Meet The Record Breaking Powerlifting Champion, Sophia Ellis, A Vegan Who Overcame Eating Disorders

Sophia Ellis is relatively new to the world of Powerlifting. But hers is a story of how grit and determination will help push through the toughest times.

For a formative part of her student life, Sophia struggled with eating disorders. Personal tragedies she experienced caused her trauma which resulted in her eating habits being affected. Eating disorders not only affect a person’s mental health but also impacts our organs.
 

This was in 2018.

FOUR YEARS LATER, 6 RECORDS WERE BROKEN AT THE BRITISH POWERLIFTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022

Once she was discharged, Sophia found that she liked to hit the gym and lift weights. She loved the idea of being strong. Someone suggested powerlifting to her, and she gave it a shot.

"I had no idea what it was, but I joined the powerlifting club," she says in an interview with MyLondon. "From there I started competing - within four weeks of actually starting powerlifting I did my first competition, and then qualified for nationals in my first competition, as you do."

She did not stop there. She went on to qualify for the Great Britain team in the very first year of her powerlifting journey. She also went on to represent her country in the World Championships and Commonwealth Championships where she became a Commonwealth Champion.

At the recently concluded British Powerlifting Championships in Scotland, Sophia broke six national records to pull off the heaviest deadlift by a female in British powerlifting history. She deadlifted 237.5kg which is a British record in the Classic and Equipped categories and she has also set an unofficial European record.

To add to that, she lifted 118kg for her bench round and 170kf during the squat round, which brings her total to an astounding lift of 525.5kg adding to the British Classic and Equipped records.

Sophia at the British Powerlifting Championships
Image Courtesy: SBD Apparel

She is proud of being able to compete for Great Britain and finds it empowering specially since she spent her earlier years being weak and not having much physical strength.

FUELLING UP WITH PLANTS

To keep herself going Sophia trains five times a week and fuels herself on her vegan diet. She is mindful of her relationship with food but has attributed some of her success as a powerlifter to her diet too.

She believes when her diet is well balanced, her recovery rate is much better and she feels energised during her training sessions. She is well aware of the fact that if the foods are not nutrient dense then we will not be able to experience the most out of the diet.

INSPIRING WOMEN EVERYWHERE

Sophia speaks freely about her struggles and actively shares her journey on her Instagram page.

She says, “I’m so bloody grateful I’ve been able to fully embrace this mindset shift where I value my body’s physical ability over its physical appearance. There’s something so empowering about experiencing your body do something that you’ve never thought you could achieve”.

She believes women are “conditioned to value our looks above all else,” and Sophia wants to change that. She adds, “Let’s change the stigma around women who lift weights, let’s stop calling regressed exercises ‘the girl version’, let’s get rid of the idea that you can’t be feminine and have muscle. Lets start celebrating our bodies for how damn strong they are and support others no matter what stage of their journey they are on.”
 

Sophia often shares posts about food that she’s eating on her Instagram page with easy tips on how to bulk up the foods with nutrition especially if someone is building muscle.

Sophia Ellis on Instagram @sophiastrength

Proving once again that animals do not need to suffer for someone to be as strong as a powerlifter, Sophia Ellis doesn’t shy away from any aspect of her journey and is definitely one to watch out for in the world of powerlifting.

(Feature Image Courtesy: SBD Apparel)

Like this? Read: Meet Roshni Sanghvi - The Gutsy Vegan Fitness Expert
Read More:7 Indian Vegans who are on Top of Their Fitness Game