Sports

Power Moves: TV Crew Catches Up With Champion Powerlifter in Rockville

Suzanne Hartwig-Gary squats 300 pounds with ease as the TV cameras roll.

After a shout out to God and a really loud grunt, Suzanne Hartwig-Gary gracefully squats nearly 300 pounds as the WUSA9 cameras roll inside her Rockville gym.

At 44, and all of 4-feet, 11-inches and 114 pounds, Hartwig-Gray is a record-holding power lifter and 20-time national champion. 

WUSA9 tagged along during one of her workouts.

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“She’s never going to dunk a basketball, but Shaquille O’Neal is never going to be able to out squat her,” Hartwig-Gary’s husband Matthew Gary told the TV station.

You can watch WUSA9’s report online at WUSA9.com.

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Hartwig-Gary is her division’s record holder in squats, dead lifts and bench press, having pushed a combined 964 pounds of weight, according USA Powerlifting, which is part of the sport’s governing body, International Powerlifting Federation. 

She was inducted into the USA Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 2011. When interviewed ahead of the honor, organizers asked her how she got into powerlifting.

“I realized I was strong in high school but was told there was no room for girls to lift,” Hartwig-Gary said. “Luckily one day, while working at Mt. Rushmore, I joined some guys on a universal machine and was told, ‘You're strong, and you should be a powerlifter.’ Then my journey began.”

Her full response and an excerpt of her Hall of Fame acceptance are posted at USPowerlifting.com.

She posted this YouTube clip from the IPF 2012 Masters World Championships, where Hartwig-Gary took gold medals for squat, bench press and dead lift.


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