History
Lifting isn't new for women. Many have just forgotten!
These are some past highlights you might not have known about!
900s BC - AD 396
In Sparta, women used to train and exercise alongside men! That includes strength and aerobic exercise. It was thought that if both parents were physically fit, their offspring would be healthy warriors.
Spartan women were not only allowed to do strength and aerobic exercise, but expected to.
900s BC - AD 396
Even some Roman women would throw discus, use dumbbells, and engage in other forms of activity on occasion.
31 BC - AD 476
Josephine 'Minerva' Blatt
was one of the first
strongwomen to perform
and compete on tour.
Miriam Kate Williams 'Vulcana' was also a strongwoman who performed and was widely regarded as balancing beauty and brawns.
Abbye 'Pudgy' Stockton wrote on women's health, performed acrobatic and powerlifting feats, and did so without sacrificing her femininity.
The All American Women's Open was hosted in 1977, marking the first sanctioned powerlifting competition for women. Jan Todd enters the International Powerlifting Hall of Fame in 1981.
Karyn Marshall eclipses Katie Sandwina (c. 1911) for the new record clean and jerk of 289 pounds in 1984.
The 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics becomes the first Olympic Games to host a women's weightlifting competition for global competitors.
In 2007, the first CrossFit Games were hosted that included both male and female categories.
More women are learning to lift, whether competitively or for fun, and steadily building a less-stigmatized community.
