Alexander Burgess Memorial Powerlifting Meet

The first annual Alexander Burgess Memorial Powerlifting Meet was held on December 10, 2022 in Machipisa, Zimbabwe, in the northern province of Harare.  The meet was conducted as the first step in the efforts by Alex’s family to grow the athletic resources available for young people in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Church Development Ministry (ZCDM) is based in Mashoko, Zimbabwe, about six hours south of Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare.  ZCDM provides hope through education and biblical truth to many in Zimbabwe, where political and economic chaos creates hopelessness.  Northern Hills Christian Church (NHCC) has been a long-time supporter of ZCDM, and a close friend of its founders, Stephen Chikwati and his wife Angella.  Athletics provide a way for young people to focus their energy, instead of drugs or other negative behaviors, and athletic resources available to the local community help support the ZCDM’s mission.

What is Powerlifting?

Athletes of all strength and skill levels can participate in the sport of powerlifting.  Long steel bars hold the weights at each end and are lifted from one of three positions – from the floor, from a shoulder high rack, or lifted from a lower rack while laying on a bench facing upward.  Powerlifters seek to consistently increase the amount of weight they can successfully lift, and strength training is the means for them to achieve this.  As new powerlifters see the gains in their performance they are often motivated to continue to improve and training becomes an important part of their lives, and provides hope for a better future.

Background on the First Annual Alexander Burgess Memorial Powerlifting Meet

The meet was conducted by the Lift4Life organization to help advance the sport of powerlifting in the African country of Zimbabwe.  Lift4Life ( www.lift4life-worldwide.org ) is a charitable organization founded by Alex’s friend and powerlifting mentor John C. Downing, a high school teacher at Reynoldsburg High School and coach of the Ohio State University Powerlifting team.

The Lift4Life organization’s mission is to use strength training and the formal sport of powerlifting as a vehicle to empower communities around the world.  Stephen told John that “we have no gym in our area and having one will definitely attract different kinds of people.” The first annual Alexander Burgess Memorial Powerlifting Meet served to introduce new members of the community in Zimbabwe to the sport, and as the first step in establishing new powerlifting gym facilities in the southern province of Masvingo, in the city of Masvingo and in Mashoko, about two hours to the east.

The first meet was a great success - drawing 37 powerlifters to participate, including two blind lifters and two paraplegic lifters, as well as over 200 spectators!   Many thanks to Life4Life, John Downing and Coach Audrey for a successful event!

Background on Alexander Burgess – the driving force behind the meet

Alexander (Alex) is the late son of Ted and Anita Burgess, members of NHCC.  Alex graduated from St. Xavier High School in 2013.   He was a four year varsity swimmer at St. Xavier, and the swim team was the Ohio state champion all four years.  Alex, like his teammates, trained hard to achieve these results, and that training included work in the weight room to build strength.  Over his high school career, Alex came to enjoy his weight training work.  When he went to college at Miami University, Alex continued weight lifting and swimming for the club swim team.  Alex quickly found that weight training fit his study schedule better than competitive swimming and he became an avid powerlifter.  While at Miami, Alex competed in national powerlifting meets and he continued to train and compete while in graduate school at Ohio University, where he received his Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2020.

Alex passed away suddenly during the Co-Vid lockdowns while working as a physical therapist in West Virginia. His family sponsored this meet in loving memory of Alex, the friendships he forged participating in powerlifting, in support of the Lift4Life program and in the hope that, through ZCDM, others will benefit from the sport of powerlifting in Zimbabwe.

Bringing New Gyms to Southern Zimbabwe

Ted and Anita recognized the opportunity to work with Lift4Life to expand the sport of powerlifting in Zimbabwe, and in doing so support and advance the missions of both Lift4Life and ZCDM.  A gift from Alex’s estate enabled Lift4Life to host the first annual meet and establish the new gym in Masvingo.

The venue for the new gym is the Masvingo sports club, a stadium used mainly for cricket matches.  There are several rooms in the stadium available for the powerlifting gym.   The stadium is an attractive venue as it is well established, supported financially by cricket matches, and importantly it is centrally located for the whole community.   When told about Lift4Life’s plans for the gym, Stephen said he was “excited to hear about Lift4Life” and to work with John to discuss a path forward for the new gyms.  Building of the equipment for the Masvingo gym is currently underway using local contractors.  It is expected that equipping a new gym in Mashoko will quickly follow soon after.

In Conclusion

Alex was a big supporter of Lift4Life and its mission, so Ted and Anita are supporting the organization in his honor by funding the annual meets in Zimbabwe, and the equipment to outfit the new powerlifting gyms in southern Zimbabwe as part of his legacy.

The first meet was a great success, and they look forward to the second annual meet and, who knows – perhaps a visit to Zimbabwe some day!  

Lift4Life & Be a Better Human - Online Powerlifting Course Release

Lift4Life is excited to partner with Learn to Be a Better Human to create a micro-course on powerlifting!

Be A Better Human is an online e-learning, e-commerce platform based in South Africa that allows you to do micro-classes on topics that matter. The Lift4Life partnered course covers a wide variety of topics related to the sport of powerlifting.

Lift4Life’s online course was created by Lift4Life Events Committee members George Sdregas and Nikita Pasricha. The course includes a brief history of the sport, technical analysis of all three competition lifts, and an overview of the sport structure. The course can be completed at https://www.learntobeabetterhuman.com/course/strength_powerlifting.

The course will only take 20 minutes to complete, and you receive a certificate following completion. Best of all, each course purchase automatically sponsors the course for someone in South Africa to complete who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford it.

Throughout the course, videos paired with each discipline, explaining each lift step by step. The videos include nationally ranked collegiate powerlifter Corbin McGuffin-Noll, and the 2019 IPF Collegiate World Champion Christiane Hazzard. After a couple months of creating and perfecting content, we at Lift4Life are excited to see the impact of the course is going to make. We believe this course is a perfect expansion on our mission to use strength training and the formal sport of powerlifting as a vehicle to empower communities throughout the world. This course gives us the ability to offer an accessible education on powerlifting in a time where in-person education is difficult, and ensures the expansion of strength and knowledge around the world.

Interview: Founder of the Strength Guys, Jason Tremblay

Guest Blog Post by Lift4Life Worldwide Ambassador, Sam Murray

As a national leader in coaching for powerlifters, bodybuilders, strength trainers and fitness enthusiasts, the knowledge that The Strength Guys have brought to lifters across the world cannot be underestimated. By partnering with Lift4Life Worldwide since the beginning of our organization through their Coaching for a Cause program and personally coaching Zimbabwean lifters from beginners to champions, they are truly supporting Lift4Life Worldwide’s mission to make strength accessible to all.

We sat down with the Strength Guys President and Co-Founder, Jason Tremblay, to understand what strength means to him and why he is so passionate about supporting our work in Zimbabwe and beyond.

Q: What is your history with the Strength Guys and Lift4Life? Tell me about your organization and why you find this service so important.

A: I have my bachelors degree in health and physical education from Mount Royal University and the Personal Trainers certificate also from Mount Royal University. I started the Strength Guys (TSG) when I was 19 and we’re almost nine years old. I’ve known both figureheads of Lift4Life for many years now – I’ve known John Downing for over seven years, in a capacity of coach, friend and co-worker. I’ve known Nicola for about five years now, in the capacity of both a co-workers and a friend. I was John Downing’s powerlifting coach and we would talk almost every day. He messaged me about his excitement about finding a gym on his last day on his trip to Zimbabwe. He told me about what he wanted to do, and I said it was a good idea and to let me know how I can help. Ever since day one when John sent me that text, I’ve been involved with Lift4Life.

Q: How old is TSG? How do you fundraise for Lift4Life through your company?

A: TSG will be 9 years old this October. Upon sign up, clients have the option to whether or not they want to donate a small portion of their fee to the Coaching for a Cause program. What that does is collect funds from clients and donate to charities that we’re involved with, which includes Lift4Life for the past 2 years now. Coaching for a Cause is a specific program from The Strength Guys; it was actually Nicola that came up with the idea and we’re happy to support Lift4Life through this program.

Q: Would you consider strength training and/or fitness valuable? If so, why?

A: Strength training helps with the overall improvements of physical and mental health. It keeps your muscles and your mind stronger. It can teach you a lot about discipline, attention to detail and the fact that doing ordinary things with a lot of focus & intent can make you get better. These are all valuable lessons that can transfer into other areas of life. So, yeah, I think strength training should become as common as brushing your teeth is. It’s a way for people to take care of their bodies and keep thier bodies strong.

Q: How have you seen strength training/PL better someone’s life?

A: I think from my own perspective, when I was younger, I was on anti-depressants and was clinically diagnosed with depression. I was overweight, nearly obese, and didn’t have much confidence. The very first time I went to the gym, I fell in love with it and in love with the idea of building myself up and having a place you can go to after school – no matter what type of day you had, you can take it out on the weights and build yourself up. I realized from the very first day I went to the gym, I didn’t need to take anti-depressants anymore, so I stopped right there. I was able to get through my depression just through regular exercise.

Audrey, Lift4Life Program Facilitator in Zimbabwe, and Lift4Life Executive Director, Nicola.

Q: Other than Coaching for a Cause, is there any other way you’ve been involved?

A: I’ve been able to provide educational and program resources that I’ve designed through my coaching business. I’ve given access to my programs to Audrey (Lift4Life Worldwide Program Facilitator in Zimbabwe), facilitated through Nicola. I’ve also coached Audrey through her first appearance at the African Arnold Classic, where she won a gold medal in bench press. It’s been a pleasure to work with Audrey; I’ve worked with her for about a year and from what I understand, she is the leader for Lift4Life on the ground in Zimbabwe. I took my first chance to help her grow her knowledge not only as an athlete, but also as a coach.

Q: You obviously support a lot of strength athletes in Canada and a few in Zimbabwe; why do you find it important to support those across the world in something like strength training? How do you think it can improve the lives of those in Zimbabwe?

A: I have disabilities of my own – I have glasses, people close to me will also see that I wear hearing aids. With that said, I feel like I have gotten a pretty good go at it in life in terms of opportunity, but also understand what it’s like to feel like I am behind the 8 ball in terms of physical ability in some respects. I also feel that in areas where my hearing loss has held me back, it’s frustrating because I wish I had more of a fair opportunity to navigate that in life, but for people with hearing loss, it’s on you to fund the treatment for that. So, I have that as a part of my identity. As well, when I was a young coach, it really bothered me that people doubted me because of my age and thought I didn’t have the necessary background and education to be coaching.

I realize how euro-centric our world is, and I understand that not all people have a fair shot in life. For me, The Strength Guys and Lift4Life have been an avenue to give young coaches a chance to grow, athletes from all walks of life have an opportunity to train with us here, and I provide as much opportunity as I can to people who don’t usually get it. I think it’s so common that traditionally, in North American society, the white cisgender male gets all of the opportunity. I am trying to do a little bit better and be cautious of that as I own & operate my business. Things like anti-racism, diversity and giving people a chance is really important to me – long before the BLM protest and other equality protests have emerged this year. That’s the “how and why” of The Strength Guys supporting Lift4Life. It’s part of my background and who I am. I hope people think The Strength Guys is a company that has made an effort to give back to the world and make the world a better place.

Q: As a donor to Lift4Life and supporter, what would you say to people that are interested in supporting us but haven’t yet?

A: With a lot of bigger charities, you make a donation and the money goes into a pile and you don’t really see where your funds are going to help people. I actually get to see where the money goes – For example, our money went towards buying a gym, or the first ever Eleiko equipment, giving athletes something to train for, women’s hygiene or a community garden. It’s really nice to get a photo and a message that says “hey, your charitable donation went to this.” It makes me feel grateful even more for what we have here in North America. It’s eye-opening that there’s people out there that can really benefit from us being more generous and a little bit more considerate about our geography, our privilege.

Thank you so much to Jason and The Strength Guys as a whole for their generous donation to our COVID-19 Campaign this past summer. With their help, we were able to fundraise over $5,000 in support of a community garden, a chicken coop, new equipment to support social distancing and more!

If you’d like to learn more about The Strength Guys, please visit https://thestrengthguys.com/.

Virtual Fitness & Education - Stories & Testimonials

Our virtual fitness classes & education supports have been a huge success as part of our COVID Relief Projects in Zimbabwe.

We had the chance to hear directly from the teachers facilitating the projects, as well as the children themselves participating and impacted. You can listen to this podcast featuring sound bites and interviews of what is happening on the ground and the positive impact it is having in their lives.

On our instagram page you can also watch the video interviews here.

So what's the deal with Powerlifting?

Guest blog post by Lift4Life Ambassador Sam Murray

I am sure more than a few folks reading this blog would look upon their favourite childhood sport with fond memories of teamwork, dedication and passion. Not only are sports a great way to pass the time, but there is ample evidence to suggest that formal physical activity can create life-long benefits to those that participate in it regularly, beyond the obvious advantages to one’s physical fitness such as cardiovascular health and weight.

Individuals - and particularly children - that participate in sport can benefit from an increased sense of confidence and self-esteem. They will also develop social skills, as any sport - including Powerlifting - will help build teamwork, create friendships and allow folks to create a greater sense of connection to their community. Finally, participating in competition can cultivate a sense of discipline and determination that can only come with focusing on a goal in order to achieve it. And even if that goal is not successful, it will teach those that fail to try again.

“I have seen them become better listeners. I have seen them become happier.”

— Audrey Svongwa, Lift4Life Powerlifter in Zimbabwe

These concepts have been seen in action in our Lift4Life-supported communities in Zimbabwe. Audrey Svongwa, one of our partners in Zimbabwe, has seen lives transformed since opening the gym and engaging local youth in Powerlifting. Audrey says, “Some of the young men in our community were into drugs because they have nothing to do. I’ve seen boys sitting in the streets and I invite them to come lift with me and they come in the hundreds. I have seen them become better listeners. I have seen them become happier. They have opportunities that they wouldn’t have had before, like going to compete in South Africa.”

Since the start of Lift4Life Worldwide in 2015, we have built 5 gyms in Harare and have supported over 200 lifters who have been formally registered under the Zimbabwe Powerlifting Federation. 500 community members have regular access to Lift4Life gyms in Zimbabwe and more than 40 lifters are supported in Lesotho.  

We are proud to continue programming opportunities for members of these communities and helping to support them on their journey toward physical wellbeing, but are even more proud of the progress the community has made from the benefits of this sport. With the support of Calgary Barbell and the Strength Guys, we have now surpassed our summer fundraising goal of $2,500 to support a chicken farm, a community garden and virtual fitness programming in tandem with small group learning sessions led by Zimbabwe locals. This will help build entrepreneurship skills to youth in the community, provide a safe place for education and help our communities access to nutrition. Through communications with our local coordinator Audrey, we have decided to focus our next goal on  supporting a new community with lifting equipment to help spread strength and hope to new faces during these unprecedented times. You can read more here.

At Lift4Life, we will also be implementing social distancing measures at all gym spaces and will be encouraging outdoor lifting workouts to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Most of our gyms are only equipped with one squat rack/ bench, making the sharing of equipment a must.In addition to supporting a new community space, other funds will go towards more equipment in current gym spaces to enable our lifters to stay safe and socially distance during workouts. 

We are hoping to raise another $2,500 to support our revamped summer plan. We know the importance that Powerlifting and organized sport can have on a community, but we cannot continue this important work with your help. Please help us reach our goal and donate at the link below.

LIFT4LIFE - Nicola Paviglianiti Director’s Cut

Check out this short film Lift4Life & Team Member Nicola Paviglianiti was recently featured in! The piece was created by Crowsnest Films, and can be watched here.