Kellee Gaston

My lifting career started in 1998, shortly after I began playing ice hockey, again as a goalie. I took on the Bill Phillips “Body for Life” challenge, and got my body-fat percentage down to 20% while maintaining a 148-150 lb body-weight.  I was working as a detention deputy for the Ada County Sheriff’s Office in Boise, ID, and my husband Karl and I had our son Karl Jr in 2007. I realized I needed to be in better shape to defend myself, so I began power-lifting solo using the Westside Barbell periodization model. I also began strongman training with Elite FTS athlete Amy Wattles and her husband Matt, owner of Competitive Edge Training in Meridian, ID. I retired from strongwoman competition in 2012, after I competed in the World’s Most Powerful Woman contest in Stevenson, Scotland.   

My present athletic pursuits include jiu jitsu, boxing, muay thai, wrestling, running, obstacle course racing, and power-lifting. Exercise, competition, and most significantly – lifting weights, have given me mental toughness, discipline, persistence, resilience, a positive outlook, and camaraderie that has been helpful in all areas of my life. I also will have three years of sobriety on August 14 of this year. Drinking wasn’t working for me, and a regular training regimen has given me a positive outlet for negative energy, anxiety, and restlessness. Support from Chris Carter and other athletes at Devil Dogg has been key in helping me progress as an athlete and a person in active recovery.