Told mostly in their own words, this is the story of 110 women (mainly strength athletes).

I’ve recovered from the trauma of competitive bodybuilding, the trauma of being a young girl, a teenage girl, a 20-something girl, I think, as well as I ever will. And now, I eat the extra hotdog and I haven’t run a mile in years. I am a powerlifter.

If you’re a man and you’re trying to hold a woman back from powerlifting, or doing whatever she wants to do…Who are you to try and change her mind, and get her not to do it?

If Tarra never lifted more than her current best 1200-pound raw total at 181, she would still be one of the greatest. The scary thing? She’s just starting.

One doesn’t need to look that hard to see glimpses of this rebirth of powerlifting because they are all around us. I caught a glimpse (one of many) of the resurgence at the 2015 APF Chicagoland Summer Bash.