Raising the Bar

Exploring Strength Sports

Photos Courtesy of Klifford Hawkins

One of the oldest sports in the world, competitive weightlifting – or Olympic weightlifting – was added to the Olympic Games in 1896, though its origins date back even earlier as it was practiced in Egyptian and Greek societies. At its core, weightlifting is meant to test the strength, power, and technique of practicing athletes.

Since then, other strength sports continued to develop, including powerlifting, bodybuilding, and strongman. While similar, each area of competition has its own unique lifts, concentrations, and overall goals for its athletes.

Olympic weightlifting focuses on just two overhead lifts: the snatch, extending the barbell overhead in one powerful movement, and the clean and jerk, a two-motion lift that allows more weight to be lifted.

According to Steve Fauer, coach at Tennessee Speed & Strength, the Olympic lifts are essential for building power. “In 1988, I worked as a strength and conditioning coach at the University of Nebraska,” says Fauer. “It was there that I learned how valuable the Olympic lifts were for all athletes looking to increase their speed and power.”
In powerlifting, on the other hand, athletes focus on three lifts: the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

Kilfford Hawkins, Tennessee State Champion in the 67.5kg weight class, has been competing in powerlifting for the past three years. “In powerlifting competitions, you get three attempts at each lift, and your best attempt is used to calculate your total,” says Hawkins. “The goal is to lift as much weight as possible in those three lifts combined.”

Uniquely, strongman focuses on lifting and moving with awkwardly shaped objects. Competitions may also incorporate endurance, with some competitions involving moving heavy objects as fast as one can.

“In strongman, there’s a wider variety of events contested, and you’re also as likely to

Klifford Hawkins

compete for maximum repetitions as maximum weight,” says local strongman Andrew Walnum. “In most other strength sports, you compete for maximum weight in a few very specific lifts.”

Lastly, in bodybuilding, weight training is used to develop muscle mass, symmetry, and definition of the human body, with an emphasis on low levels of body fat. Rather than focusing on strength, bodybuilding concentrates on muscle size and shape and other body features.

What advice do you have for those interested in competitions?

“I always tell people, if you want to compete, just go for it. I talk to a lot of people who say they want to enter a competition but feel they need to lift a certain amount first. The truth is, you don’t need to hit a specific milestone before competing. It’s actually great to get out there early and gain experience. Competitions are a fantastic way to learn, challenge yourself, and track your progress.”

The Why Behind the Weight

Photo Courtesy of Sandra Hakeem-Charles

For Sandra Hakeem-Charles, bodybuilding provided the perfect outlet for her weight-loss journey. “My husband has always been an avid bodybuilder from the island of Grenada, and he laid the foundation and inspired me to get on a bodybuilding stage one day,” she shares.

Though, it wasn’t until 2017 that Hakeem-Charles received her biggest motivation. While attending a taping of a national television show, Steve Harvey challenged her to lose 50 pounds in six months, promising Hakeem-Charles and her husband a tropical vacation if she could succeed.

“I smashed his challenge by losing 67 pounds, and Steve Harvey gifted us a trip to Wavi Island in 2019,” shares Hakeem-Charles. “After that, the fire was lit!”
Starting at an initial weight of 280 pounds, bodybuilding allowed Hakeem-Charles to shed fat, build muscle, and eventually become medication free.

“It fuels me to continue to give myself the gift of health,” shares Hakeem-Charles. “Once being a part of the statistic coupled with the fact that African American women lead the ranks with obesity, it was important for me to be a beacon of light by empowering others to become active participants in their own health journey.”

In addition to her impressive weight loss, Hakeem-Charles took to the bodybuilding stage with vigor. On April 15, 2023, she competed in the Summer Shredding Show in Tampa, Florida, winning first place and overall in the transformation class at the age of 56.

Looking forward, Hakeem-Charles hopes to walk alongside others who are undergoing their own health or fitness journey. “It’s my dream to open a state-of-the-art fitness center to embrace, empower, and inspire others to accomplish their fitness goals,” she says.

While Hakeem-Charles’ weightlifting journey began in her 50s, Hixson-native Olivia Reeves took to strength sports at the age of 12.

Growing up, Reeves’ parents owned a CrossFit gym, and she naturally gravitated towards the weightlifting aspect of training. Desiring to get stronger for CrossFit, she connected with Fauer at Tennessee Speed & Strength and began to take up Olympic weightlifting.

“Soon after, I realized I enjoyed this sport so much more than CrossFit, and as of summer of 2016, it’s been my sport,” Reeves shares.

Reeves trains three to four times a week, with each session consisting of a snatch variation, clean and jerk variation, and a back or front squat portion.

“I enjoy feeling strong and capable, something I think I take for granted as strength-based sports are not encouraged most times toward a female audience,” says Reeves.

Sandra Hakeem-Charles

What is your favorite thing about competitive weightlifting?

“The biggest blessings of my entire weight loss journey are becoming medication free, smashing Steve Harvey’s challenge, challenging my 9-year-old granddaughter Addisyn in an array of sports, in particular basketball, and bringing the goal of combatting obesity to fruition.”

Going for Gold

Photo Courtesy of Steve Fauer

While Reeves’ weightlifting journey began almost a decade ago, the pinnacle of her training came just last year at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, where Reeves won gold in the women’s 71kg event.

Though the Olympic games lasted just over two weeks, it took Reeves almost two years to get there. From December 2022 to April 2024, Reeves underwent the Olympic qualification process under the careful guidance of Fauer.

“The process consisted of seven Olympic qualifiers of which two were mandatory and of the rest you had to pick three and compete a total of five times,” explains Reeves. “This is very taxing for any athlete, especially in weightlifting where it takes a lot of preparation to peak for certain competitions.”

Despite this immense pressure, Reeves dominated the qualifiers. Over that year-and-a-half-long process, Reeves became the number one female athlete in the United States and was one of three women selected for the USA Weightlifting team, according to Fauer.

“The most fulfilling part of our 10-year journey was at our last competition in Thailand just before the Olympics,” shares Fauer. “It was there that Olivia beat both the Chinese and North Korean athletes – the two best in the world. As we gathered our belongings in the warmup room after the competition, it occurred to me that there was no one left – we had beat everyone in the world.”

In the days leading up to the competition, Reeves spent time with her fellow athletes in the Olympic village and even had the opportunity to teach Snoop Dogg how to do Olympic lifts. “Being in the Olympic village was an amazing experience, however, it was very isolating at times, especially being there three weeks before I competed,” Reeves shares. “The nerves, anxiety, and expectations from others felt very heavy given I had a lot of time to think about it before I competed.”

Despite Reeves’ reservations, she finished at the top of the podium, bringing home the first U.S. weightlifting gold medal in 24 years. To top it off, Reeves snatched 117kg, setting an Olympic record.

Since bringing home the gold medal, Reeves continues to make competitive weightlifting history. In December of last year, Reeves won the world title at the 2024 IWF World Weightlifting Championships, making her the first American lifter to win Olympic and world titles in 66 years.

Steve Fauer

What is your philosophy for coaching athletes in weightlifting?

“The number one reason why kids quit sports is because they aren’t having fun. Since it takes years for an athlete to truly develop, it’s important that I provide a challenging yet fun environment.”

Do you have any pre-competition rituals or traditions?

“I do my hair and makeup, paint my nails, and I wear the same socks and sports bra for every competition. My favorite color is purple, so usually my scrunchie, nails, and eyeshadow will all match for competition.”

While Reeves has certainly achieved a record-breaking year, it’s not the new titles that motivate her – it’s her love of lifting. “Regardless of if I had made it to the international or Olympic level of weightlifting, I would still be doing the sport because I love it,” she shares. “My ultimate goal and reason I started the sport was to be strong, and I plan to continue on that path to whatever degree I can.”

While Reeves has certainly achieved a record-breaking year, it’s not the new titles that motivate her – it’s her love of lifting. “Regardless of if I had made it to the international or Olympic level of weightlifting, I would still be doing the sport because I love it,” she shares. “My ultimate goal and reason I started the sport was to be strong, and I plan to continue on that path to whatever degree I can.”

Behind the Scenes: Training

Photos Courtesy of Andrew Walnum

Setting state and world records is no easy feat for any competitive weightlifter. To ensure they’re competing at their absolute best, athletes have to focus on their nutrition and strength and develop a consistent training routine.

As a strongman competitor, Walnum focuses on strength training as well as cardio. “I lift four days a week for two or more hours each day,” he shares. “I also do two days of cardio and corrective work that are closer to an hour. This has changed a lot over the years and fluctuates some depending on where I’m at in training at the moment.”

With bodybuilding focusing on muscle definition and symmetry rather than just overall strength, Hakeem-Charles has an extensive training routine, which also includes a healthy diet or meal plan.

Her training routine includes two 50-minute cardio sessions five days a week, with one in the morning and one in the evening. “I weight train three days a week, dissecting the body parts to include a cardio circuit,” Hakeem-Charles shares. “For example, a Monday may include backs and biceps, rope slams, and sled push and pulls.”

While Hawkins is currently in the powerlifting off-season, he prefers to have a coach handle his programming for him.

“I used to program for myself, but I reached a point where it felt great to step back from that responsibility,” shares Hawkins. “It’s nice to be able to walk into the gym and focus solely on the work without having to think about the next step.”

From a coach’s perspective, Fauer takes an individualized approach to his athletes’ training programs. “Over the years, I have shied away from long-term planning in favor of a more day-to-day approach that allows me to tailor a session to the specific needs of the athlete at any given time.”

As for persistence, Fauer notes that training for competitions is a disciplined journey, especially for athletes training to make it all the way to the Olympics.

“It’s a slow, methodical process of developing an athlete’s physical and mental abilities with a program that constantly changes to meet the athlete where they are,” he adds.

What’s the best way to get started in competitive weightlifting?

“Find a gym that specializes in the kind of lifting that interests you: Olympic, powerlifting, strongman, bodybuilding, or CrossFit. Start to get to know the community and learn from the veterans. No matter what the end goal is, accept that you’ll need to spend some serious time building a foundation on the basic barbell lifts first.”

Community Within Competition

Photos Courtesy of Olivia Reeves and Klifford Hawkins

Though strength sports may often require athletes to compete against each other, the community within the sport is undeniable.

Over the past three years, Hawkins has competed in many powerlifting events across Tennessee, earning him the title of Tennessee State Champion in his weight class while holding the state records for squat, bench press, deadlift, and total lifting weight.

Though the titles are nice, what Hawkins truly loves about powerlifting is the community.

“I’ve made so many great friends, and the support from everyone is incredible,” shares Hawkins. “During a competition, you’re definitely focused on winning your weight class, but it’s amazing how everyone is cheering each other on, celebrating each other’s successes.”

Likewise, Walnum has been lifting weight since his freshman year of high school. As he began to take lifting more seriously and find coaches in his early 20s, Walnum began to powerlift and then found his way to strongman, where he has placed third in the U.S. Strongman Nationals and holds the Tennessee state record in the farmer’s hold. Now, he notes that the community is “hands down” his favorite part of the strongman competitions.

“The great thing about individual sports in general is that everyone wants to see each other succeed. Everyone has suffered and sacrificed in their personal training, so there’s a unique bond between competitors,” shares Walnum. “As much as you want to win, you can’t help but cheer and celebrate with your competitors when they achieve personal records or do something they didn’t think they could.”

For those interested in competitive weightlifting – whether for weight loss, community, the start of an Olympic journey, or more – current competitors urge them to get started by finding a local gym, coach, or training program.

And, for those on the fence, Walnum advises, “Life demands that you pick things up and move them, so you may as well be good at it!”