From a Chartered Accountant to a Powerlifting athlete has been an exciting journey for 52-year-old Vinutha Raghunath. Here, she talks about her radical career change midlife, reversal of many symptoms and issues and a new found passion.
You have been a powerlifting athlete for more a decade and successfully represented India at international competitions. Could you tell us what is powerlifting?
Powerlifting is a type of strength sport. It involves lifting as much weight as possible in three types of lift - Squat, Bench press and Deadlift. It is one of the best exercises to build strength and power-up. The emphasis is on minimal fat and maximum muscle.
When did you start weight training?
It was in 2004 at age 36. I don’t come from a fitness background. I come from accountancy and legal profession. I am a Chartered Accountant by profession. I was more academically oriented. And given the community I came from, education was our topmost priority. But I realised that I was leading a very sedentary life. I was becoming obese and lethargic. Some health issues had also started surfacing. I would get pain in my joints. And muscle spasms. I was also getting the early symptoms of spondylosis. The thought of exercising had never crossed my mind. But because of all these health issues I decided to try out the gym. Till then I had never entered a gym. I was introduced to weight training by the gym trainer. I began liking it and slowly started doing well. I also began feeling better. I felt the pain becoming less troublesome.
How did you get into powerlifting? And what led you to become a full-fledged athlete?
At the gym, I realised I was quite fascinated by weightlifting. I would be always drawn to it. I began doing well and progressively lifting heavier weight. I remember someone had even commented – ‘You lift so well…why you don’t compete”. Impressed with my performance and dedication, even the trainers began suggesting that I should pursue powerlifting as a sport. I have never in my life been involved with any sports. I didn’t know that there is a sport called powerlifting. With ample encouragement and positive response, I decided to give powerlifting a shot. I joined K11 School of Fitness Sciences to build a career in the fitness industry. I did all their courses and joined them as Master Trainer for some time. The more I became familiar and practiced, the more I felt becoming passionate about powerlifting. It is uncanny…but deep down I felt a strong connect with the sport. With proper nutrition, training and protocols, I was able to join my first powerlifting competition at the state level. I won my first silver medal. That spurred me further. I had never thought of becoming a competitive athlete. One step led to the next. It has been journey for me of discipline, dedication and hard-work. Today, I have won five Commonwealth Powerlifting competitions, 8 Strongwoman Title and 2 Asian Championships. I am a national record holder in my category for all three Squat, Bench and Deadlift.
How did you benefit from powerlifting?
Powerlifting has changed my life completely. It has given me a new direction and meaning. It has given me recognition at the national and international arena. Besides, my fitness quotient has improved multifold. The most visible change is that with weight training I began to reduce my body fat and increase my muscle mass. My body became more toned and fitter. I realised my aches and pains were reducing. I began feeling more energetic and alive. I tell all my students that it is important to listen to your body and connect with it closely.
What are the advantages of powerlifting/weight training in terms of health?
As far as health is concerned, I think the foremost advantage of powerlifting or weight training that your overall metabolism gets boosted. You feel more energetic and spirited. Lifting heavy weights increases bone density which reduces issues related to brittle bones and osteoporosis. You also reduce the risk of injuries. It helps build core abdominal and back muscles that prevents back pain and gives you a healthy spine providing better support to joints and ensuring good posture.
Along with physical fitness, power lifting also helps build mental strength. While powerlifting, you need unwavering concentration and stringent discipline to be successful. This discipline also impacts your life. Having a good, strong mental health affects your thoughts and behaviour and even emotions. An athletic mind-set is an attitude, developed over a period of time.
It also lowers the risk of many lifestyle disorders and illnesses like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
Above all, at the end of day, you get good, restful sleep.
What is one benefit of weight lifting that you cherish the most?
I think it has reversed my age considerably. It has rolled back my aging process. I feel much younger. Although I am 53 years old, I feel not a year older than 21. I feel I can compete with young girls.
What changes have you made in your diet?
Being a sportsperson, I have to be extremely disciplined about my nutrition. I was a vegetarian when I started, but switched to non-vegetarian diet to strengthen my muscles and to build my body stamina. I also began consuming some nutritional- and micro- supplements daily like iron, calcium, vitamins, manganese, zinc, etc to keep me healthy and give me that competitive edge.
At what age can you start training?
You can start weightlifting as young as 6-years-old. After all aren’t they lifting heavy school bags. All that is required is proper guidance. Powerlifting has to be done under supervision. You have to identify a trainer. An assessment of your height, body weight and capacity will be undertaken, before you can start. But once you are into the sport, you have to be extremely disciplined and hardworking to enjoy and progress. One must remember - Life is the biggest sport. How will you play well, if you are not fit.
You have also authored a book on powerlifting. What made you write?
I am an avid reader. When joined the gym, and my body started undergoing a change, I was curious to know more about the human anatomy and its functioning. I began reading about biology, physiology, psychology, and realised that they are all interconnected. I did a lot of research and improved my understanding about our body composition and structure. Also, I used to brimming with questions while training for powerlifting. When I became a coach, people would question me all the time. I felt if could put down all the answers and my study material, it would be helpful. Therefore, I authored a manual for powerlifting which got recognition and accreditation.
How has the lockdown been for you?
I too, like others, have been confined at home. Fortunately, I have a small gym at home which I have stocked with weights. I go there everyday to practise, train and polish my skills. I cannot do online training for powerlifting because there are many face-to-face assessment and evaluation of the physique, angles, capacity, position, posture which are difficult to execute virtually.
(Vinutha Raghunath has won five Commonwealth Powerlifting competitions, 8 Strongwoman Title and 2 Asian Championships. She is a national record holder in category for all three Squat, Bench and Deadlift. She is also a Strength and Conditioning Coach.)
