Homer locals break powerlifting state records

Four Homer community members recently participated in the Iron Built Games, a nationwide powerlifting competition, on Saturday, Sept. 14. Three of them broke or set new state records.

Powerlifting is a form of competitive weightlifting in which contestants attempt three types of lifts — squat, bench press and deadlift — in a set sequence.

The event was held at 22 locations in multiple states across the nation simultaneously. Homer’s participants — Homer Volunteer Fire Department Captain Chelsea Marsh; U.S. Coast Guard Damage Controlman Tyler Warren; Annalynn Brown; and Clayton Arndt — competed at Southside Strength & Fitness in Anchorage.

“All of us were lifting at the exact same time as the other states,” Marsh said. “So we were lifting in line with Florida, which was pretty cool. So across the country we were all competing at the same time. It was amazing, a super fun experience.”

The Iron Built Games, according to Marsh, were hosted by Rogue Fitness, a U.S.-based gym equipment manufacturer and distributor, as the start to a series of competitions including an invitational meet that will be held in Scotland in November. The Iron Built Games was Marsh’s first experience at a powerlifting competition.

“It was phenomenal,” she said. “Everybody within the powerlifting community is insanely supportive. The whole thing was a great experience between getting to go up there and work with some of the people that I lift here with in Homer, and then meeting a ton of people throughout the state who are also competitive lifters. It was a riot; I loved it.”

Marsh earned her degree in exercise and personal training four years ago, and has been powerlifting for the last two years. She credited the community at Great Hall Iron, the Homer gym she attends with the other three local Iron Built Games competitors, for “lighting the fire” and getting her into the sport.

“There’s a really good group of folks there that are supportive, and we all just want to be functionally stronger,” she said. “Originally, I wasn’t lifting to do anything competitive, but a few of us kept shooting out the idea that if one of us signed up for a competition, then the others would.”

About a year ago, Marsh and Brown decided that if one signed up for the Iron Built Games, then the other would sign up as well.

“That’s what got us both up there in a competitive situation,” Marsh said. “We all decided we were going to give it a try, and then Dan (Theodore) at Great Hall Iron — he’s super supportive of us, so when we signed up, he really pushed us to go the whole way and do our best.

“It was like all of us came together as a community of lifters that we didn’t previously have.”

Marsh competed in the 56-kilogram weight class and the classic raw division, which utilizes minimal supportive equipment, instead emphasizing technique, mobility and stability. No state record holders previously existed for Marsh’s weight class, so she took open records for squat, bench press and deadlift, which she said are the three fundamental lifts of powerlifting.

“Now we have somebody for others to compete against,” she said.

Marsh said she “absolutely intends” to compete again.

“There’s talk of upcoming competitions, and I’m just waiting to see what actually gets planned out before making a final decision,” she said. “But I definitely want to keep moving forward with this.”

In addition to the Great Hall Iron lifting community, Marsh said that she’s had a couple other community members reach out to ask how they can get started in the sport as well.

“I’m hoping that we see growth within our little powerlifting family, because it’s such a rewarding experience,” she said. “I think it’s an athletic avenue where you can compete in a very supportive group.”

Arndt has competed in powerlifting for over two years and has been coaching Brown in the sport. He said he didn’t initially intend to compete in the Iron Built Games due to a recent injury, but decided to enter after Brown asked him to attend, as this was also her first competition.

“I didn’t do all three lifts; I just did deadlift,” Arndt said. “It was really good — one of the women who competed in Anchorage won the national competition, so that was cool to watch. Normally I’d be worried about myself, but just doing the one lift made it cool to be able to watch everyone rather than trying to stay dialed in for myself.”

Like Marsh, Arndt also set a previously open record at the Iron Built Games. He competed in the Men’s Open 100-kilogram weight class, setting the new record at 617.8 pounds.

Arndt said he was also interested in facilitating a local powerlifting community.

“I (have) a lot of fun,” he said. “People shouldn’t be scared to get involved. I’m hoping to get something started for people who are interested.”

Warren, who serves on the USCG Cutter Aspen in Homer, is “pretty new” to powerlifting, having begun training within the past couple months after he found out about the Iron Built Games. He’s been part of Great Hall Iron since joining the military in 2019 and was encouraged by gym owner Dan Theodore to participate in the competition.

“It’s definitely like a big community sport,” Warren said of his experience at the Iron Built Games. “There’s a lot of helpful and motivational people around. The community out there was really outstanding and really strong.”

Warren came in second place in his weight division at the Iron Built Games, and placed 83rd on the national platform. According to the Iron Built Games website, more than a thousand athletes compete in the games together.

Warren said that there are intentions in the powerlifting community to run more meets on the Kenai Peninsula.

“Some of us are talking about competing in that, trying to build a bigger community all around,” he said.

Brown has been powerlifting for about a year, and said she decided to participate in the Iron Built Games to give herself a goal, “some purpose in the gym and something to work towards.”

“I’m so glad I decided to do it, because now it’s fostered this love for competing,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to competing again, hopefully in the new year.”

At the games, Brown competed in the deadlift and bench press. She broke the 75-kilogram junior bench press record lifting 148 pounds, 25 pounds more than the previous record of 123 pounds, she said.

“I’m absolutely thrilled about that, but also I know I can lift a lot more than that,” she said. “So personally, I wish that I had lifted more, but I’m also just thrilled to have broken a state record. It also makes me super stoked for the future, continuing to break my own record again.”

Like the other three Homer competitors, Brown spoke to the feeling of community fostered at Great Hall Iron and in preparation for the Iron Built Games.

“I’m super thankful to have gone up to the meet with a group of other people from Homer, also from Great Hall Iron, so we had the camaraderie of lifting in the same place,” she said. “For three out of four of us, it was our first meet, so it was definitely a little bit of a nerve-wracking experience. I’m really glad that we all did it together, that we were able to share that experience.”

Brown also credited Great Hall Iron with helping to foster her love for fitness and powerlifting.

“It’s been really fun the past couple of years to get into the gym community, and then to get into a more specialized realm of lifting. I’m really lucky to have that community,” she said.

Find more information at ironbuiltgames.com/ or www.greathalliron.com/.

Homer Volunteer Fire Department Captain Chelsea Marsh performs a deadlift during the Iron Built Games, a nationwide power lifting competition, on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Anchorage, Alaska. Photo provided by Chelsea Marsh