Weightlifting - why it’s important for our children and all of us

Two weeks ago we launched our six-week teen small group weightlifting programme, led by our fabulous coach Clare Dane. All we can say is, what a success!

We are only two sessions in, but already we are seeing such a positive response from the six participants and their families. In the programme, the teens are starting with the basics of clean and jerk, deadlifts, bench, and snatch, through to adding on weight and perfecting the movements.

Why we launched the programme

We started this programme to not only let teenagers gain experience and knowledge in weightlifting but to also find discipline, gain confidence and feel a part of a team.

We know that many people find exercise can be a very a useful tool to maintain wellness, and with the latest NHS figures showing that a record number of children in England are being treated for mental health problems, we feel that running this type of programme is more important than ever.

The parents of one of the teens, said: “At an age where Kitty is bombarded with social media of skinny girls, she’s now learning about strength and can be proud of her body and what it can do…fantastic.”

There are so many benefits of getting your teenagers into lifting

Weightlifting is complimentary to so many sports that children commonly do at school, including rowing, netball, football, rugby etc. Working on not only gaining strength, but also coordination and patience. Aside from that, in the weightlifting/powerlifting industry, there are so many role models such as, Emily Campbell and our very own Clare Dane.

Clare only started lifting two years ago, after her doctor told her she would never be able to due to her auto-immune disease. She has proved everyone wrong, going onto win many competitions and recently gaining a place in team GB for Olympic Lifting.

A second programme starting this Sunday, 29 May – places are limited

If you are interested in getting your teenager into weightlifting, we are launching a second six-week programme on a Sunday, 29 May, at 11:15, for ages 11-17.

We have a few spaces left for this session, so if you would like your teen to get involved, please email us here.