I saw a woman lift 100kg and thought: ‘I want to do that’

I don’t come from a long line of athletes. Growing up in the 1990s, sport was something other people did; we didn’t cycle or jog. In PE I was the wheezing child hiding behind the bins, pretending I’d twisted an ankle, and when I thought about working out I assumed it was meant to change my body into something other people might find attractive.

That unsporty streak continued into adulthood. I tried Couch to 5K a few times and often abandoned it, convinced exercise was a mug’s game. Then came children: a large-headed baby delivered two weeks late via C-section left my body fatigued, and three years later, wrestling a toddler, my back began to protest.

I tried physio, osteopathy and chiropractic treatment until someone suggested strength training; apparently I had a core that could be stronger. I was tired of internalised expectations about how women should look and decided I wanted to be strong rather than slim.

strength training, 100kg lift, core strength, postpartum recovery, c-section, physio, osteopathy, chiropractic, body image, motherhood