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Erin (Carrus) Shepard

@etshepperoni

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Scientist 🌿
@circlecitystrength

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The double wedding weekend ✅

Congrats to
@ben.poore @ellie.poore AND @msarzynski @heather1231 two weddings in two days is a lot of celebrating people you love

Now my liver can rest

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However this meet did not go my particular way, I am still content with my performance and strength on the day. There is no need to beat myself up over a underwhelming local meet when this was the most fun i’ve had to date while competing in the sport. Into the longest and most unpredictable offseason of my career and I am so ready to see what @malicious_lifts has in store for me.

Thank you to my coach @malicious_lifts for an amazing first prep together, I couldn’t have asked for a better person to help get my body and mind right for this meet no matter the result. 6 months is a long time to adapt to new rules and fix technical errors so don’t count me out just yet this is a longevity sport afterall.

Thank you to @joeybagsadonut and @etshepperoni for running another amazing meet, these two are truly the glue that keeps the sport of powerlifting together when it continues to crumble into pieces every day. I am so thankful for you guys for always providing such a memorable experience whilst competing and cheers to many more❤️

Another big thanks to @joshkinser1 for jumping in on late notice to handle me on the day with the most brutal and unpredictable circumstances imaginable after squat and bench. He stood by me and still managed to help me total pr while pulling well below my max deadlift and dealing with technical errors on the day🤝

Can’t leave out my two biggest supports @danprass and my mother who will not be tagged in this post! They are the reason i keep going everyday and work so hard to make them proud🫶🏻

#gym #viral #powerlifting #motivation #fitness

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Hawai’i, Part ✌️

Kauai is the most amazing place I have ever been to, the island spirit runs deep here and I can’t wait to come back

From boating through the Na Pali coast, plenty of beach time, my first Luau, and some amazing golf. This trip was everything.

Mahalo

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Hawai’i: Part 1

Too many pictures and too excited to wait for a post trip dump 🫡

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Ten years ago, this was just a dream. Today, it’s something so much bigger than I could have ever imagined.

Every year brings its own challenges, lessons, and memories, but one thing has remained constant: the incredible people who make it all possible.

As we wrap up Power Surge X, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this journey and express my gratitude to everyone who has been part of it.

There are simply too many people to thank in a single caption, so I put together a few words from the heart.

Thank you for 10 incredible years. Here’s to continuing to learn, grow, and build a bigger vision together.

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September: horrendously low sleep score + astronomically high laughing so hard I cry score

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Surge meet recap!!
Where do I even begin? My main goal for this meet was to have fun again. Bring Gus back as Joey would say. I’ve missed this, I miss having the drive and having that fire so to speak. But I’m slowly finding her again. And I have to thank @joeybagsadonut for that for reminding me of my potential and strength. He put the plan together over these past months and for the day. I can’t have a better coach in my corner.
With that I’m also thankful for @traceybree for being there this weekend too and every day before. She’s truly one of the best people and I’m glad she’s also in my corner.
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Okay I’m really proud of the day. I haven’t felt this good hitting these numbers in a long time. I had a 9/9 day all white lights!
Ended with 187.5 squat, 133 bench, and 182.5 dead. All national records for the master class.
Thank you to @surgetonewlevels for running a great event!! Very cool to experience being a lifter this time!
Thank you to everyone who showed support, the spotters/loaders, refs, and definitely to the gym fam @circlecitystrength love yall so much.

Ok I’m done now. TIL next year sometime 🫡

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Kinda missed doing local meets tbh
Had a blast doing @circlecitystrength's Fall Brawl today as a tune up/pre 2027 regionals meet
@joeybagsadonut didn't have me run a peak for this one and I'm mid marathon training (including a half marathon long run 48 hours out) so I don't think either of us had high expectations. The main goal was to not bomb out and the secondary goal was to have fun. Mission accomplished
I ended up going 7/9 with misses on my thirds on squat and bench and totaled 382.5. Deadlift really stole the show today which was a fun surprise. Swipe for the details of SBD
I've been to many meets at Circle City but I've somehow never competed there so it was great to finally be on the lifter side of things. Huge shoutout and thank you to Joey, Erin, and all of the refs, spotters, loaders and anyone else who ran the show today. Y'all are awesome
Also, thank you to @dr.luke.squats for being the best husband/handler and holding all my stuff 🫶🏻
Lastly, thank you to all the friends and family that came out to cheer me on, watched online, and sent me words of encouragement ☺️

Since this meet was pretty low stakes I had decided to sign up for my first full marathon in November of this year, knowing that there would be some pretty challenging runs on my plate leading up to this meet. Squat is definitely the most impacted by my running volume and can make it tough to get much pop
Also, about 14 weeks ago, I suffered an anterior shoulder subluxation that made it so barbell back squats were out of my program for a solid 8 weeks. I was still able to SSB without issue but only reintroduced back squats about 6 weeks out and couldn't really push heavy on them until about 3-4 weeks out
We opened with 125 which moved great
Went to 132.5 which slowed down but ultimately looked decent
And on thirds with 137.5 loaded, I ran out of gas

Oddly enough, my shoulder subluxation didn't impact benching as much as squat. I've made some really great bench progress in the last couple of blocks and have hit new double and triple PRs. I really wanted 90 today and I did get it off my chest and hold it for a good five seconds about halfway up, but the spotters did the right thing a

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WOW!! We are overwhelmed with the amount of support you all have provided in just one day. Going through the applications has been so special. We have genuinely love hearing your stories and your “why”.

Every day is another chance to make powerlifting more accessible, and you all really have shown how special this community is.

Thank you all for being here.

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This is Chalk Bowl Collective. Glad you’re here

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@circlecitystrength goes hard on warmups

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One week ago we were waist deep in executing and running the best American meet of 2026. What still feels like a fever dream was a culmination of months of planning and effort from some of the top minds in powerlifting.

When getting feedback directly after the meet, someone told me it felt special because every single person involved “gives a shit about powerlifting.”

I honestly think that is the best way to describe it- we all sacrificed something to bring this meet forward, and it shows in the finished product, but this meet had the narrowest margin for success and if you weren’t in the back of house you would never know it.

Whether RT continues or not, our legacy has been cemented. THIS is what powerlifting should be, and where it should take place. Following in the footsteps of Sheffield, we take it out of a gym and put it on a stage with bright lights and showcase the unfettered passion that takes place during attempts.

I remember 4 years ago when we ran the first RT in the new Houston TSS gym. Then we brought it to New Jersey, to Iron Revolution that captured more of the magic. 2025 Meg and Marshall Powell helped me realize the potential this event had, and this year we put the world on notice. Here’s to a potential 2027 where we continue ascending.

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