Jill Mills

Early Strength Sports Career

From pioneer to strength sports legend, Jill Mills’ competitive career has spanned nearly twenty years. Beginning at a young age, Jill spent her free time doing calisthenics and running on the family farm. Growing up in a time when muscular women were highly criticized, negatively judged, and an unpopular sight, Jill considered them to be beautiful. It was a physical perfection she desired to obtain. As she reached her teenage years, she found herself learning techniques and training secrets from various weightlifting magazines, and began to lift using concrete loaded plastic plates at home.

“Many times being a strength athlete is merely a reflection of a person’s internal strength. I have had many challenges in my life starting with my childhood that have shaped me into a stubborn, independent, and driven woman.”

Jill’s desire to continue to pursue lifting landed her in the world of bodybuilding, the only strength based sport available to women at that time. In just two years on stage, Jill placed in the top three in all four of her competitions. The sports lack of athletic and functional components, left much to be desired for Jill, and it took little more than one powerlifting meet to find her true calling…strength sports.

“I love the fact that what you put into it is what you get out of it, and it is not left to a random individual’s opinion like physique competitions.”

Jill’s first meet was the 1996 Alamo Classic. Her first time on the platform, Jill totaled 1159 with a 407lb squat, a 259lb bench, and a 459lb deadlift. Since that time, Jill has owned the platform and continued to dominate not one, but two weight classes. Jill reset her own 181lb class all-time raw total at Raw Unity 7 with a 1306; then in recent months, took over the 165lb class all-time raw total with a 1264 in a USPA meet in San Antonio. She also holds the 181lb class all-time single-ply total, with a 1405 set in 2012.

Prior to 2007, (the year powerlifting records are officially recognized by the online resource Powerlifting Watch) Jill had already established herself as a top lifter on the platform. With minimal gear, as compared to today’s multi-ply lifters, she set state and national APF records in the 165 and 181 weight classes. In July 2006, Jill hit a multi-ply total of 1603lbs with single ply bench and deadlift gear and a double ply Titan suit, at a mere 172lbs bodyweight.

Jill’s journey into Strongman competition began with the development of the North American Strongman Society. NASS was founded by Bill Holland, a resident of Saginaw, Texas, who saw a need for the promotion of amateur strongman events. On August 31, 1997, his idea became reality with the first sanctioned and promoted contest, which took place in a dusty horse arena in Texas. Jill entered the contest, and became the first woman in the U.S. to compete in amateur strongman, a strength sport typically dominated by men. As a result of her performance that year, she was named the NASS Woman of the Year.

In a time before strongman coaches and pre-developed training guidelines, Jill managed to place first in every competition she entered, including the NASS Championships in 2001. Her mastery of event techniques were based on a simple trial and error system, and countless training hours; if one way didn’t produce the desired results, she would find a better way.

Dr. Terry Todd, creator of the Arnold Strongman Classic, contacted Jill in early 2001 to ask if she would be interested in representing the United States in a contest designed to find the best women to represent each country, and potentially compete for the title of World’s Strongest Woman. Without reservation, Jill said yes, and was subsequently nominated for the event by Todd and Holland. The qualifier took place in Callander, Scotland, and included top strength athletes and future WSW competitors, Heini Koivuniemi from Finland, Shannon Harnett from the US, and Jackie Young of Scotland. Jill ran away with the competition winning by a five-point margin over Koivuniemi.

Jill would face Koivuniemi again in October 2001 in Zambia, Africa. This time, it was for the highly sought after title of World’s Strongest Woman. Jill would take first place in three events, and second place in two others before heading into the final event with Koivuniemi. With a three-point lead, Jill still needed to successfully load all four implements in order to win the title. The loading race was a battle between the two women, as Koivuniemi placed the final keg on top of the platform a mere tenth of a second before Jill. Koivuniemi had won the event, but Jill took home the title of World’s Strongest Woman with an overall two point victory.

In 2002, Jill’s training was focused solely on defending her title. She went undefeated in competition throughout the year, which included several pro-level contests, and a return to Scotland for Clash of the Titans.

“The competition (in Scotland) went really well. I won by 5 pts. The 1st day was rough because we were competing on a very wet, grassy field and were doing events like a truck push, etc. The 2nd day were really good events for me. The other women are improving, too. I think people will see a big difference in the performance of the women over last year.”

Women from seven countries arrived in Kuala Lumpur later that year to challenge Jill for her title. With events that included an uphill car pull, loading oversized boxes onto a multi-level platform, and carrying a 176lb shield as far as possible, the only real challenge was for the runner-up spot, which ended in an unbelievable three way tie. Jill claimed three event wins, was one of only four women to complete the loading race, and proved, once again, that she was the World’s Strongest Woman.

After back to back wins, the WSW promoters took the competition in a much more political direction, and Jill chose to return to the platform full-time in 2003. The following year the WSW competition lost its two major sponsors and was abandoned altogether. In 2005, the competition returned under a new organization and a new name, the World Strongwoman Championships. Jill also returned for one final run at the title in Northern Ireland, but found herself in an unfamiliar third place spot on the podium.

In the years following her third championship appearance, wear and tear from ten years of non-stop strength sports training had finally taken its toll. Jill was battling multiple injuries, facing surgery, and contemplating retirement, but her athletic career taught her this important life lesson…

“Perseverance. No matter how hard I get knocked down, I get up and keep putting one foot in front of the other. I remind myself to always be moving forward in life.”

Powerlifting contest results

Strongwoman contest results