FOX POWER!

ESP talks to a local lass with real girl power – Louise Fox is a champion powerlifter and is our latest ‘Perfect 10 Success Story’.

It’s not often the chat up line a girl gets from the guys is ‘Ooh let’s feel your biceps’ but that comes with the territory when you’re a champion powerlifter!

Louise Fox from March hasn’t even been involved in the sport for two years yet, but has already snatched the British, European and World Powerlifting Championship titles and has broken the world Deadlift record. Not bad for a lass who’s 36 years-old, just 5’2 1/2” tall and weighs just over 8st.

Louise has always been a little unconventional though; she’s not a complete tomboy but does like to prove you don’t have to be all girlie all the time. Louise is certainly a worthy ‘Success Story’ as far we’re concerned. She’s achieved so much in just 18 months even she can’t quite believe it.

“I’ve always been sort of naturally sporty and fairly good at some things,” she tells us “like I was a county champion in athletics and did the 400m. I wasn’t amazing but I was pretty good, I did kick boxing and got to brown belt I was pretty good at that. I did indoor climbing and because I’ve got quite good upper body strength I was quite naturally good at that so I’ve always been fairly good but never amazing at anything until I found this, then I thought my God I have actually found something that I am naturally really good at. It was probably just luck that I found my sporting niche I suppose.”

Powerlifting isn’t about turning into some muscle-bound oddball like some female bodybuilders; it’s based more on a brief surge of energy when you lift, rather than endurance. Louise says that despite her sport she’s not given up her girlie side entirely and admits to being hugely soppy about her cats and that she’s very into her family and is a bit of a home maker.

“I still like doing make-up and my hair but I suppose I just wouldn’t go out on the town these days looking really girlie I’d probably be dressed a bit more rock chick or sporty.

Having won all the top championships already and being crowned the Evening Telegraph’s Sports Woman of the Year – is there anything left to spur her on as she heads into her next season of contests this month?

“Definitely. You’ve got to defend your title, plus because it’s still only the start of my career I want to get heavier and heavier with my weights. I want to be able to lift more. Plus my main contender is a Bulgarian lady and we were literally head to head so I’ve really got to try and smash what I can against her – that really spurs me on, the competition side of it.

“I didn’t think I was a very competitive person, I’m quite a pacifist but when it comes to it, I just get such an adrenalin rush and I just think ‘she’s not going to take my record I’ve got to get it back’.

It’s fair to say most girls wouldn’t be rushing to see how big they can get their biceps so what’s the main thing that makes Louise want to do it?

“It’s the performance aspect,” she says. “Although I was quite shy doing these photographs, I think I am quite a show off naturally and it’s brought out that side of me. When you’re up there on the stage and you’ve got a few hundred people shouting your name, you’re up there on your own and it’s just you and the weights and you’ve got to prove that you can lift it, you just get such a buzz. I’ve never felt anything like it, it’s such an exciting feeling it really spurs you on.”

It’s been a rapid rise to the top so what’s been her best moment so far?

“The biggest buzz I got was in Belgium at the end of last year which was when I did my dead lift record. I was neck and neck with this Bulgarian lady and because I weighed lighter than her I’d got a bit of an advantage so l would’ve won but I didn’t want her to beat me regardless, I wanted to win fair and square and the atmosphere was electric, I’d got all my friends there that were other powerlifters and they were all cheering me on and the buzz and the adrenalin was just amazing so I think if I can recreate that in my competitions this year that’s what drives me really.”

Louise will now be defending her championship titles all the way through to November and has a packed year full of competitions. She took voluntary redundancy after working for BT for 17 years and took a career break to focus on her powerlifting, but now she’s looking to get back into the job market and also find more sponsorship, but as it’s not a well known, or Olympic sport, that’s harder than lifting three times her own body weight!

“I sent over 80 emails out last year and very few even replied. I belong to a federation but I’m not part of a club, if you’re in a team you get more recognition, plus I’m a female in a male dominated sport so it’s probably a bit different and also I’m older, if I was younger I might stand more chance.

“I can do public speaking and promotion, I’m happy to do whatever is needed if businesses will support me.”

www.louisefoxpowerlifting.com