Strong on Your Terms: Celebrating Women in Strength Training This International Women’s Day

Across the UK, the face of strength training is changing.

Gyms are now close to gender parity, with around 50–54% of members identifying as female. More women than ever are stepping into the weights area — lifting heavier, building confidence, and redefining what strength looks like.

At PRIMAL, we believe strength doesn’t belong to one type of athlete, one body type, or one training style. Strength belongs to everyone.

This International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women who show up, put in the work, and inspire others to discover their own strength — on their own terms.

To mark the occasion, we spoke with three inspiring women from our community: Jacks Keith, Yoga and Pilates teacher; Annie Nelson, international powerlifter and PRIMAL athlete; and Ali Crawford, CrossFit Games champion. Their stories highlight how strength training goes far beyond the physical.

STRENGTH IS MORE THAN PHYSICAL

For many women, strength training quickly becomes about much more than lifting weights.

Ali Crawford explains that the biggest impact strength training has had for her is mental. Training helps her feel more capable and resilient, building confidence both inside and outside the gym.

Jacks Keith shares a similar perspective. For her, strength is closely linked to mindset — discipline, self-belief and self-love. Showing up for training consistently reinforces a sense of inner strength that extends into everyday life.

For Annie Nelson, strength is about resilience. It’s the ability to come back from challenges and prove to yourself that you’re capable of more than you once believed.

Discovering what You're Capable Of

Many women who start strength training can point to a moment when they realised they were stronger than they thought.

For Ali, this happened when she began competing in CrossFit Masters competitions and benchmarked herself against athletes in her own age category. It helped her recognise just how strong she really was.

Annie experienced a similar realisation when she first hit a major milestone in the gym — deadlifting 100kg and proving to herself that she was capable of more than she expected.

Jacks discovered that strength can appear in unexpected ways. Achieving her first headstand after struggling with confidence growing up became a defining moment that changed how she saw herself.

These moments often become the turning point that keeps people coming back to training.

Breaking the Myths Around Women and Strength Training

Despite the growing number of women lifting weights, outdated myths still exist.

One of the most common misconceptions is the idea that strength training will make women “bulky”. In reality, the women we spoke to emphasised that physical appearance is usually just a by-product of training — the real benefits are confidence, resilience and improved wellbeing.

Another myth is that strength training isn’t welcoming or accessible for everyone. But strength looks different for every person, and there is no single way to be strong.

As more women step into the weights area, these stereotypes are gradually disappearing.

From Intimidation To Confidence

For many women, the most difficult step is often the first one.

Walking into the weights area can feel intimidating, especially for beginners. Both Jacks and Annie remember feeling unsure when they first started. But with consistency and persistence, that uncertainty gradually turned into confidence.

Every session built strength, and with it, a growing sense of belonging.

Confidence in the gym rarely appears overnight — it grows with every rep, every session, and every small victory along the way.

Strength That Extends Beyond the Gym

The benefits of strength training don’t stop when you leave the gym floor.

For Ali, lifting has changed how she approaches life. Strength training has given her the confidence to take on new challenges and reject the idea that women should slow down as they get older.

Jacks explains that training consistently helps her feel stronger and more confident in everyday life, while Annie credits strength training with completely transforming how she sees herself.

In many ways, strength training becomes a tool not just for building muscle — but for building confidence, resilience and self-belief.

Strength. It’s in Us All.

International Women’s Day is about recognising progress and celebrating the women who continue to push boundaries.

More women are lifting weights.

More women are stepping into the weights area.

More women are showing what’s possible.

At PRIMAL, we believe that strength exists in every person — sometimes it just takes the right environment to discover it.

Strength. It’s in us all.

Primal Insights