Image credit: Barbell Productions
It’s been a big year for powerlifter Zoë Goykhman ’28. In September, the 18-year-old from Pennsylvania broke a USA Powerlifting world record. This spring break, she broke her personal records for squatting and bench pressing and qualified for nationals while competing in the Powerlifting America Garden State (New Jersey) Open Championships.
Prior to that competition, Goykhman took some time to discuss how she got into powerlifting as well as her training regimen, competition routines and academic life.
How long have you been powerlifting, and what got you into it?
About three years now. I’m still relatively new because it’s a lifetime sport. I have teammates in their 60s, and I hope to be doing this in my 60s as well. I used to be a tennis player, but I had a career-ending UCL tear in my elbow when I was 16 and in my junior year of high school. I had to reckon with my identity at the time. At the same time, I was lifting a little bit to get stronger at tennis with the (powerlifting) coach I have now, trying to rehab my elbow so that I could be able to use it. Otherwise, I would have needed to get surgery, and the surgery would have taken another year to recover. I wanted to be able to use my arm without the surgery.
How did it feel to break a world record in deadlift in September, lifting over 450 pounds?
It was a surreal feeling and honestly the most I have ever felt. I felt all of the emotions. It was so interesting because deadlift is last in the lineup, and I was visualizing that deadlift for six months, maybe a year. Even before that, when I had first started powerlifting, I would watch these montages of women breaking world records and I would say, very delusionally, “That’s going to be me one day.” Now, I’m the girl in the montage.
I would visualize what it would feel like to have my hands on the bar, what the lighting would be like, my foot position, this really tough grind but then getting it at the end. I would remind myself, “Six months until I break this world record,” and “Two months until I break it,” then “Two weeks until I break it.” On the day, my squatting went well, but I told myself that I couldn’t get too caught up in my squats and that I had to look forward to deadlifting. My bench pressing didn’t go so well, but I told myself that it was OK — that I had to move on and that I couldn’t harp too much on that performance. My first attempt at deadlift was good, but I couldn’t let myself get too complacent. I had my second attempt and then on my third attempt I couldn’t look forward to anything else — it was happening right then and there.
As I put it down, I was screaming. My hands went over my head, and I was watching for the white lights from the judges (signaling that it was a good lift). I hugged my coach immediately. Everything I worked for paid off in that moment.
When on campus, how do you balance your training with academics?
It can be tricky because I would also like to have a social life and be able to hang out and spend time with my friends. I make an intentional effort to do that. I imagine that school work is my rest for lifting and my lifting is a rest from schoolwork because they use different parts of my brain and tend not to think about one while I’m doing the other.
In terms of a time commitment, my practices shouldn’t take more than three hours a day, and I lift five times a week. I have to be diligent and not procrastinate on doing my homework. It is definitely a balance that I keep trying to work out, but I think I’ve been relatively successful thus far.
How do you train with your coach when you are on Kenyon’s campus?
I’m super grateful to have Kenyon invest in some amazing powerlifting-specific equipment. It’s a combination rack that is both a squat rack and a bench press. It is convertible and competition-standard. I know that it is exactly how it would be in a competition and I can get used to my technique, knowing that I can convert it elsewhere.
My coach is really helpful e-coaching me. She will write up an extensive spreadsheet of everything I need to do — how many reps, how many sets, and the presumed difficulty. I fill in the repetitions I have in reserve, my weight, how I’m feeling, modifications to my form, and so on. She’s really helpful at responding. I have a little tripod at the gym so I can film my sets and she can give me feedback. She’s built me up from scratch, so I appreciate her.
Do you have any competitions lined up for this spring or summer?
I’m competing in the last day of nationals, which is June 1. Either this year or next year, I might be able to get to worlds, but I’ll work on that a little later.
Do you have any weightlifting goals for the future?
Yes. I would love love love to deadlift 500 pounds. The Powerlifting America 84 kilogram weight class’ world record is 507 pounds, so I would love to break that, and I think it is feasible, so I’m chasing that.