This week, British Weight Lifting is delighted to launch #StrongIsNotASize in partnership with Women in Sport. The campaign aims to empower women of all abilities to feel comfortable and confident stepping into weights areas in gyms.
The initiative was thought up as a result of hundreds of conversations with women across the country who revealed that strength is personal; it also can be physical or emotional and everyone finds it in their own way. Market research states that lifting weights is one way women can find their ‘strong’ and aims to change the perception that weight rooms can be ‘intimating places’.
The partnership of Women in Sport and British Weight Lifting, with support from This Girl Can, is encouraging women across the UK to define what ‘strong’ looks like to them; whether they 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 to 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.”
The insight gained from the research will use the powerful voices of relatable role models to connect with women in a language and on a level that Heather Smith feels will motivate, inspire, and hopefully get women to lift.
Kelly Sotherton, multiple Olympic medallist and board member of British Weight Lifting, is throwing her full force behind the campaign and hopes others will, too. Sotherton said, “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 the campaign, post a picture of what ‘Your Strong’ is on social media and use the hashtag #StrongIsNotASize.
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