Jordynne Grace makes an impression! in powerlifting

Jordynne Grace is a phenomenon. The 26-year-old from Austin, TX (real name: Patricia Parker) has become a dual-sport superstar, winning titles in both professional wrestling and powerlifting. As one of the most well-known stars currently walking the ropes IMPACT! Wrestling Airing on AXS TV, Thick Mama Pump sat down with Muscle & Fitness to talk about her grappling origins, her love of weightlifting, and this historic championship challenge coming up at the twentieth annual Slammiversary pay-per-view.

“Growing up, I was really drawn to strong wrestlers, so Beth Phoenix was my number one,” says Grace, who was a huge WWE fan and grew up watching wrestling on TV. Powerful female wrestlers like Chyna and Beth Phoenix helped break the mold and provide a much-needed breath of fresh air to the cover girl look that was prevalent during WWE's Attitude Era in the late '90s and early 2000s.

Jordynne Grace knows that strong girls rule

"I think (I liked the stronger girls the best) because they were so different than what WWE mostly had at the time. They had the Diva Search, which were people who were models who were basically looking for a modeling gig, and [had] never fought at all. That's what I grew up with. It's extremely awesome to see this type of women (like Phoenix and Chyna). We should value diversity in terms of race, size and nationality. I think it’s important for kids to see that because they can relate to it.”

Grace began lifting weights when she was just 12 years old, knowing that muscle would be necessary if she wanted to achieve her dream of becoming a professional wrestler. “That was my attitude,” she remembers. “The first step to wrestling for me was lifting weights and getting strong.” By the time Grace was 14, she had already signed up for amateur and professional wrestling training sessions. “I would use what I learned in amateur wrestling to improve as an amateur [pro] wrestler,” she says. The now multiple winner remembers that the very first time she stepped into the ring, it just felt right. “I watched a kid wrestle so much that when I finally got there it felt like second nature.” Her debut was supposed to come in 2011.

Pro wrestling has evolved since WWE's Attitude Era and unlike those old Diva Search days, where women were often taught a less aggressive style to present a sexy image to audiences, girls are now learning the ropes alongside boys. “Where I come from, there was no difference in education,” says Grace. In fact, as a professional wrestler, "Thick Mama Pump" has earned a reputation for being as tough as anyone in the locker room, even taking on the boys in countless intergender matches across the United States. This 5’3″ dynamo has become a social media sensation and one of the most famous Wrestlers on the circuit who have not signed a WWE contract. Jordynne Grace doesn't fit into sexist ideas of what a female wrestler should look like, and her fans love her passionately for it. With her broad frame and banging quads, this warrior could outsmart and outclass most men.

Grace has already achieved many milestones, becoming the first woman to compete in AEW's "Over Budget Battle Royale" and almost winning by elimination Brian Cage included. “That was a really, really big moment for me,” she remembers. And. shortly after he caught everyone's attention that night, IMPACT! Wrestling announced that it had signed Grace to a two-year contract. IMPACT! is the former stomping ground of many of today's WWE superstars, including Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, Bobby Roode and Xavier Woods. Many critics feel the success of IMPACT! is a good sign that you can make it anywhere. In 2018, Grace won her first Knockouts Championship. Since then, she has become one of the company's most decorated stars. She says she wants nothing more than to win that title back, and she'll get an opportunity to do that at Slammiversary.

Jordynne Grace knows that success takes hard work

“I usually try to go to the gym every day,” she says. "If it's not an intense day, I try to do some kind of mobility training, but I try to walk at least once a day. Lately I've been doing twice a day because I really hate doing cardio. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that, so I try to break it up into a different time of the day."

For maintaining their flexibility in the ring and Recovery after strenuous lifting sets Grace also started yoga. "It's very difficult to lift heavy weights alongside professional wrestling, so I started doing yoga just because doing powerlifting competitions with wrestling has been crazy for the last year or so. With yoga, I'm trying to get my body back to feeling better." And it's not just the physicality that makes lifting and wrestling difficult to juggle. Our girl has been known to leave the ring after a live event and go straight on a four-hour drive to do the 6 a.m. weigh-in for powerlifting competitions.

So does Grace have a thing for wrestling or powerlifting? "It's hard to say because they both mean completely different things to me. Professional wrestling pays and I've been doing it forever and I love it, but powerlifting is something different. There are no ifs, ands or buts, you can either lift the weight or you can't, so I feel a different kind of fulfillment when I'm able to do something in a competition." And speaking of doing “something” in a competition, Grace broke three state and national records in Georgia last year at a World Natural Powerlifting Federation (WNPF) competition in the 165-pound weight class. Incredibly, she squatted 320 pounds (150 kilograms), bench pressed 210 pounds (95 kilograms), and deadlifted 355 pounds (161 kilograms). Then, in February at an unsanctioned powerlifting meet, Grace showed further progress by crushing all of those numbers, reaching a total of 1,065 pounds (483 kilograms).

Balancing wrestling and lifting continues to present challenges, but Graces takes it all with good...well...Grace! Recently, the grappler had to briefly relax the heavy weights after suffering back pain from a poor landing in a match. So she switched to powerbuilding training instead while she recovers. “It's like a program that's a little bit between powerlifting and bodybuilding,” Grace says. “It’s basically not a full-fledged, 100 percent powerlifting.” Strength building is a a great way to work on muscle building and strength wins at the same time.

Jordynne Grace hopes to become Queen of the Mountain

As EFFECT! celebrates its twentieth pay-per-view Slammiversary on June 19th, available on FITE.TV and “Thick Mama Pump” hopes to do her best to destroy 4 other opponents in her quest to regain the Knockouts title in a “Queen of the Mountain” match. While Grace has already achieved so much, there are still plenty of dream matches to look forward to, so who does she have her eyes on? “Dakota Kai would be great for wrestling,” Grace says. "And I think Rhea Ripley. This is a dream match that a lot of people have chosen, and it's one of mine too." The powerhouse is also excited about the opportunity to reunite with Athena, who last wrestled with her about 10 years ago. But right now there's nothing more important than winning that shiny Knockouts title. “Slammiversary is going to be great,” beams Grace, excited at the prospect of winning the historic show.

Jordynne Grace is not only an inspiration when it comes to her athleticism, but she is also a shining light to other people who may feel like they don't fit a certain mold. With a massive following on social media, Grace has to deal with negative comments like many of us, but the star says she's learning that paying attention to trolls means giving them exactly what they're looking for. "One of the most important things to understand is that loving your body is really a process, it's an everyday thing," says Grace. "Look at your body as a whole, as opposed to 'I hate how fat my thighs are' or 'I hate my stomach' and things like that. Be aware of all the things your body does for you on a daily basis and once you realize it becomes ten times easier to love yourself."

Jordynne Grace's 3-Day Total Body Powerlifting Workout Routine

Day 1 (chest/triceps)

• Bankdrücken: 4×5
• Schräghanteldrücken: 5×8
• Flachbank-Squeeze-Press: 4×15
• Trizeps-Pushdown: 5×8
• Langhantel-Schädelbrecher: 4×15
• Trizeps-Liegestütz: 1x AMRAP

Day 2 (Quads)

• Kniebeuge: 4×5
• Bulgarische Kniebeuge: 4×10 (jede Seite)
• Gehender Ausfallschritt: 4×20
• Gewichteter Squat-Sprung: 4×15
• Beinverlängerung: 4×20

Day 3 (shoulders)

• Militärpresse: 4×5
• Latheben: 5×20
• Arnold Presse: 4×15
• Frontheben am Kabelzug: 4×15
• Aufrechtes Rudern mit weitem Griff: 4×15
• Delphin-Liegestütze: 3×12