Spotlight: Kerry Sachs of Precision Powerlifting Systems
Happy Friday Guys!
THIS IS SUCH A GOOD ONE.
Today, on the blog I interview Kerry Sachs of Precision Powerlifting Systems. Her answers fire me up along with some side convos we had about powerlifting. Kerry is one of the hardest working people I have the pleasure of knowing. This girl literally works all day long as a Director of Inpatient Operations at Boston Medical Center, comes in to the gym in her fancy work clothes then lifts like an absolute beast, it’s amazing to watch this 52kg girl out lift most people in the gym. She is very humble about it too. Kerry isn’t a big social media person, she keeps her head down and she works and she shows up to these big meets and wows everyone.
Just recently we were all at the Arnold Sports Festival In Columbus, Ohio to watch Kerry perform on the platform. Despite having a small set back in training due to a back injury, she didn’t complain ONCE about not being able to hit these crazy numbers she originally wanted to. I remember when I was in high school, my field hockey coach told us that winning is showing up even when you know you’re going to lose. Not that Kerry lost anything(in fact she still placed!), but this is exactly that in action. She went to Ohio knowing she wasn’t going to showcase her true talents but instead went anyways with a great mindset and STILL killed it with exceptional form and poise on stage.
Kerry is our team captain. Doesn’t my description of her totally portray leadership qualities?? We LOVE her so much and we are *so* proud to lift alongside her.
Here are my questions to her:
Q: How/why did you start powerlifting?
A: I’ve always been a competitive athlete and after college I wanted to find a way to stay active and keep that edge. My best guy friend wanted to run a Tough Mudder and so trained me to run it with him. My knees didn’t hold up very well to the running, but I learned that I actually really enjoyed standing still and picking things up and putting them down and stuck with that.
Q: Describe your first powerlifting meet?
A: So funnily enough the first USAPL meet I did was the American Open in December, 2015. It just happened to be at the right time of year and was hosted right in Boston, so I signed up having *no* idea how big of a meet it was or what it meant! Another 52 kg lifter kindly talked me through what equipment I needed (i had a tapered belt that I didn’t know was illegal…) and what the commands were. I remember I asked her if there was an elliptical to warm up with at the meet…! For knowing nothing, my first meet actually went surprisingly well. I only went 1/3 on squats (got 226 lb); went 2/3 on bench (105lb); and 3/3 on deads (320lb). The videos are very funny – I pulled my deadlift with my knee sleeves on and in my squat shoes… to me they were lifting shoes, so I used them for all 3 lifts! But I had a great time with my coach and friends and was hooked. I took the silver medal and went straight back to the gym.
Q: How many times have you competed at the USAPL Nationals? Do you have fun or is it stressful?
A: I’ve been to USAPL Nationals twice – in Orlando and Spokane. I love Nationals. It’s this incredibly indulgent week where you’re allowed to just think, eat, talk, and breathe powerlifting. As a 52 kg lifter I compete at the beginning of Nationals week, and then can eat and drink and hang out – load bars and cheer on our friends and teammates. And literally at night we get food and watch the prime time live stream. It’s *a lot* of powerlifting, and it’s a really fun break from the rest of the world to just be with people who completely understand you and can nerd out about lifting with you.
Q: Describe your latest meet at the Arnold? Where you happy with the results?
A: The Arnold is another awesome meet. At the Arnold you’re not just surrounded by powerlifters, but by thousands and thousands of strength athletes and enthusiasts. It is simultaneously the weirdest place ever, and also somewhere you feel entirely normal talking about portioning out your chicken and your DOMS. I pulled my back at the beginning of 2019, so I knew that the Arnold wasn’t going to be my best meet numbers-wise. This was almost nice, because it took the pressure to hit certain numbers away and Kevin and I decided to focus on having great form and professionalism on the platform. I feel I went out and succeeded in those missions. My squat was upright and actually used my legs. My deadlift we ran super wide stance sumo to again build up my legs and save my back. I was able to hit conservative but decent numbers on each one, and looked pretty good doing it going 3/3 on each. I really wanted a 9/9 day, but my 3rd bench wasn’t quite in the cards. My second bench flew and my third… did not. Ah well, goals for next time. So while I didn’t hit anything flashy numbers-wise, I think I *definitely* hit a PR support-wise! My parents came out from Chicago and 6 members of PPS flew out! It was so much fun hanging out with everyone and hearing them cheer – we got multiple shout-outs from the announcer about our support level and that speaks volumes.
Q: What are your future plans with powerlifting. Any big goals?
A: Powerlifting is honestly what keeps me sane. I love coming in to the gym 3-4 days a week and putting in the work. Getting to come in to a place where you feel comfortable and know the people – and it’s a very simple formula. Put hard work in -> get results out. It’s very satisfying and motivating to know you’ll get exactly as much out of this sport as you put into it. So really my goals are just to continue to enjoy lifting and training hard. I really like competing, as well, so focusing on upcoming meets keeps me enjoying training that hard. I’ll do Regionals in July and Nationals in October. And I will hit a 350 lb deadlift in competition before the end of the year if it kills me!!!
Q: Describe the first time you met Coach Kevin Cann?
A: The first time I met Kevin I’m pretty sure he did not like me at all! My first coach and very good friend had moved away to go to medical school, and so I was still training, but felt a little lost training in the gym by myself. I came in to meet Kevin for the first time and showed him my squats (which may have been a little high) and my deadlift (which may have been a little cat-backed) and I’m pretty sure he wanted nothing to do with me. However, when I could get to the gym didn’t fit with any of the other established groups, so he offered to at least start me out training with him and Danielle Bond. I must have grown on him a little bit, because he’s kept my around all this time, and we’ve grown from just two of us training together at the gym to the PPS team that’s now 50 strong! Kevin and I work very well together – we ask questions, don’t accept mediocrity, and work our freaking asses off for what we want.
Q: What is your favorite part about PPS?
A: Being a part of a team is one of the coolest ways powerlifting has changed over the last several years. Although it’s inherently an individual sport (you step on the platform by yourself) – having a group of people push you every day and cheer you on at meets is an awesome feeling. I love PPS because I can relate to every single person on our team. We are diverse and crazy, but what ties us together is that we’re working professionals who want to work hard and be competitive in powerlifting. We all take the time out of our day after or before work to come to the gym and put in 2+ hours of time under the bar. This group ranges from people who only touched a barbell a few months ago, to lifters setting records and going to Nationals and the Arnold. We work hard, and the people we’re there with mean you want to come in every day and put in that level of work. LFG!
Another notable convo we had via text is when Kerry gets asked by other lifters “When will I know when I’m ready to compete for the first time?” she says: “if you’re working hard you DESERVE to go and stand on the platform.”
Love this. Such a great time reading these answers, I also literally LOL’D when I read a few because if you know Kerry now you would never believe how much of a beginner she was! I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!