New Rogue Athlete – Kimberly Walford

Pound for pound, she ranks among the greatest American powerlifters of all time, regardless of gender. And in her late 30s, there is zero indication that Kimberly Walford is slowing down. The Connecticut native and Rogue athlete is now a 6-time IPF Raw World Champion (2x in the 63kg class, 4x in the 72kg), and holds IPF Deadlift World Records in both of those weight classes (221kg and 243kg respectively).

As a teenager, Kimberly initially got into lifting as part of her overall training as a versatile track-and-field athlete. “My high school coach told us he not only wanted us to be fast, but strong,” she says. “From the moment I touched the weight I was hooked, and I continued strength training throughout high school and college.”

While she was reluctant to enter into competitive powerlifting at first, her first victory in a bench press event spurred her on from that point forward, as she followed a simple mantra: “Hard work equals results.”

In February of 2018, Walford showed she is still at the absolute top of her sport, deadlifting 250kg in an unofficial capacity at an event in Oakland, CA. That’s 7kg (or more than 15 LBS) above her own existing record in the 72kg weight class. Her younger competition is once again on notice.

Watch Kim’s 2016 Road To The Arnold video here: