The Soma Space + British Weight Lifting PB progression programme: completion report + reflection

Overview

The Soma Space + British Weight Lifting PB progression programme: completion report + reflection

 

Overview

We ran a 10-week weightlifting progression programme at The Soma Space between April and June 2024, aiming at a night of personal best-setting across four exercises: deadlift, barbell squat, bench press and shoulder press. We recruited 9 participants of mixed ages (19 - 50) and genders, including five participants from the weekly young LGBTQ+ adult session we run, and the programme was made possible by funding from British Weight Lifting and was facilitated by Soma Space co-founders Jo Hazell-Watkins (Level 3 Personal trainer & trauma-informed strength coach and Kevin Braddock MBACP, psychotherapist & fitness instructor). Some participants had been practising weightlifting for some time (+/- two years) while some were relatively new to it (several months). Participants were given a detailed programme to follow and invited to choose which of the lifts to work towards, and were instructed both in the specific mechanisms of each lift plus accessory training exercises to improve their strength. They were offered per week one free one-hour instructed session per plus two hours of access to the space to pursue self-directed training; several participants chose to attend even more, at their own expense, as they worked the programme.

Our rationale for this programme was to show what progression in terms of physical strength can be made by committing to a programme over time, plus to explore the mental health and social benefits of doing so. Results are detailed in testimonials below. At all times we strove to create an inclusive, welcoming and empathic space for participants to explore their capabilities and notice how they changed and grew over the programmes. We continually reminded the participants that the aim was always to hit a personal best that was personal to them and best at that particular moment in time, based on the training they undertook. 

 

At The Soma Space we promote the mental health benefits of exercise and strength training especially, and the central themes of our findings with this programme are:

• The personal value of overcoming adversity and committing to a programme which leads to greater self-esteem, sense of possibility, and a desire to do more among other values.
• Working in a group with others leads to improved social health in terms of friendships, connections and mutual support mechanisms made and strengthened. This is especially important when it is well evidenced that struggles with mental illness/poor mental health often lead to social isolation.
• Improving physical strength is often matched by an improved sense of mental health which is often individually defined.

 

Example participant progressions made over 10 weeks

(Age/pronouns): 23, He/him

Deadlift 115 > 135 kg

Bench 60 > 67 kg

Shoulder press 30 > 50 kg

 

50, He/Him

Deadlift 70 > 110 kg

Barbell squat 50 > 80 kg

Bench 39 > 48 kg

 

39, She/her

Deadlift 60 > 85 kg

Barbell squat 40 > 55 kg

 

47, She/her

Deadlift 32 > 95kg (!)

Barbell squat 32 > 42 kg

 

19, She/they

Barbell squat 70 > 100 kg

 

24, She/her

Deadlift 70 > 105 kg

 

 

General reported benefits from participation 

• "It helped me see the capabilities of my body and see how strong I am despite how I might feel mentally sometimes. It has made me so much stronger both physically and mentally" – participant 23 y/o, He/Him.  

 

• "Being autistic, it helps me to have something tangible to follow and something to work towards" – participant 50 y/o, He/Him

 

• "Doing a measured physical thing and not finding it overly intimidating (not since the horror of school PE have I been measured on anything to do with physical ability), becoming much more confident about using the exercise space in general, being in a fantastic group of people every week and learning how to help each other with the programme, and last but not least I found it pretty fun!" – participant 39 y/o, She/Her

 

• "The sense of achievement was amazing. As a middle-aged/peri-menopausal mother of pre-teens, I had put myself last for a long time, and being able to set specific time and goals for me to be me, and to reach goals far beyond what I had imagined, was fantastic. I started training just over 6 months ago, and the changes in strength, even in everyday life, have been noticeable. My first deadlift was just 20kg, as I was afraid of what my body would be able to handle, and my PB was 95kg! I astounded myself " – participant 47 y/o, She/Her

 

• "The biggest benefits I felt during this programme was how strong I’ve become. My confidence increased slightly too, as I got to see what my body can do, how I can push my body to do things I never thought I could. Lastly it’s helped with my anxiety disorder. When I’m lifting heavy weights, I’m focusing on that solely" – participant 24  y/o, She/Her

 

 

Being in and working in a group

One of the aims of the programme was to encourage participants to work as a group and form mutually supportive relationships, look out for and spot one another, be kind, respectful and considerate, and above all, safe in the space and using equipment. Some participants struggled initially with group contact while others felt more at ease: 

 

"I was anxious at first but it has helped so much being with others as we have learnt to encourage each other, and it definitely made me feel confident. Before the programme I wouldn’t do any exercise with others, now I can lift weights in front of people I hadn’t met before" – participant 23 y/o, He/Him.  

 

"I struggle within group situations, but I found that everyone was so supportive of one another. I felt that I belonged and had a place within a group, which is important to me. Everyone wanted each other to improve ad supported each other to do so" – participant 50 y/o, He/Him

 

"It never felt competitive or hierarchical even though we all have wildly different goals in terms of lifting" – participant 39 y/o, She/Her

 

"It felt inspiring to watch others achieve their goals and makes you want to achieve yours more" participant 19 y/o, She/They

 

"I have met fantastic people during this programme. Everyone was so supportive of me and of each other" – participant 24  y/o, She/Her

 

Overcoming struggles & learning

The physical benefits of lifting weights are well understood, but others including improved self-esteem and self-image, resilience, independence, learning and greater connection with peers, are less commonly remarked. Participants on the programme learned from adversity over the 10-week programme, which included dealing with nervousness and anxiety at the beginning and demotivation, losing sight of the end goal and setbacks in the middle, as well as dealing with events in their personal lives. Almost all of our participants experience to some degree mental health issues including depression, anxiety, PTSD, dissociative episodes, and / or neurological conditions such as autism and FND. Personal interventions by the facilitators were necessary for several of the participants when they presented with psychologically difficult moments and feelings of poor self-worth, despondency or demoralisation. At all times the facilitators strove to construct a space in which participants were able to feel supported, held and contained in their endeavours, while also stressing the importance of good nutrition and rest and recovery time.

"I can definitely see a benefit to being more structured instead of going to failure and burning myself out every time" – participant 23 y/o, He/Him

 "At times I found that I had progressed to a certain weight, the next time I worked out, I couldn't attain that weight which demoralised me. However, with support I understood that this happens, and that I needed to rest certain muscle groups" – participant 50 y/o, He/Him

 "I had trouble finding time and energy to participate because of work, illness and mothering. I thought I would pull out but I began to see it as a programme to do at whatever level was possible. Jo said that maybe my PB was showing up and I really appreciated that, in fact it might have been harder sometimes than lifting the heavier weights. I'm learning to participate to a 'good enough' level and that's testament to the supportive nature of the space. In the past I've found exercise a very unsafe area to be vulnerable in but this programme has reinforced that there are no rules over who is allowed to do strength challenges or gym programmes" – participant 39 y/o, She/Her

"Going lower on weights felt like a setback but I knew it was for the good" – participant 19 y/o, She/They

 "I struggled the most with time management and work, and life issues but I pushed myself to do it" – participant 24 y/o, She/Her

Regular training and working towards a goal have positive effects on mental health as well physical strength

Strength training is considered a physical activity – sometimes perhaps the most physical of all – but participants reported some nuanced and multifaceted benefits to their mental health of working the programme:

 "It has genuinely saved my life. This goal has given me something to look forward to and having a regular set routine at the Soma Space where I know I’m supported has brought me out of a really dark place. Working with other people has really shown me that I am not alone at all in this" - participant 23 y/o, He/Him

 "I was struggling with my mental health and was off from work, and the training sessions were the only thing that I was motivated to take part in and allowed me to be around others in a safe environment. In turn this improved my self-esteem" - participant 50 y/o, He/Him

 "There's a huge amount of mental wellbeing to be had from being in a group of diverse people all challenging themselves. The social element is as important as the physical one for my wellbeing" – participant 39 y/o, She/Her

 "My confidence increased hugely, my physical strength obviously increased, and it spurred me on to continue to challenge my self-imposed limitations/beliefs about what I can achieve. The atmosphere in training sessions was fun and positive, and we all encouraged each other to be proud of what we were achieving, as well as pushing each other to do more. Spotting for each other helped build trust in the group too" – participant 47 y/o, She/Her

 "I dread exercise, it takes me a while to get motivated to go to the gym. Once I am there I actually love moving my body – my anxiety can keep me back. Having this programme has helped as I have had to keep at it every week, and it did improve my mental health. I felt less lonely too" – participant 19 y/o, She/They

The programme led to changing self-perceptions

Throughout the programme we ran regular check-ins with participants and encouraged them to reflect on and talk about how they felt they were progressing (or otherwise) and how they were feeling about participation, with agreed-upon protocols for sharing when with others (confidentiality, trust, respect). Participants made striking insights about how they felt they had changed, offering the following reflections:

 "I now know how strong and resilient my mind and body can be. I often struggle with my body image which affects my mental health in a very negative way but during this programme I have come to like pictures of myself and I am seeing myself in a different more positive and very strong, powerful way" - participant 23 y/o, He/Him

"I never saw myself as a person who had permission to be in exercise spaces because I don't fit a stereotypical body or mind type of someone who's really into exercise in an organised way. That's just not something I think about now, I tell everyone I'm into lifting and I love it! I don't feel the need to say anything to qualify this about how good I am at it or what weight I lift. I wish all exercise spaces made people feel this way" – participant 39 y/o, She/Her

"I have more confidence in my physical abilities, and more positive in my outlook regarding perimenopausaul/post-menopausal life. My confidence has increased in other areas of my life - I even sang a solo section in a choir rehearsal last week!" – participant 47 y/o, She/Her

"It made me feel like I was stronger (physically and mentally) than I thought and showed me that I can be determined but also enjoy the road and not just the destination" – participant 19 y/o, She/They

"I struggle everyday with how I feel about myself, but when I’m in The Soma Space I feel accepted and don’t feel judged. I can move my body and I’m getting expert training and advice, and being around like minded people has helped me in how I see myself" – participant 24 y/o, She/Her

The specific content of the programme (progressing in weightlifting) as well as the experience of participating in a programme with have led to new desires being formed among participants, including setting new goals, improving technique, living a healthier life, beginning training at home and with family, working to structured programme, and making weightlifting a central part of their life.

"It has truly sparked a love in weight lifting that was an ember before but is now a full roaring fire"

Costings

Total Cost £1300 

10 weeks / 2 hours per week coaching and facilitation @ £120 per week =  £1200

10 weeks / 2 hours per week room rent paid to SomaDynamic CIC @ £10p/w = £100

Cost breakdown per person based on 9 participants = £144.44pp to provide free access to the program.

Adherence: 8 out of 9 who signed up completed the program.

Continuation for training: 7 out of 8 finishers signed up to follow-up 4-week training block focusing on technique and mobility, charged to them as members of the Soma Space. 

Coaching observations

Despite the initial high level of anxiety amongst most of the participants concerning following a programme, understanding rep and set ranges, working with percentages and RPE, all participants gained more confidence with these elements of the training over the 10 weeks. The physical strength improvements were consistent across the group, and all made significant progress in their confidence, self belief and lifting ability. We are now able to focus on more specific elements of training with technique and working with individuals to improve elements in their lifts specific to them. Before the start of this programme this detail would create overwhelm but they are now able to engage with the development of form and technique.