At least five times a week they work on their strength for three lifts — squat, bench press and deadlift.
It is a sport that requires patience, as building muscle does not happen overnight.
Worley said small gains could take a long time, in particular with the bench press.
"Your bench will progress, like, 2kg after about six months so you have to be patient with it."
But it was rewarding when those small gains added up to bigger lifts.
Her personal bests were 187.5kg for squat, 102.5kg for bench and 202.5kg for deadlift, she said.
The appeal of weightlifting for Silvey was the progression, with solid weight numbers going up over time.
"It’s just a way to push yourself and make sure you are improving."
It was a discipline that required patience.
"You can’t be maxing out every week."
Instead it was putting in the work every week to increase your personal record.
"And after a few months you might get a few kilos extra. "
Silvey’s personal bests were 275kg for squat, 167.5kg for bench and 330.5kg for deadlift.
Someone he admired was United States powerlifter Chance Mitchell who last year won the under-93kg class at the World Open Classic Powerlifting Championships in South Africa.
"He is in my weight category and he is really, really strong.
"His training is sort of similar to mine, like a very big deadlift but not so big bench [press]," he said.
Worley and Silvey both won gold at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Federation 2022 Championships which took place in Auckland last year.
Worley gained first in the women’s under-84kg class, and Silvey came first in the men’s under-93kg class.
The next big event for them was planning to compete in the World Junior Powerlifting Championships run by the International Powerlifting Federation, taking place in Romania at the end of August and the start of September.
Worley will compete in the 84kg weight class, having recently moved up from the under-84kg category.
Unlike lesser weights this category did not have an upper weight limit.
"Someone ... could be 130[kg] if they want to be, so it is a bit of a disadvantage being in that [class]," she said.
A good opportunity to experience a competitive atmosphere will be when they both compete in the Provincial Powerlifting and Bench Press Championships , taking place next Saturday at Valley Strength and Conditioning in Kaikorai Valley Rd.
The event, run by the Otago Amateur Weightlifting Association, will be a chance to see top competitors in action, including Worley and Silvey.
