In any sport there is always a risk of getting injured, however there
are several things you can do to reduce the likelihood of an injury:
1: Always warm up properly before training any strength sport.
Dynamic stretches are a good way to warm up your muscles before lifting.
Powerlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WUFHKuguY
Weightlifting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF5LLh7kmfk
2: Stretching and Rolling.
3: Be careful of over-training, or training too hard!
While it is tempting to lift heavy all the time, making sure our muscles are getting the recovery time they need is vital to preventing injuries. A good way to make sure you’re
not over-training is by following a program - take a look here for our recommendations.
4) Finally, sleep and nutrition are key in both improving your lifting and avoiding injuries!
As with any exercise, the more lifting you do, the more food and sleep your body needs. There is plenty of information around this online, or you can have a chat with our resident expert, Alex Jackson.
Find more info on preventing injury here
In any sport there is always a risk of getting injured, however there
are several things you can do to reduce the likelihood of an injury:
1: Always warm up properly before training any strength sport.
Dynamic stretches are a good way to warm up your muscles before lifting.
Powerlifting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0WUFHKuguY
Weightlifting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF5LLh7kmfk
2: Stretching and Rolling.
3: Be careful of over-training, or training too hard!
While it is tempting to lift heavy all the time, making sure our muscles are getting the recovery time they need is vital to preventing injuries. A good way to make sure you’re
not over-training is by following a program - take a look here for our recommendations.
4) Finally, sleep and nutrition are key in both improving your lifting and avoiding injuries!
As with any exercise, the more lifting you do, the more food and sleep your body needs. There is plenty of information around this online, or you can have a chat with our resident expert, Alex Jackson.
Find more info on preventing injury here
women in barbell
At Warwick Barbell we have a likeminded group of female lifters who form their own tight knit community as well as being firmly integrated within the club.
We aim to remove the stigma surrounding women lifting weights by providing an inclusive and welcoming environment within the club where every single member is supported. Lifting weights not only has a tonne of physical and mental benefits but is also loads of fun and we believe this is something as many people as possible, regardless of their gender, should have the opportunity to experience.
Barbell is a club for anyone who has an interest in lifting weights. This means that the club contains people with a broad range of lifting experience from complete beginners to members who compete on a regular basis. Whatever your lifting ability and experience, you are part of the barbell family and encouraged by the whole club in achieving your goals. Last year, for example, many members decided to test their maxes on their lifts during our November interval meet and it was an amazing atmosphere with lots of cheering and support from members.
Alongside all the usual events we also run regular female only training sessions and socials such as coffee mornings and meals out. These help to cultivate the fantastic female community that we have and are a great way to meet other girls who lift!
Overall, barbell women are a very friendly and inspiring group both inside and outside the gym. We are well represented within the club with an increasing number of female lifters as well as being represented in our Exec by our Secretary and Welfare Officer Madi and our Women's and Campaigns Officer, Sophie. It is always a nice feeling to see another girl you know in the weights section and the barbell family offers just this.
Hello everyone! My name’s Liv, and I’m Warwick Barbells Women’s and Campaigns Officer. My main goal as Women’s Officer is to create a smaller support circle within Barbell for women and non-binary people so they feel more comfortable and confident with lifting. From this, I hope to increase the female and non-binary representation in our club and encourage more people to compete in their respective sport (although there is no pressure).
It was shortly before starting 6th form when I first started going to the gym and it is here my interest in lifting began. Since then, I’ve trained in a variety of different gyms, from my high school leisure centre to a Pure Gym to a specialised, powerlifting gym, so the anxiety of starting somewhere new is a very familiar feeling. I began powerlifting around a year and a half after this and since then I feel I’ve learned so much, both from working things out for myself and listening to those more experienced than me. Switching my mindset from just working out to training for a sport also gave me a greater sense of purpose and drive for lifting.
When I came to Warwick, it seemed only natural for me to join Barbell, and this has been one of the best decisions I’ve made at university. Being part of this community has been invaluable in accelerating my progress and confidence – celebrating all wins, no matter how big or small. The other women in Barbell welcomed me and encouraged me to come to more of the out-of-gym social events and helped me feel more integrated in the society. Until I came to Warwick, I struggled to find many other lifters my age at my gym, so finally feeling part of a large group of likeminded lifters who hang out together, both inside and outside the gym, is something I truly treasure.
Being Women’s Officer is a role that means a lot to me as, both from being a female lifter and MathPhys student, I have had to get used to being comfortable in male-dominated environments. It can be very daunting diving into unfamiliar territory, even more so when there is no one around you can relate to. The importance of having other women and non-binary people around you when lifting can not be overstated as it is so easy to forget strength is relative and get in your own head without a circle of others to ground you. I strive to make other women feel included and represented in Barbell as a whole.
Whether you’ve never touched a weight in your life or currently compete nationally, please feel free to reach out to me or one of the other brilliant women on our exec (Tèa, Becca, Meg and Clarissa (especially if you’re more interested in weightlifting). We can’t wait to expand the women’s community in Barbell. Equally if you see me in the gym (I’m in there most days) feel free to come up and chat or message me on Instagram (@livlivwood or @liv_laugh_lifts) if you want any advice! 😊