‘Strength training in an all-female gym; it’s political. My trainer is a woman, the rest of the crew are women, and we set our own pace and cheer each other on. We make each other happy. Win, win.’

StrongHer is all about empowering women to lift weights and feel safe. There’s no secret ultimatum when it comes to the business, we just want to make other women feel comfortable and proud of themselves says Co-Founder Lyanne Hodson.

StrongHer was established in 2016 by female founders Lyanne (Tig) Hodson and Sam Prynn, who wanted to help empower women and educate in strength training. In 2018 they launched Warrior Project, small group training sessions with a maximum capacity of 14 women. Then in 2020 space one opened and in September 2021 site two (gym-only space) opened. 

Inclusivity, accessibility, and education are absolutely essential to the StrongHer lifestyle. Sam and Tig’s ultimate goal is to break down the barriers that hold many women back from improving their health and self-esteem.

In November 2021, Monique found StrongHer, and in her recent feature this December for The Guardian she said that she’s ‘fallen in love with the process of making her body stronger and more flexible.’

Monique tried a couple of high-energy weightlifting circuit classes but soon realised that all she really wanted to do training one-to-one. She approached our incredible Senior Trainer Abi Skipper after attending one of her classes. 

Monique trained off-peak, during afternoons when it’s quiet and during those sessions, it was when she really got to clock the other women coming in: women in hijabs, younger women and other women her age, all quietly racking and de-racking their barbells.

If you’d like to know more about Monique’s experience, read the full feature in The Guardian here.

Tempted? You can book in a class with Abi here.