Learn to Lift with Fern Connor: Building confidence and strength in The Women’s Gym

Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of teaching a member exclusive Learn to Lift class at The Women’s Gym Wilmslow, and what an empowering session it was. 

The goal of the class was to help women feel confident and capable when lifting weights, whether they were complete beginners or already familiar with the gym floor and just wanted to perfect their form. 

Many women avoid the weights area because it feels intimidating or they’ve always wanted to lift but aren’t sure where to start. I designed this class to change that.  

The Women’s Gym has an amazing setup of free weights and various strength machines that I wanted the members to feel confident and comfortable using.

We started with the foundations of strength training - proper warm-up techniques, understanding posture, the correct hand and feet placement, and learning how to engage the right muscles. Then we moved into the key lifts: squats, deadlifts, and overhead press. Step by step, we broke down each movement, focusing on form, control, and confidence. 

It was amazing to see how the smallest pointers made such a difference. With every rep, you could see the shift - shoulders back, smiles, and that sense of “I can actually do this” taking over. By the end of the session, women who had been hesitant to pick up a barbell were lifting with confidence and even adding weights to the bar.  

Beyond technique, we also talked about why lifting weights matters - not just for building muscle, but for boosting confidence, supporting bone health, improving metabolism, and creating a sense of empowerment that carries into everyday life. 

I’m so happy that this topic has proven to be such a popular one among the women at our gym. Because of the incredible response, The Women’s Gym has now launched a new weekly ‘Learn to Lift’ class, inspired by my member exclusive session.