As an avid Weightlifter myself, the current trend and rise in popularity of weightlifting as a sport throughout the UK fills me with excitement, and let me tell you why:

As one of Fitness HQ’s Weightlifting tutors, I see more and more recreational lifters, CrossFit lifters / athletes and the average gym goer signing up to our weightlifting qualifications in both Manchester and Cardiff to help improve their knowledge & performance as well as to improve the health and performance of their clients. This is not just good news for the sport of weightlifting or Olympic lifting, but it is also great news for health reasons.

Weightlifting is not just about strength and out lifting others in the gym! Weightlifting is about:

• Improving quality of life through improved mobility
• Reducing the likelihood of injury through mobility
• Improving strength to support everyday activities such as playing with your children
• Reducing the dependency on others due to reduced strength – e.g. looking for help to climb the stairs
• Improving self-confidence by seeing your numbers increase week up on week, month upon month
• Improving psychological well being via social interaction and feeling part of a team
• The benefits really are endless… and seeing more and more people taking up weightlifting is encouraging

There aren’t many sports out there which allow really experienced athletes to train and participate with beginners, but weightlifting is one of them. I remember when I first started weightlifting at just 16 years old (I won’t tell you how old I am now :)), the most encouraging thing was training alongside the experienced guys and girls who would always keep an eye on me and help improve my technique with the odd tip and bit of encouragement. Training alongside people like that inspires you to continue and improve. But for me, the real bonus was the encouragement and praise that I would receive after performing a lift with good (not always perfect) technique or when achieving a new personal best – even though for the guys who were giving me the praise it was probably their warm up weight. But, that’s what weightlifting is all about; praise, belonging to a team/community, improving your health, reducing the likelihood of injuries and most of all improving confidence.

If you are considering a career as a weightlifting coach or if you are considering joining a weightlifting club, then I can’t recommend it enough. Weightlifting has not only improved my quality of life but it has also become a career which I will never change.

For more information on Fitness HQ’s Level 1 Weightlifting qualification or the Level 2 Weightlifting qualification please don’t hesitate to e-mail us at [email protected] or call us FREE on 08001123431