Power in motion. How Valeria Bukina dragged the car

Many people challenged themselves in January for 2020. But there are also those who did not delay the realization of the challenge. Not so long ago, two-time world champion in powerlifting fitness trainer Valeria Bukina accepted a challenge from Renault. The girl had to drag the car Renault Arkana.

Immediately after the shooting we managed to meet Valeria and talk to her about “iron sport” – powerlifting, impressions from the challenge and other no less global plans for the coming year.

“Give me a fulcrum, and I will… pull the car through.”

– Valeria, where did your history in “iron sport” begin? As a child you practiced martial arts: hand-to-hand combat, judo… Why did you choose powerlifting at a conscious age?

– Yes, since childhood I have been practicing hand-to-hand combat, judo, even in sambo. But on one of the beautiful days in 2006, I got a serious injury to my shoulder joint, I recovered for a year. After that, having recovered, in 2009 I even became second at one of the world championships. And then I left the Saratov judo team, there was a pause, depression: what to do, where to go? And when the question arose “what next?”, I consciously chose powerlifting.

– How did you come up with the idea of pulling a car? Do you remember that day?

– Of course, it was in 2011, in winter. I remember that day, I remember it was in February, it was snowing. You can find a video on YouTube where I’m dragging a 21-ton truck on a ladder. The ladder, of course, helps, there is something to push off of, that’s why I managed to drag such a big weight. I myself weighed 60 kilograms at the time.

And how did you come up with the idea? I have always been inspired by Vladimir Turchinsky, I liked his show “Power Extreme” very much. I watched it and thought: why not, I want to try it too!

– What is the biggest difficulty?

– I always say: give me a fulcrum and I will move the world. Okay, I’m not the only one who says that(laughs). There is no global difficulty in pulling a car, you need good training and knowledge of physics. As strange as it may sound now, but it’s really calculation, physics and psychology, I guess. For me, there is no difficulty in dragging a car. If I see a goal, I just set it and achieve it. Therefore, it is hard in something – yes, it happens, but difficult – no.

– This year you decided to take on a new challenge – to drive the Renault Arkana. How did it go?

– Renault threw me this challenge when they saw one of my videos on my Instagram page. They wrote to me something like, “Can you pull our car?”. I just wanted to say, “Why not?”

– Did you have any fear that you wouldn’t be able to move the car?

– There was no fear. It will move, where will it go! Others move, why can’t I?(Smiles.)

– Tell me, what were you thinking at the moment when you were pulling the car?

– I can’t remember exactly what I was thinking. I was just getting high at that moment, getting maximum pleasure from the process(smiles).

– What was important when you started pulling the Renault Arkana? What was difficult?

– When I was pulling Renault Arkana during the Challenge, I had no special ropes, so there was nothing to cling to. In such a case, the most important thing was to grip the surface with your feet in order to move the car. All in all, the challenge was not easy, harder than usual. Although if it was easy, everyone would do it(smiles).

– How do you like the car in general? Before and after the challenge, did you have a desire to drive?

– I’ve had my license for about five years, but I don’t drive a car myself, honestly, I don’t feel any pleasure or special need for it. Although a car is great, of course. After the Challenge I sat in a Renault Arkana and tried it out. I liked sitting behind the wheel, it was pleasant enough. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, I’m not an experienced driver after all(laughs), but it was very comfortable.

Mental or physical: what is important to work on for a beginner in powerlifting?

– Is the psychological moment and attitude important: understanding that you will be able to take this or that weight? How do you work on it? What helps you get yourself together?

– I used to prepare people for the competition platform, so I can confidently say that psychology is the most important thing. It is very important to hear yourself and see how your competitors behave. I have never had any doubts whether I will take this or that weight or not.

– Do you develop your training system yourself or do you have a coach?

– Since about 2013 I have been training on my own. Before that I had a coach. He helped me prepare for the first two World Championships, at which I became champion.

Later I started training on my own. I guess the point is that I have always been interested in the whole area of fitness in general, and I wanted to become a trainer myself. In 2011 it happened: I moved to Moscow, and here my coaching career began.

– What criteria do you use to determine that a training session was excellent?

– In powerlifting, strength is important. You have to lift the maximum weight at a time, so the number of repetitions is not the main thing. At this point in my life, I’m working on speed and endurance. I do sets of exercises in several approaches.

– How would you advise a beginner in powerlifting to start?

– As for beginners in powerlifting, of course, you need a coach. A coach with a head. One who has already led some of his athletes to results.

– Why is a coach important?

– If we are talking about powerlifting, there is a big emphasis on building technique. Because a very large load is distributed on the spine in most exercises. Here you need to create a strong muscular corset and only then get under the bar and work with heavy weights. There is a lot of auxiliary work to strengthen the entire muscular corset. The body needs to be prepared, so a good coach is very important here. And to prepare for competitions, of course.

– Is it difficult to be a girl in such a stereotypically male sport?

– Well, let’s start with the fact that our world, in principle, thinks stereotypically(smiles). In Russian society, it’s common to hang labels. But, honestly, I have always given a damn about these labels, I’ve lived through it in my time. That’s why I can’t point out any difficulties, I just do my job, and I do it well.

– Do you already have plans to conquer new heights: what would you like to achieve in 2020?

– In the nearest plans I have to run a half marathon and take a swing at a marathon – 42 kilometers. Now I run 10 kilometers, I will gradually increase the distance. And then everything is possible: various ultramarathons, and 50, 70, 100 kilometers. I am also thinking of trying to drive again, Arkana has inspired me. There is always something to strive for!