Cedar City Mom Shatters World Records After 14 Years Sober

When Camille Palmer's young daughters drew her holding a margarita on a Mother's Day card, she realized she couldn't hide her addiction anymore. That moment 14 years ago set the 48-year-old Cedar City mother on a path that would lead to world records and a life dedicated to helping others.

Palmer's struggle began at 14 when she was assaulted by a senior boy at her high school. For the next 20 years, she quietly battled addiction to alcohol and drugs, carefully hiding bottles behind cereal boxes and in freezers.

But her daughters' innocent drawing became her wake-up call. "They knew," Palmer recalled. "That's when I started on my path to sobriety."

The gym became her sanctuary. Palmer started showing up at 4 a.m., focusing on difficult movements like pull-ups and bench presses. As her physical strength grew, so did her confidence and her competitive spirit.

In 2016, she entered her first competition at the Utah Summer Games. She discovered natural talent for powerlifting, then arm wrestling, then a specialized technique called strict curl that isolates the biceps during lifting.

Palmer kept pushing herself higher. In November 2024, she broke the overall women's world record by strict curling 125.7 pounds. This past March at the Arnold Classic in Ohio, she lifted 132.5 pounds, becoming the first woman on U.S. soil to ever strict curl 130 pounds.

She's now competed at the sport's three biggest stages: the Arnold Sports Festival, The Olympia, and the Shaw Classic. Very few athletes compete at even one or two of these elite events.

Why This Inspires

Palmer hasn't forgotten where she came from. She volunteers at Cedar City's food pantry, works with youth in custody, coaches the high school drill team, and teaches gym classes. For her, helping others isn't optional; it's essential.

"I wouldn't thrive or be alive if I wasn't trying to help somebody," she said. The same accountability that gets her to the gym at 4 a.m. drives her to show up for her community every day.

Palmer particularly wants more women to discover strength sports. The community remains small, but she believes every new female athlete matters. She's creating spaces where women can "come and hang out and do strong things."

Her message to anyone facing their own battles is simple: what you go through can make you stronger. Palmer transformed her deepest pain into world-record-breaking power, proving that our lowest moments don't define our limits.