Natalie Bartolo, Melanie Green, Luke Talley and Tiggy Sadler-Barker could never have imagined joining a gym would lead where it has.
All four now train at Hunter Performance Centre in Bennetts Green and this month competed for Australia at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Auckland, New Zealand.
It was the first international competition for each.
Bartolo, 41, and Green, 42, were in the Masters 1 category.
Bartolo has been lifting for five years and returned with gold medals in the under 53-kilogram bodyweight class for squat (112.5kg), bench press (65kg), deadlift (137.5kg) and total (315kg).
"I was proud of myself to be there and happy to have the team around," Bartolo said.
"It was an all-encompassing experience ... I seriously just loved being there and having that electric environment, screaming at random people to lift bars and wanting it so bad for other people as well.
"The gold medals really are the cherry on the top and they do make you proud in a lot of ways, but it doesn't take away from the whole experience. If I had nothing I would still feel the same."
Green, who holds the Australian records for squat, deadlift and total weight lifted, achieved four silver medals in squat (147.5kg), bench press (85kg), deadlift (190kg) and total (422.5kg) in the under 69kg class.
She never imagined where the sport could take her when she first joined a gym around six years ago.
Green quickly discovered she was pretty strong, began a powerlifting program then started competing.
"I never thought that I would be doing the things I'm doing right now with my body," Green said.
"The [Commonwealth] competition was absolutely amazing. It was a really inclusive event - lots of different nations, lots of different people, lots of different ages.
"That's what powerlifting is about. It's a sport that is available for everyone regardless of your sex, age, height, weight. There is something for everyone. I like that about it.
"And powerlifters are generally really fun people. I've met lots of people through powerlifting."
Talley, 16, and Sadler-Barker, 17, competed in the sub junior category.
Talley, who took up the sport at the start of this year, competed in the under 53kg class, breaking Commonwealth records in squat (170kg), bench press (96.5kg) and the three-lift total (391.5kg).
He took gold in all three as well as in the deadlift (125kg).
"I originally bounced between sports but then I started lifting casually and found out I was pretty good at it and went from there," Talley said.
"I never thought I would take it to a relatively high level and never thought I would have three records under my name."
Sadler-Barker has been lifting for almost one year. She won gold in the under 76kg weight class with a bench press of 85kg and secured a silver medal in the deadlift with a lift of 145kg.
"I was in between sports and my dad asked if I wanted to go to a gym open day with him," Sadler-Barker said.
"After that I started doing CrossFit-style classes which then led me to starting my powerlifting journey.
"Powerlifting is an amazing sport that has provided me with opportunities I never thought I would have, lifelong friendships and confidence in myself and my abilities when it comes to my physical strength and picking up a barbell."
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