Strong Is Not A Size!

British Weight Lifting is delighted to launch #StrongIsNotASize in partnership with Women In Sport, #StrongIsNotASize aims to empower women of all abilities to feel comfortable and confident stepping into weights areas in gyms.

Consultation and conversations with hundreds of women across the country have revealed that strength is personal, it can be physical or emotional and everyone finds it in their own way. Lifting weights is one way women can find their strong, but weights areas in gyms can be intimidating places to look for it and this campaign aims to change this.

The campaign will challenge the gender stereotypes associated with weight lifting, celebrate women ‘finding their strong’ and ultimately encourage more women to get lifting.

Women in Sport and British Weight Lifting, with support from This Girl Can, are encouraging women from across the UK to share what ‘strong’ looks like to them; whether you are a woman who wants to beat her personal best or someone who exercises to feel stronger for their everyday busy lives.

Heather Smith, Women in Sport’s Senior Innovation Manager said:“We are excited to be working with British Weight Lifting to help normalise weight lifting for women and get more women benefiting from this great activity. Weight lifting should be an inclusive activity that women feel is for them as much as it is for men.  Our insight led approach to building this campaign means it will use the powerful voices of relatable roles models to connect with women in a language and on a level, that motivates, inspires and hopefully gets them lifting.”   

Zoe Kettle- Metcalfe, Head of Workforce at British Weightlifting commented:“British Weight Lifting are delighted to be working with Women In Sport on this initiative. We are keen to gain a deeper understanding of how women perceive Weight Lifting and to hear their views on past experiences in the gym. Our aim is to increase the number of women incorporating Weight Lifting into their exercise routines, we will strive to do this by helping to reduce barriers and highlighting the positive impact weight lifting can have on individuals”.

 Kelly Sotherton, multiple Olympic medalist and Board Member of British Weight Lifting, is throwing her full force behind the campaign and hopes others will too:

“I think this is a fantastic initiative, the ultimate aim is to increase the number of women lifting weights and I would encourage as many women as possible to support the campaign by sharing their personal experiences”.

To show your support for this campaign post a picture of what Your Strong is on social media and use the hashtag #StrongIsNotASize