PERSONAL FILE

Age:32

Occupation: registered massage therapist and personal trainer, also licensed (non-practicing) nurse
Hobbies:  besides the obvious, training....horseback riding, biking, being outdoors in general , time with my family and my pets
Family:  husband Milo, daughter Layla, 3 horses, 4 goats, 4 dogs, and 4 cats
Hometown: Floresville, Texas
Originally from: Indiana
Website: www.JillMills.com

Best competition powerlifts:
622.7(all time WR)-385-551 all done at 2003 WPC world champs in Calgary, Canada in 181 lb class wearing TITAN Boss and FURY, Heavy Metal deadlift suit

RAW(no suits or bench shirt, only belt and wraps): 518-325-518.

Best events results in WSW:
winning in 2002 by 8.5 points. Probably squat,deadlift hold,  and log press events would be considered my best events.

Titles you have won:

Powerlifting:
Texas state(1996,97,98,99,01,03)
nationals 97,03
World champ 2003
besides  other strongwoman and powerlifting local and regional comps, over
27 in all
WSW:
2001 and 2002
2004 american nationals champ
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HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WEIGHT TRAINING ?
My dad when I was in elementary school sparked my interest and taught me some general lifts. Then I joined the army at 17 and finally had access to a real gym. That was when I really
got into weight training and started to make progress

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST INVOLVEMENT WITH POWERLIFTING ?
Milo trained me for my 1st meet in 96, after 2 years of competitive bodybuilding. He felt my talents were being wasted on physique competitions. I trained for about 4 months with deadlifts,squats, and  bench and no powerlifting equipment except knee wraps and a belt. I lifted 405-260-460 at 160 lbs bodyweight.

WHAT OTHER SPORTS HAVE YOU TRIED ? ( besides WSW )
I played soccer in high school, also  judo and bodybuilding as I mentioned.

HOW DID YOU TRAIN AT FIRST ?
I always loved to lift heavy but knew nothing about powerlifting. I only knew bodybuilders and emulated the routines I read in magazines.  I did a lot of cardio like running and bleachers, too.

WHAT DO YOU SEE THE MAIN REASONS FOR THAT ?
I read everything I could get my hands on and we all know how much info there is to sort through out there. Unfortunately most of it is wrong or misleading. I didn't have anyone to help me when I 1st started.

IN YOUR LAST MEETS THE NUMBERS HAVE MOVED UP FAST SO YOU FOUND A GOOD WAY TO TRAIN. WHAT WERE THE MAJOR CHANGES ?
Well, I actually practiced in  a squat suit and bench shirt for starters. I have resisted wearing lifting
equipment until 2003 because I always wanted to know what I could do and not wonder  how  much of it is the equipment.  I did not want to enter nationals and be  out-totalled because I was being pigheaded about the equipment. Not to mention the fact my joints are so wasted from strongwoman training I just was not able to recover from heavy training like I used to.

YOU HAVE VISITED WESTSIDE BARBELL FEW TIMES I GUESS. HOW DID YOU LIKE
TRAINING THERE ?
It was a real eye opener and VERY motivating!!  Everyone there is so strong and there is a very positive energy flowing in that place. I felt a bit intimidated at 1st but Louie and everyone were great.

YOU HAVE YOUR OWN GYM BUSINESS ?
Not exactly. I bounce back and forth between a private massage office and the gym where I do personal training. I used to think  I wanted to own a gym but now I don't think so because of the
headaches involved.

WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF ? IS IT ALL-AROUND GYM OR JUST PLAIN POWER GYM ?
The gym where I train is considered a 'hardcore' gym but nothing like westside.  We have several competitive athletes.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT LIFTING GEAR IN GENERAL ?
I used to be very anti-lifting gear but my feelings have evolved.I see where it has its place and does protect the joints but I also feel it has gotten out of control. There is a big difference between protective gear and some of what is out there today.

WHAT TYPE OF LIFTS HAVE YOU DONE RAW ? ( Training or at meets )
At an official RAW meet (meaning  nothing but a belt, not even knee or wrist wraps) I went 475-319-512 in 98. My best squat with knee wraps was 518, also 518 in deadlift in 2001, 2 weeks after  I competed at wsw in Africa. I hit a 325 RAW bench in 99.

ANY OTHER BIG TRAINING LIFTS ?
I went 365 for 12 and 315 for 18 in the squat (just a belt) while training for wsw. 300x3 bench raw with pauses, and 495x3 raw deadlift. 200x10 fat bar pushpress, 235x2 log press.

ANY THOUHTS ABOUT THE STATUS OF POWERLIFTING IN GENERAL ? ( federations,
meets, testing,  )
I'm just glad there is something for everyone. No matter what your opinion is about gear, drugs, rules, etc there is a federation out there for you.

WHAT NEGATIVE THINGS WOULD YOU REMOVE ?
The people with bad attitudes who take the fun  out of the sport. It would be nice if there was more prize money and sponsors too.

DO YOU SEE ANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN´S AND WOMEN´S TRAINING ?
Men for the most part have sturdier joints and due to hormonal levels can recover from heavy workouts faster than women. I have found that for myself and some of my female clients we can only go heavy for a limited amount of time and need to take more recovery time with lighter weights between contests to allow the tendons and joints to heal for longevity in the sport. Of course this isn't a rule but has definately been a problem for me.

YOU HAVE WON THE WSW SEVERAL TIMES BUT DID TAKE A BREAK AWAY TO GET BACK POWERLIFTING. WHY ?
I was tired of the negative forces over strongwoman and the greed and politics. I wasn't having fun anymore. I became motivated by Becca and Amy Weisberger to try powerlifting again with some new goals in mind. I felt as if I had so much in powerlifting that I could do if I dedicated myself and I didn't want to walk away from the sport until I had set atleast one world record.I still feel like there is some left in me.I would like to hit a 650 squat and a 425 bench, both I feel are attainable but I don't know when I will be fired up enough to go for it.

BUT NOW YOU ARE AIMING AT WSW AGAIN ?
Not really. I would like to beat Aneta because I think she would be a great competitor but I have not decided if I want to dedicate myself to training for it. I won american nationals so I am eligable to go but I feel by winning that comp I have already proven to MYSELF that I can still do it. The contest was the heaviest meet I have done and very competitive and I won by 12 points. I am very satisfied with this and don't feel that I have to do wsw if it doesn't work out for me and my family.

SEEMS THAT WOMEN´S COMPETIOTION IS GETTING A LOT TOUGHER IN WSW ?
I hope!!!  I want the weights to be heavier and more of a real strength comp. NOT about who can walk for 4 days straight with light weights. That does not interest or inspire me.

WHAT QUALITIES MUST A GOOD WSW COMPETITOR HAVE IN YOUR OPINION ? A BRUTE STRENGTH IS NOT ENOUGH ?
Good core strength, ability to analyze quickly, be efficient, move quickly, conditioning, all around balance....also high pain tolerance. #1 is the ability to blow off the small stuff and stay focused.

WHAT EVENTS ARE THE BEST FOR YOU ?
Due to my powerlifting background, anything that involves the basic lifts. I think overhead lifts and deadlift holds are my best though.

WHAT ARE THE WORST ?
 Of course due to being short and not very heavy anything that requires being tall or is favorable to be heavy (like pulling events). Also anything that is so light that strength is not a factor and must be done over a great distance. I can overcome but I HATE these events!

NOW YOU´RE HEADING BACK TO WSW. WHAT THINGS DO YOU DIFFERENT THAN
EARLIER. WHY ?
I will not sacrifice family for competition. I must train in moderation and not obsessively like I used to.

THE EASTERN BLOC ATHLETES HAVE MARCHED STRAIGHT TO THE TOP IN WORLD´S STRONGEST MEN COMPETITION. WILL THE SAME HAPPEN IN WOMEN´S ?
( not if you keep competing .. ) hahaha!  I don't think so. Not for a while anyway. We have some great strongwomen competitors in the US!

WHAT DOES YOUR WEEKLY TRAINING ROUTINE LOOK LIKE ?
I  offseason:
monday: uphill sprints
tuesday: back,biceps,grip ,maybe 1 or 2 events at the end of the workout
wed:bench or pushpresses,triceps
thursday:off
friday: legs-squats, 1-2 events
sunday: event training


YOU HAVE A VIDEO TOGETHER WITH BECCA SWANSON ?
2 heavy off season training workouts!

HOW DO YOU SEE A VALUE OF PROPER NUTRITION FOR STRENGTH ATHLETES  ?
sure.. but honestly it is not the priority for me that it should be. There are only so many hours in the day and diet is not a huge focus.

WHAT TYPE OF DIET DO YOU FOLLOW PERSONALLY ?
As long as I get at least 150 gm of protein and some veggies I have had a good day..plus my vitamin packs and water

HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR OWN TRAINING ?
I know when I am slacking because I won't recover or have energy to make it through my day and my workouts

DO YOU USE ANY SUPPLEMENTS ?
USANA vitamins  and glucosamine, whey protein, effervescent creatine

WHAT LIFTERS DO LOOK UP TO AND WHY ?
Becca and Amy W.They have been the 2 most influential lifters for me. They are always so positive and supportive. We talk all the time and their accomplishments help me keep me motivated. Also guys like Joe Ladnier who are always very supportive

HOW DO SPEND YOUR SPARE TIME BETWEEN WORK AND TRAINING ?
What spare  time ? I race home at the end of the day to spend time training my horse and with
my other pets. I spend at least 2 hours each evening caring for my animals and my ranch. Also keeping up around the house and time with my daughter most importantly.

YOU NOW HOLD THE BIGGEST LIFTS IN EVERY POWERLIFT, WHAT IS YOUR NEXT GOAL ?
Not quite yet.. I need to break the 403 bench still ! Also the 58? deadlift! I may be ready for a renassaince next year. I may lose 30 lbs and take of biking..you never know!

HOW DO YOU STAY MOTIVATED ?
I get things in my head and I can't get them out until I have accomplished them. Some one will plant a bug in me like Amy did with the Wr squat and I can't stop until I have reached it.

ANY FINAL COMMENTS ?
Thanks for including me in your article! I feel honoured ! If this is a finnish publication I hope my dear friend, Heini Koivuniemi reads it! She has been a great motivator/friend as well and I hope to get to compete with her again soon.