Who’s Barbie Barbell?
Monday, March 26th, 2007
We often do interviews here at Muscle Update and we’re talking with Powerlifting Teenage World Champ Amanda Harris…
MU: Where do you live?
AH: I live in Houston Texas in an area called, “The Heights” We are less than 5minutes from Downtown, we just moved here a few months ago, I mostly grew up in the country where we had a garden and ducks on our pond. Living so close to downtown is really cool because there is so much to see and do here.
MU:You’re not in high School you’re home schooled right? What’s that like?
AH:I went to public school until I was in the 7th grade and then I asked my parents to home school me because I wanted to be able to travel and train when I needed to train. I have been very dedicated to Powerlifting my whole life and it took me a year to get my parents to home school me but now they wish I had been home schooled earlier. I learn so much more at home and I learn at my own pace, which is a little faster than public school so I do not get bored I learn and move on. I have had a bunch of people ask me don’t you get sick of being at home all the time? (LOL) No I love it and I guess it’s because I have a great relationship with my parents and I do have friends that I hang out with on the weekends. SO I’m not really stuck at home in fact I was out of town 29 weeks last year!!
MU: When did you get into powerlifting?
AH: I grew up Powerlifting I would go to the gym with my Dad and my older brother (Beau Harris 21) and watch them train. My dad use to train with some people that lifted some really big weights like Anthony Clark. I remember Anthony he use to pick me up and sit me on his knee and talk to me about how I had been doing and was I ready to start lifting. He and my Dad trained together for years along with Coach Tom McCullough those are the guys that got me going in Powerlifting.
MU: Do you train with a group of other powerlifters or yourself?
AH: I train 100% of the time alone with my Dad, my training time with my Dad is what I call, “Our time together” I have so many great memories of training with my dad I would not trade it for anything!!!
MU: How long have you been competing?
AH: Well I get some help from my dad on this question because I did not remember(LOL) He said I was actually 8 years and 10 months old. I was so small the spotters had to pick up the bar out of the Squat rack and place it on my back because I was too short to use the Squat Stands. Another funny thing is I was so small they also placed a towel around my waist so I could wear a belt and they had to poke a whole in the belt too. I WAS TINY. I think I was 62lbs
MU: What organizations have you and do you compete in?
AH: It would be almost as easy to say which ones have I not lifted in yet. (LOL) OK I have lifted in the AAU, APA, APF, USPF, USAPL, AAPF, AWPC, WPC, WPA, WPO, WABDL and the IPA. I have won World Championships in all of the Federations that actually have that level of lifting mostly teen but I have also won two Women’s Open World Championships too. I mainly lift in the APF, WPC and the WPO they are the biggest federation in my state and I like the meets that they conduct. They have the WPO Finals at the Arnold Sports Festival every year. THe APF, WPC, WPO is how I got noticed so I guess you would say I am loyal to them. I do like lifting other places and meeting new people it’s a blast to travel all over the country and to other countries and everywhere I go now people know me. I have made so many wonderful friends in Powerlifting.
MU: Tell us about your first meet?
AH: I really do not remember much about it that was 84 meets and 7 years ago. I do remember being really nervous and scared but that all went away after my first squat, my dad says it was 95lbs.
MU: That’s interesting everyone I know who has lifted for decades or competed on stage for decades remembers there first contest, everyone rememberss there first meet. Must have not been that memerabile hugh? OK then…
MU: I’m in the aspect that we are all powerlifters whether you compete raw or geared, natural or “geared” does it bother you when you hear all these people talk about how raw is better and equipment users are false lifters?
AH: No I do not ever hear people talking about it, my Dad does not allow me on the Powerlifting Forums except for rare occasions and he is there with me. He says the arguments can get dirty sometime and he does not want me exposed to the negative side of our sport. In my opinion I think it should be as it is right now. People can choose to lift in any type of gear they choose and if they take steroids they have places to go as well. I just pay attention to what I do and I leave everyone else alone. It is really none of my business what others do. Yes there are people that cheat but I just step out and do the best I can and I’m usually real happy with my results.
MU: Powerlifting is pretty brutal on the body; I don’t know of any powerlifter that hasn’t had a serious injury. Have you had any serious injuries?
AH: In my training safety is always first and I never train without my dad standing right there to protect me in case something does go wrong. I train with close to three times my body weight in the Squat and dead-lift so Dad is very close. I have lost some heavy weight in a squat while training but Dad always has caught the weight and me too and just pulled me up when he grabs me and squeezes me to the bar the bar weight feels empty, it nice to have a strong Dad. (LOL) So I have never been injured I get sore from training hard sometimes but never been hurt. One thing that helps me is my Doctor that Sponsors me and treats me with spinal adjustments twice a week. His name is Dr. Ed Group and he owns the Global Healing Center. He also provides me with all of my supplements and works very close with my Dad on my training, diet and how I take my supplements. I almost forgot my Dad is a Doctor too, he has a PhD in Exercise Physiology. I actually have several Doctors helping my Dad keep me healthy Dr Butch Dunn also advises my Dad on me too. He is an MD.
MU: I hear your getting all this attention and photo shoots, how’s it feel?
AH: Well I love it!!! It is so cool to have so many people wanting to do photo-shoots and I am starting to get the attention of the Fitness industry too and i have some Magazines with some really big names contacting me now. I can say I am living my dreams and I am so thankful I have my parents that encourage me to grow and follow my dreams. Every day something new and exciting pops up. I never know what or who is waiting I get good bumps thinking about it.
MU: How do you train? Give us a short workout for the week. And, of course, your favorite workout.
AH: LOL that is top secret information… actually my workouts will be video taped and posted on my new web site for everyone to see very soon. I squat on Monday bench on Tues and Pull every other Thursday. I do ab work every day and I do Back and shoulder once a week too. So I train with weight 3-4 time a week. The longest I am ever in the gym is one hour. Most people think I live in a gym but that’s just not true. 4 hours a week is the max. My Favorite lift is the Squat. My goal is to Squat 800lbs at a body weight of less than 145lbs. I’m a long way off but hey I am only 15 I got plenty of time. (LOL) Oh yes and that will be a drug free lift.
MU: Hey girl, we hear you got a Web site up, joining the ranks of the VIP core too how’s that going to be?
AH: Melissa Dettwiller my friend and the only person that has ever trained with me in the last 3 years is designing my web site. She is a very pretty Bodybuilder and we have also done several Photo-shoots together too, she owns a design company called buffdoll studios and her work is awesome!!! You can check out my new site at www.barbiebarbell.com it is far from complete but it is growing and being built more every day. A big hug to Melissa for all her work.
MU: Yes, I know who Melissa is, Curtis my husband did an interview with her for BB.com. So, what’s in store for you in 2007?
AH: Well last year I competed 27 times so that will not happen. I have moved up from the 52kg 114lb to the 56KG the 123lb class. I plan of hitting 5 or 6 World Meets this year and I will travel to Russia with the WPC American team and I plan on doing allot of modeling this year too, so maybe 8 or 9 meets total and much more training this year. I will also be moving up in my age group In June so I will have all new records to look at breaking. I love the challenge!!
MU: Good luck to your future iron events and more records to you, stay healthy Amanda. And thanks for taking time to talk with us at Bodybuilding.com and Muscle Update. Maybe I’ll see you on the platform soon. Check Amanda out at:
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