Courtesy Photo
Participants from the fifth annual Powerlifting Meet at Zen 24-hour Fitness are seen posing together after competing.

ALPENA — Zen 24-hour Fitness in Alpena just wrapped up its fith annual Powerlifting Meet.

This meet is open to all individuals who wish to participate, even those who are not members of Zen are welcome to come in and show their strength.

The gym started hosting these free events as a way to help develop the local lifting community and bring together those who really enjoy power lifting or just exercise in general.

Its partnership with Skella Fit, owner Cristi Johnson, is one example of how it has already grown as a community of inclusion, which helps the local fitness groups who are in Alpena have something they can all do together.

“We hope that others will reach out and join us on the lifting platform!” Zane Kipfmiller said. “We even had a young man who was 14 years old compete this year and everyone was cheering him on, the energy was incredible!”

Top three female athletes are:

∫ First place: Katie Jones with 615 lbs total lifted

∫ Second place: Nancy Niergarth with 495 lbs total lifted

∫ Third place: Katie Edgar with 440 lbs total lifted

Top three male lifters are:

∫ First place: Reid Wilson with 1365 lbs total lifted

∫ Second place: Jason S with 1000 lbs total lifted

∫ Third place: Austin Prue with 1010 lbs total lifted

Scores are determined by taking a person’s total wight lifted and dividing it by their current body weight.

For men the closer they get to a six the better, and for women, it’s four.

Zen fitness and Skella Fit will hold the next big lift in October as they head downstate to compete.