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Coach Maddie

@maddiebanister

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In the business of building absolute UNITS 💖
Coach for @she_lifts_academy
BS in Dietetics | USPA Powerlifter | NASM CPT
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Insane strength gains from @she_lifts_academy athlete @tziplifts 😮‍💨🔥🔥 coached by @maddiebanister 💅🏻 by @maddiebanister

Congratulations to Diane on absolutely crushing her first meet!! 🔥

Diane has been nothing short of consistent throughout her entire time training with me, and that dedication really showed when it came time to step onto the platform. We had been hitting PRs in the final weeks leading into her meet, and we were feeling really good about the numbers we knew she was capable of putting up.

We came out swinging with squats and went a perfect 3/3, finishing with a massive 142.5 kg (314.2 lb) third attempt and all white lights!! 🔥 Nearly a 20 lb jump from her last PR 😮‍💨Once we got through squats, the nerves started to settle, the energy was high, and we were ready to keep that momentum going.

Moving into bench, Diane continued that streak with another perfect 3/3, finishing with a 70 kg (154.3 lb) third attempt! We had spent a lot of time throughout prep, especially in those final weeks, practicing commands and making sure she felt confident executing them. And she absolutely delivered.

And then we moved onto deadlifts 🤝 Diane worked her way through two strong attempts before going for a huge 155 kg (341.7 lb) for her third attempt, nearly 25 lbs above her previous PR. And that weight MOVED. Unfortunately, a very slight hitch resulted in the lift being turned down. This was something we hadn’t seen in training, but it’s also one of those little technical details that can come up when you’re competing for the first time. Strength was absolutely there, and we know there’s even more waiting for us next time around.

Diane finished with a 360 kg (793.7 lb) total, going 8/9 on the day! Adding 160 lbs to her total since starting with SLA 😝😌 seriously could not be more proud of how Diane handled herself throughout this entire experience. From the consistency she brought to every training session, to the confidence she built throughout prep, to the way she showed up and executed on meet day, it has been SO exciting to watch her grow as an athlete 🔥

We’re looking at stepping back onto the platform in another 5–6 months, and I am SO excited to see what we can accomplish between now and then.

So freaking proud of you Diane!! Let’s get back to work 😤 by @maddiebanister

Congratulations to Mariina on an amazing first powerlifting meet performance!! 🔥

This was such a special meet for Mariina for so many reasons. Not only was she stepping onto the platform for the first time at an all-women’s meet, but she was also competing on a date that holds a lot of personal meaning for her. Getting to watch her step onto that platform, compete, and put everything she had worked for into action made this day just that much more special ❤️

Mariina was SO ready for this meet. We put in a ton of work behind the scenes throughout this prep, especially dialing in her squat depth, bench pauses, commands, and overall confidence on the competition lifts. And watching things start to click toward the end of prep was SO freaking exciting!! She was hitting PR after PR in those final weeks which is such a win in and of itself, and she came into meet day ready to put it all together 🤝

Her meet may not have gone perfectly according to the rulebook, but I genuinely could not be more proud of how she performed.

Starting with squats, Mariina secured her 97.5 kg (214.5 lb) opener before we moved up to 102.5 kg (225.5 lb). Her second was just shy on depth, so we reattempted it for her third. And that third attempt MOVED. Unfortunately, a small additional knee dip before beginning the squat resulted in the lift being turned down. Such a tiny technical detail, but that’s also part of the learning experience that comes with a first meet. The strength was absolutely there and she blew that attempt out of the water 🔥

Then came bench!! We spent so much time during prep working on her pauses and getting comfortable with commands, and Mariina executed them all beautifully on the platform. She went a perfect 3/3 and finished with a 55 kg (121 lb) bench PR! Seeing all of that work translate to her meet was SO freaking exciting 😝

Caption finished in comments…. by @maddiebanister

Congratulations to Emily on absolutely crushing her very first powerlifting meet! 🔥

Going into this meet, we knew Emily was strong. But there is something completely different about taking that strength onto the platform for the first time, navigating commands, handling the nerves, and putting everything together on meet day and Emily delivered 🔥

Starting with squats, Emily came into this meet with a previous squat PR of 275 lb which she had just hit the week prior to her meet. She worked her way through three strong attempts and finished the day with a HUGE 135 kg (297.6 lb) squat that moved like BUTTER, adding over 20 pounds to her previous PR 😮‍💨

Then we moved into bench.

Bench can be one of the trickiest lifts to navigate at your first meet because of the three separate commands, and Emily got the full first-meet experience 😂 Her first two attempts moved beautifully, but she jumped the rack command on both. Instead of letting that get in her head, she locked in for her third attempt, waited for every single command, and absolutely smoked 75 kg (165.3 lb)!

And honestly, there was probably even a little more there 👀 But for a first meet, we love walking away knowing there is still more in the tank.

Then it was time for deadlifts, and Emily finished the day exactly how she started it 🔥

She worked her way up to a massive 160 kg (352.7 lb) third attempt (nearly a 10 lb PR from her previous one rep max) and absolutely blew it out of the water!

That brought Emily to a 370 kg (815.7 lb) total in her VERY FIRST MEET.

And to top it all off, Emily walked away with first place in her weight class AND SECOND OVERALL in the Open category!

She finished 7/9 on the day, with both misses coming down to those bench rack commands rather than strength. For her first time stepping onto a powerlifting platform, I could not be more proud of how she performed.

Emily is such a badass athlete. She is ridiculously strong, works incredibly hard, and it has been SO much fun getting to coach her through this process and watch everything come together on meet day. So excited to see what’s to come, let’s get back to work 😝 by @maddiebanister

Congratulations to Ellie on an incredible meet performance! 🔥

Ellie came to SLA already as an experienced powerlifter with some BIG goals in mind: continue building her total, qualify for Nationals, and keep pushing herself to the next level as an athlete. This prep gave us plenty to navigate, but Ellie showed exactly why she is the caliber of athlete she is.

As we got closer to meet day, we had to work around some hip and collarbone issues that required us to modify and pull back on portions of her squat and bench training. Despite those hurdles, Ellie stayed locked in, trusted the process, and continued showing up ready to work even during those difficult moments.

And when it came time to squat, she delivered! After having to accommodate for her hip throughout the final months of prep, Ellie went a perfect 3/3 and finished with a huge 115 kg (253.5 lb) squat at just 46.9 kg bodyweight. Watching her execute all three attempts so confidently after everything we had worked around was a HUGE win.

Bench presented us with another challenge on meet day when her back started bothering her. We got up to a 52.5 kg (115.7 lb) bench that moved like air, but after that point is where things started feeling a little off. We knew she was capable of more based on what she had shown us in training, but with deadlifts still ahead, we took this in stride and focused on what was ahead.

And then it was time to PULL.

Ellie’s deadlifts had been moving incredibly throughout this prep, and we knew she had something big in her. Unfortunately, her hip unexpectedly gave out during her second attempt, causing her to miss the lift. Thankfully, she was completely okay, and instead of letting the miss get in her head, she stayed composed, came back out, and absolutely SMOKED 142.5 kg (314.2 lb) on her third 😝

Oh, and did we mention that is more than THREE TIMES her bodyweight?! 🔥

Even with the unexpected hurdles on meet day, Ellie stayed focused on exactly what she came there to accomplish. We had two major goals going into this meet: earn a Nationals qualifying total and take home Best Overall Lifter and she did both!! 🥳

Caption continued in comments…. by @maddiebanister

Pregnancy has changed the way I train, but probably not as much as you might think…. 🤰🏼

A very outdated recommendation that pregnant women still hear is that they shouldn’t lift more than 20 lbs, and that simply isn’t a universal rule, especially in a healthy pregnancy when lifting was already part of your normal routine.

For me, I was already an experienced powerlifter before pregnancy, so continuing to lift is very different from someone who has never trained suddenly starting high-intensity training after becoming pregnant. My body has years of experience under a barbell, and pregnancy didn’t suddenly erase that.

The biggest change in my lifting has actually been my goals. Right now, I’m not trying to peak, chase PRs, or force progression. Training is much more about maintaining strength, feeling good, and continuing to do something I love while we wait for this little girl to get here 🥹🩷

Autoregulation also plays a MUCH bigger role. Some days I feel surprisingly strong, and other days it feels like someone drained every ounce of energy from my body 😂 So I adjust load, volume, RPE, or exercise selection when I need to.

Your body also changes RAPIDLY during pregnancy, so flexibility is huge. For example, I no longer wear a belt, but I still practice regular bracing during compound movements. As my body changes, my setup, ROM, stance, and exercise selection may need to change with it based on what feels comfortable. For example, hipthrusts have started to feel a bit uncomfortable with my growing belly and so I have opted for back extensions instead.

Nutrition and recovery have become even more important too. Energy needs increase as pregnancy progresses, hydration becomes a bigger focus as blood volume increases, and sleep/rest are a priority. Personally, I focus on hitting a baseline with my food and then eating beyond that based on hunger and what my body is asking for. And you will basically never catch me without a water bottle nearby 😂

The biggest thing I’m learning through all of this?

Don’t try to “out-discipline” pregnancy.

Caption finished in comments… ⬇️ by @maddiebanister

Happy 5 years mi amor ❤️

Time flies when you’re with the right person, and Josh is absolutely the right person for me. So lucky to call you mine and to build a family with you 🫶

Here’s to always and forever, I love you more than words can describe Josh 💗 by @maddiebanister

Pregnancy has changed the way I look at training in ways I didn’t expect 💗

Learning that being a good athlete isn’t always about pushing harder. Sometimes it’s about adapting, listening to your body, and appreciating what it’s capable of in this season.

I’m still training. Still an athlete. Just have a different goal right now 🫶 by @maddiebanister

We’ve been keeping a little secret….

Baby GIRL coming January 2027!! 💗💗 by @maddiebanister

Congratulations to our athlete Shannon on an incredible meet performance!! 🔥

Shannon has been an absolute MACHINE this prep. From day one, she has shown up ready to work, communicated exceptionally well, and executed every phase of training with precision. Her consistency has been second to none, and it has been so exciting to watch her get stronger, hit PR after PR, and make some incredible improvements in body composition along the way.

This wasn’t Shannon’s first time stepping onto the platform, and coming into prep, she already had some goals in mind for what she wanted to accomplish. The funny thing is… we ended up hitting those numbers well before meet day even arrived 😎

As training continued, it became clear that she had a LOT more in the tank than we originally anticipated, so we adjusted accordingly and set our sights even higher.

Meet day rolled around and Shannon absolutely delivered.
We kicked things off with squats, where she went a PERFECT 3 for 3 🔥

Going into the day, Shannon was definitely feeling some nerves, especially as the weights started getting heavier. Her third attempt was a number we knew she was capable of, but it was still a lift that demanded respect.

… Which she absolutely obliterated 😮‍💨

She finished with a massive 135 kg (297.6 lb) third attempt, hitting the exact number we were aiming for and making it look incredible in the process. And honestly, that lift completely changed the energy of her day.

You could see the confidence immediately.

From that point forward, she walked onto the platform knowing exactly who she was. She knew she belonged there, and that we had those upcoming attempts in the bag. That confidence boost carried through the rest of the competition, and it was amazing to watch her continue to deliver lift after lift.

Bench press was next, and right from warm-ups we knew she was feeling GOOD. We made the decision to be a little more aggressive with our attempts and it paid off with a strong 77.5 kg (170.9 lb) second attempt.

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Coach: @maddiebanister
@she_lifts_academy by @maddiebanister

It’s been a long 6 months of grinding in this special powerlifting program from @she_lifts_academy, @maddiebanister has coached me through this entire prep and has been so understanding with all my health issues.

I also have to thank Melissa @jektwellness for everything she has done for my health. Battling perimenopause, autoimmune and chronic illness during this prep has been difficult but Melissa has taken the time to find what works for me. I continually refer women to her for hormone health and she knocks it out of the park. She said I’m a complex case but she’s the only one that’s listened. I hope she understands that what’s she’s done has given me my life back. I’ll forever be grateful for meeting such a fantastic person.

Ok now I’m getting emotional, I’m about to train Day 3 of my peak and need lots of rest because tomorrow is SBD day. A little mock meet to get me ready for June.

#powerlifting #perimenopause #fitmom #fitover40 by @maddiebanister

Congratulations to our athlete Maya @mayasolirah on an absolutely INCREDIBLE first meet performance 🔥

This marked Maya’s very first time stepping on the platform, and she showed up beyond ready to perform. Throughout prep, we had a few things that we really wanted to dial in to make sure she felt as confident and comfortable as possible going into meet day. We spent a lot of time focusing on improving her bench pauses and getting more consistent with commands, while also transitioning and solidifying her new sumo deadlift stance. Through every adjustment, Maya stayed incredibly detail-oriented, coachable, and motivated. She showed up ready to work every single week, trusted the process fully, and it paid off BIG time on meet day.

We started the day with squats, and she absolutely SET THE TONE 🔥
Maya went 3 for 3 with all green lights and finished with a HUGE 150 kg (330.69 lbs) squat that moved incredibly well. She looked confident from the moment she stepped on the platform, and it was such an amazing start to the day.

Then came bench press, which was one of our biggest focuses throughout prep. We really emphasized controlling her pauses and getting comfortable with commands so that she could confidently execute heavier attempts on the platform and she CRUSHED IT. Every single rep was controlled, patient, and well executed. She finished with an amazing 80 kg (176.37 lbs) bench that moved beautifully for a third attempt 🔥

Deadlifts were where we knew things were about to get exciting 👀
With the transition to sumo, we spent a lot of time throughout prep managing fatigue and figuring out what setup and positioning worked best for her. There were definitely adjustments being made along the way, but once things started clicking, we knew she was capable of pulling BIG weight. Maya finished the day with an absolutely massive 160 kg (352.72 lbs) deadlift, and honestly… she still had more left in the tank 🔥

To top it all off, Maya finished the day going a PERFECT 9 for 9 and placed 3rd in her weight class 🥉 Such an unreal performance for a first meet.

(Continued in comments)

Coach: @maddiebanister
Team: @she_lifts_academy @airin_avery_phd by @maddiebanister