Women Who Lift and Why You Should Too!

Although weightlifting has always been considered a masculine sport, there’s no questioning that women who lift are definitely becoming more prevalent all over the globe. Less women are scared of becoming ‘bulky’ from lifting (because it’s not that easy to build real muscle, contrary to what some females might think) and more women are using weightlifting to become stronger, lean, functional and toned and far more self-confident than ever before. We put a shortlist together of five women that have used weightlifting to transform their physique so read on for Women Who Lift and Why You Should Too!

1. Melissa Alcantara
Melissa is the perfect woman to start this list as she has transformed her post-baby body into a very lean, muscular physique with rock solid abs! After having a child, she began to get into weightlifting and has completely transformed her body over the last few years. In 2016 she started training for her first bodybuilding competition and is currently training for competition again. She is also a certified personal trainer with high profile clients such as Kim Kardashian.

2. Stephanie Sanzo
Stephanie Sanzo is one of the women who lift on this list who’s more into heavy weightlifting, performing sumo deadlifts of up to 130kg. She has used weightlifting to transform her body from a slim ‘cardio bunny’ to a strong, muscular stature. She now has a training program on the popular Sweat app to help other women on their weightlifting journey. Her workouts consist of low reps but heavy weight which bring on the necessary intensity to really help women build up muscle.

3. Grace Beverley
Grace is a full time Oxford University student as well as running her own fitness-based business which provides resistance bands and barbell pads which are must-haves for a good glute-day workout! She’s a great example of how anyone can fit weightlifting into their busy lives. She regularly posts mostly lower body and ab workouts on her Instagram page (@GraceFitUK). Her workouts tend to consist of quick circuits that only use one piece of equipment such as cables or the Smith machine as these are suitable for people like her who are short of time or using a busy gym.

4. Sophie Butler
Sophie has been into fitness for years, using weightlifting to shape and change her physique. In 2017 she was in an accident which caused a spinal injury leaving her paralysed from the hip bone down. Since then, she has shared her journey of using weightlifting to assist her recovery and help her regain the strength she lost after surgery. She is currently taking part in a lean bulk (ie. gaining muscle without fat) which she’s been discussing throughout her Bulking Diaries on YouTube.

5. Kelsey Wells
Kelsey is another trainer with a program on the Sweat app. She uses pyramid sets and supersets to make the most of her weightlifting. She also has a post pregnancy program to assist women on improving their physiques and getting into weightlifting slowly and safely.

These five women who lift prove that you can use weightlifting in a variety of different ways to get the results you want for yourself. So if you want to improve your physique as well as feel stronger and healthier, start pulling, pushing, lifting and shifting some weights!

Want to transform in 2019 and also be able to proudly share your ‘before and after’ photos? Well you’re in the right place. Get in touch with us via email/phone, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and one of our team will be happy to discuss your particular health, fitness/physique, wellness and mindset goals. Meantime, check out these other fitness articles, as well as some great foods and the requisite motivation to go with it – Get in Gear for the New Year so you can Keep YOUR Fit switch ON!