Former PCM standout flexing muscles on biggest stage

If someone would have told Ashley (Van Gorp) Wilson five or six years ago she would have owned her own gym as an adult, she would have believed them.

If you also told her she’d own multiple world records in powerlifting, that’s where the disbelief comes in.

“I wouldn’t have believed you. I didn’t know what powerlifting even was back then,” Wilson said. “I knew I was strong, but I never would have guessed I would have even one world record let alone breaking it multiple times.”

Wilson was a four-year state qualifier in track and field at PCM. She also started multiple seasons on the Mustangs’ volleyball team.

Her volleyball career moved to Grand View University, where she played for the Vikings for two seasons.

While a student at Grand View, Wilson became the assistant to the director of the wellness center. In that role, she oversaw all of the student interns, led group fitness classes and was involved in all the staff and faculty nutrition meetings.

“I learned a lot from that. Took a bunch of internships,” Wilson said. “I dabbled in lifting with Anthony, but it was nothing serious at that point.”

Then came COVID-19. And being shut down for a long period of time forced her and her husband Anthony to work out in a private facility.

While working out with Anthony and “Dr. Z” and his wife, becoming a powerlifter became more realistic.

“When we were shut down, I couldn’t work,” Ashley Wilson said. “So all four of us started working out at Dr. Z’s gym. We worked out every day and it quickly expedited into powerlifting.”

Six weeks into her journey, Wilson was hitting 315 pounds on deadlift. At 147 pounds, she now holds the world record of 507.

She’s done seven true powerlifting competitions in her career so far. That’s deadlift, squat and bench press.

Wilson competed in three competitions in each of her first two years and is coming off her seventh career competition in early March. Her first competition was on Feb. 12, 2022, in Des Moines, and she’s planning to do four total in 2024.

“It started with deadlift. That was my focus,” Wilson said. “I did some smaller, local unsanctioned meets and won them. Then I got the state record that was 300-something. And now I hold the world record at 507. Before COVID, I had no idea this would be my future.”

Wilson has traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, and Virginia for competitions.

The North Americans took place in St. Louis. And in 2022 she was named best lifter, which is based off a DOT score.

“It basically compares your lift total with how much you weigh,” Wilson said.

Like with wrestling, powerlifting has weight classes. Wilson competes at 148 pounds, but the other weight classes are 98, 114, 123, 132, 165, 181, 198 and 220.

It’s getting harder and harder for Wilson to stay at 148, but she still has a few more goals to achieve before moving up to 165.

“I have specific goals I want to hit at this weight class and when I go up, it’s going to be hard to come back down,” Wilson said. “I want to achieve everything I want to achieve in this class before I move up.

“A couple of the records at the next weight class are lower than mine right now. The fun part about powerlifting is not knowing what the limit is because there really is no limit.”

Ashley Wilson met Anthony at Grand View University.

Anthony played football for the Vikings for two seasons before a knee injury ended his career early. He also was a thrower on the GVU track and field team for four years.

Both Wilsons now compete in powerlifting. But when they aren’t competing, they are working in their gym, Iron Chapel Barbell, which opened about eight months ago.

It’s a 24-7 gym that’s open to the public and located in Ankeny, where the married couple of three years now reside.

“Based on a quote that Anthony likes,” Ashley Wilson said when asked where the name came from. “’Iron sharpens Iron as one person sharpens another.’ I really like that quote now as most of my life is centered around iron weights.

“We wanted to use Iron in the name and Iron Chapel sounded cool. We added Barbell to signify we are a strength gym. We are not a powerlifting gym. We are a strength gym.”

Owning her own gym was Ashley’s goal even back in high school. She started her career as a personal trainer at Prairie Life in West Des Moines. Her and Anthony both moved on to Lifetime after that.

Due to their non-compete clause with Lifetime, the Wilsons could not build a gym close by, but a lot of their original clients travel to Ankeny and work out at Iron Chapel Barbell.

“Most of my 22 clients are from West Des Moines and Waukee and they drive out here,” Ashley Wilson said. “I have very few Ankeny people.”

They trained their clients out of their basement after leaving Lifetime and before Iron Chapel Barbell was completed.

Iron Chapel Barbell has already been named “Best Gym” in Des Moines by City View. And the Wilsons finished 1-2 in the voting for “Best Trainer” with Anthony taking the spot.

“I’m either training my clients on how to be stronger or training myself to get stronger,” Ashley Wilson said. “It’s my entire life right now.”

At 148 pounds, Ashley currently holds world records in deadlift (507), squat (407) and total (1,113.4), which is the number of all three lifts added together.

She’s set the world record in deadlift and total multiple times and set the world record in squat a few times.

Her 198 pound bench press also is a national record. She set that in her latest competition and currently holds the national record in bench, squat, deadlift and total and she’s broken those records about 12 times.

“I haven’t broken a world record for bench yet. I’m on the hunt for a bigger squat, too,” said Ashley Wilson, who is drug tested before every competition. “Years ago, people would have said there’s no way a natural female is going to deadlift 500 pounds. There was no chance. And now there’s quite a of a few of us who do it. Breaking those barriers is exciting.”

The bench press world record for the 148-pound weight class is around 240. Wilson wants to eventually squat 500 pounds, too.

“I think that’s doable,” Wilson said. “I went 407 in my opener at this last meet. I’ve squatted 455 in the gym. I like being an athlete.

“Stopping volleyball in college, and starting my career in fitness and wellness, I was missing that void of competition.”

She plans to compete in another competition in Las Vegas in June. If she finishes in the top six in the world on a DOT score regardless of weight class, she makes the Team USA roster and could compete in the Worlds in the fall.

“That’s not official, yet, but I am No. 1 ranked right now,” Wilson said. “If you would have asked me two years ago if I would be deadlifting 500 pounds, I would have said there’s no chance. When I hit 315, I thought that was the most I would be able to do. Then when I hit 405, I thought there’s no way I can do more than that. Now, I think I can get 550.

“There are not very many drug-tested women in the world, regardless of weight class, who can deadlift over 500 pounds.”