Learn to Lift Weights

I’m a big fan of the current fitness fashion of being strong. I have been lifting weights regularly since I was 16 years old, that’s nearly 35 years. So I know a bit about it, and love to teach people how to lift safely and how to dramatically improve muscular strength and endurance.

I first qualified as a fitness instructor back in 2002, through W.A.B.B.A. (World Amateur Body Building Association). As you can imagine, there was a strong focus on weight lifting. I totally loved it, even though I was the only woman on the course.

I started Griffen Fitness in 2005 by cycling to all of my clients homes around Edinburgh. Obviously dumbbells and bicycles are not a great combo, so much of the strength work I did with clients was bodyweight, using resistance tubes and bands, TRX, Swiss Ball and using the environment around us as props. I would get very excited if a client had their own weights, or even their own gym. But for five years, I did not rely on traditional gym equipment to teach fitness. And you know what? It works! You don’t have to heft metal to build strength. Things got kinda busy so…

…In 2010 I opened a fitness studio. The only equipment we bought in was a set of dumbbells and a good bench. What I teach in the studio needs to be easily replicated by my clients, so nowadays I teach a weights workout that can be done from home. Before you lift heavy, you need to lift light. The current trend encourages people to try Olympic lifts (with a barbell), sometimes without adequate core strength or knowing good lifting form. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say. So too, it takes practice, spotting and building up to learn to lift heavy.

In the studio I teach good lifting form, starting many individuals from zero upper body strength (or in fact, with shoulder / neck issues, or ‘tech neck’, or lower back pain). To start from little or no strength, we start with the basic bodyweight strength exercises. Once these have been practised, we then move onto using equipment (usually by session number four - I recommend a block of five sessions for new clients, so you can learn everything you need to exercise independently). There’s no point in learning to bench press if you cannot do a basic press up, even just to knees. Building up is really important, so you know which muscles to engage and also what each exercise is meant to achieve.

I will teach you how to lift, but firstly I will teach you the foundations of fitness upon which good strong lifting form is based. If you’ve ever watched the original Karate Kid movie, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Within a few sessions, you too can be pumping iron.

If you’d like to join in the weightlifting trend, drop us a line.