy," he said. "She's very, very rare; she's a gem. Most people are not like Julie."
Makin isn't the only woman on the Hill who lifts weights at Pro-Robics. Rongo said 75 percent of the clients he coaches at the neighborhood gym are women.
For the most part, men at the gym like to train on their own, but women like to have the help. Rongo saw the power-lifting potential in Makin early on, he said.
Makin is going to take part in another weightlifting competition on Oct. 21, and it will include not just bench presses and deadlifting, but also squat lifting, which is where the lifters squat and stand up with the weights resting on their shoulder.
"I can guarantee she'll beat state records," Rongo said of squat lifts. He also predicts she'll do better than she did at the Alki Beach meet with deadlifts and bench presses.
Would Makin recommend power lifting to other women? "Yes, definitely, especially for women my age," she said.
"It feels great to feel strong," Makin explained. "It gives you confidence."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached by email at the address rzabel@nwlink.com or by phone at 461-1309. Queen Anne woman shatters state weightlifting records By Russ Zabel
At 101 pounds, Julie Makin is not what most people picture when they think of a weightlifting champion. But the diminutive 42-year-old Queen Anne resident broke five state records at an Aug. 26 competition on Alki Beach.
She garnered a first-place award in the over-40 Masters Division for bench-pressing 85 and 90 pounds-lifts that both broke state records for her weight division of 104 pounds and under. Makin might have broken a third state record, but the one of three lifts she attempted didn't fly with the three-judge panel, she said.
Bench-pressing involves taking the barbell down from the rack and placing it on your chest, then lifting it and pausing. "You have to wait for [the judges] to say, 'rack,'" before you can shelve the weights, she explained. Makin also won a first-place award for bench pressing in the all-ages division for her weight class.
Makin was on a roll, too, because she won a first place for deadlifting 200, 210 and 220 pounds, all three of which broke state records in her division. Deadlifting involves picking the weight up off the ground, bringing it up to your waist and holding it till you get the word to drop the barbell, she said.
Makin said she trained at regular weightlifting at Pro-Robics on Queen Anne Hill for a couple of years, "but I started the heavy weightlifting in January."
So what prompted Makin to take up such a demanding sport?
"The boys and I were watching a Strong Man competition on TV," she said of herself and her two sons. "I was just a natural, I guess."
Heavy weightlifting takes dedication, though. Makin said she trains for heavy weightlifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Pro-Robics, and runs for cardio fitness on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"But two or three week weeks before a meet, I stop cardio and do just the heavy lifting," she said of sessions that last between half an hour and 45 minutes.
Makin shifted into high gear a week before the Alki meet by doing six sets of six reps each at a certain weight one day, followed by five sets of five reps at a higher weight the next day, then four sets of four, three sets of three, two sets of two and one set of one on successive days, with the weight increasing each time.
Nutrition is always a factor for weightlifters, and Makin is no exception. "I just try to eat a really balanced diet, but I eat a lot more protein than I used to," she said with a smile.
Makin isn't worried about bulking up too much. "My mom is really concerned about that," she conceded. But not to fret, Makin says. "I won't get that big ... and I like the muscle."
Her husband and her sons are proud of her accomplishments, but people she knows on Queen Anne Hill are surprised to find out she's a weightlifting champ, Makin said.
Frank Rongo, her weightlifting trainer at Pro-Robics, isn't. "Julie's tougher than any guy," he said. "She's very, very rare; she's a gem. Most people are not like Julie."
Makin isn't the only woman on the Hill who lifts weights at Pro-Robics. Rongo said 75 percent of the clients he coaches at the neighborhood gym are women.
For the most part, men at the gym like to train on their own, but women like to have the help. Rongo saw the power-lifting potential in Makin early on, he said.
Makin is going to take part in another weightlifting competition on Oct. 21, and it will include not just bench presses and deadlifting, but also squat lifting, which is where the lifters squat and stand up with the weights resting on their shoulder.
"I can guarantee she'll beat state records," Rongo said of squat lifts. He also predicts she'll do better than she did at the Alki Beach meet with deadlifts and bench presses.
Would Makin recommend power lifting to other women? "Yes, definitely, especially for women my age," she said.
"It feels great to feel strong," Makin explained. "It gives you confidence."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached by email at the address rzabel@nwlink.com or by phone at 461-1309. Queen Anne woman shatters state weightlifting records By Russ Zabel
At 101 pounds, Julie Makin is not what most people picture when they think of a weightlifting champion. But the diminutive 42-year-old Queen Anne resident broke five state records at an Aug. 26 competition on Alki Beach.
She garnered a first-place award in the over-40 Masters Division for bench-pressing 85 and 90 pounds-lifts that both broke state records for her weight division of 104 pounds and under. Makin might have broken a third state record, but the one of three lifts she attempted didn't fly with the three-judge panel, she said.
Bench-pressing involves taking the barbell down from the rack and placing it on your chest, then lifting it and pausing. "You have to wait for [the judges] to say, 'rack,'" before you can shelve the weights, she explained. Makin also won a first-place award for bench pressing in the all-ages division for her weight class.
Makin was on a roll, too, because she won a first place for deadlifting 200, 210 and 220 pounds, all three of which broke state records in her division. Deadlifting involves picking the weight up off the ground, bringing it up to your waist and holding it till you get the word to drop the barbell, she said.
Makin said she trained at regular weightlifting at Pro-Robics on Queen Anne Hill for a couple of years, "but I started the heavy weightlifting in January."
So what prompted Makin to take up such a demanding sport?
"The boys and I were watching a Strong Man competition on TV," she said of herself and her two sons. "I was just a natural, I guess."
Heavy weightlifting takes dedication, though. Makin said she trains for heavy weightlifting Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Pro-Robics, and runs for cardio fitness on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"But two or three week weeks before a meet, I stop cardio and do just the heavy lifting," she said of sessions that last between half an hour and 45 minutes.
Makin shifted into high gear a week before the Alki meet by doing six sets of six reps each at a certain weight one day, followed by five sets of five reps at a higher weight the next day, then four sets of four, three sets of three, two sets of two and one set of one on successive days, with the weight increasing each time.
Nutrition is always a factor for weightlifters, and Makin is no exception. "I just try to eat a really balanced diet, but I eat a lot more protein than I used to," she said with a smile.
Makin isn't worried about bulking up too much. "My mom is really concerned about that," she conceded. But not to fret, Makin says. "I won't get that big ... and I like the muscle."
Her husband and her sons are proud of her accomplishments, but people she knows on Queen Anne Hill are surprised to find out she's a weightlifting champ, Makin said.
Frank Rongo, her weightlifting trainer at Pro-Robics, isn't. "Julie's tougher than any guy," he said. "She's very, very rare; she's a gem. Most people are not like Julie."
Makin isn't the only woman on the Hill who lifts weights at Pro-Robics. Rongo said 75 percent of the clients he coaches at the neighborhood gym are women.
For the most part, men at the gym like to train on their own, but women like to have the help. Rongo saw the power-lifting potential in Makin early on, he said.
Makin is going to take part in another weightlifting competition on Oct. 21, and it will include not just bench presses and deadlifting, but also squat lifting, which is where the lifters squat and stand up with the weights resting on their shoulder.
"I can guarantee she'll beat state records," Rongo said of squat lifts. He also predicts she'll do better than she did at the Alki Beach meet with deadlifts and bench presses.
Would Makin recommend power lifting to other women? "Yes, definitely, especially for women my age," she said.
"It feels great to feel strong," Makin explained. "It gives you confidence."
Staff reporter Russ Zabel can be reached by email at the address rzabel@nwlink.com or by phone at 461-1309.Photo by Russ Zabel[[In-content Ad]]
