Why even your Grandma should lift weights

I love lifting weights.
It keeps me fit, helps my posture and makes my clothes fit better! I’ve learnt to move properly, using my hips instead of bending my back; everyone knows they should lift correctly, but knowing it‘s useless unless you do it automatically.

Short, intense bursts of activity make me really focus and keep it interesting; I think anyone who says the gym is boring either just spends 45 minutes on an exercise bike or is going through the motions. You need to get present when you’re holding a heavy weight over your head!

There's something primal and deeply satisfying about using all your strength to move the world around.

It puts you in touch with your body’s abilities and is very empowering. And it doesn't matter if you're not lifting 100s of kilograms - everyone, even old ladies, can gain massive benefits from strength training.

Having stronger muscles not only helps keep your back healthy but also makes you 40% less likely to die of cancer. Helps control your blood pressure too.

It’s a misconception that lifting weights will automatically give you big muscles, for that you need to eat a lot of food; most of those enormous guys you see are on steroids. So if you’re a woman don’t be put off; muscle is denser than fat, so you get a lean, toned look. Check out this video of a Swedish female weight lifter to see what I mean, nothing butch about her!

It’s all about technique and it’s crucial that you do it right, so get a few sessions with a personal trainer to learn the ropes. Also keep a log of the weight, repetitions etc. that you do, so that you keep making progress.

Now go pump some iron!