Strong Vibes

Take a look inside a local gym, and you will likely see a national trend playing out in real time: more women lifting weights than ever before. 

In the past decade, a growing number of women have shifted their focus from losing weight to building strength. As cultural norms make room for more diverse body types, they are strength training for physical health, mental health, and the sheer joy of discovering what their bodies can do. 

Across the Emerald Coast, girls and women are showing up, lifting heavy, and celebrating personal records. 

Here’s a look at how they’re getting strong.

Photo By Pevee Cobia

Starting young and aiming high

Sixteen-year-old Amari Leggs and 17-year-old Adalyn Brown readily admit they’re a little obsessed with Olympic weightlifting. 

“It’s super addictive,” Leggs says. “Once you hit that max, that personal best, you want to hit that next level.”

For Brown, the appeal is knowing the outcome of a particular lift is solely up to you. 

“You’re competing against yourself,” she says. “It’s about doing better than you had previously.”

 When Leggs and Brown aren’t cheering on their weightlifting team at West Florida High School, they are supporting their fellow lifters at Team Florida Pensacola (TFP), an Olympic weightlifting training facility on Van Pelt Lane.

“The sport has exploded for women in the past 15 to 20 years, and it’s awesome,” says Bobby Adriano, the head coach at TFP. “I have women here of all ages, from age 12 to 56.”

Leggs and Brown usually spend three evenings a week at TFP training for competitions by perfecting their snatches and clean and jerks, the two lifts that comprise Olympic weightlifting. Leggs is up to a 127-pound snatch and a 149-pound clean and jerk, while Brown’s snatch is 140 pounds, and her clean and jerk comes in at 176 pounds.

“It’s made me a stronger tumbler. It’s made a stronger stunter,” said Brown, who’s also a cheerleader. “I feel an extreme improvement in my health.”

The teenagers say lifting heavy has made them visibly stronger, and they are fine with that. 

“I would say I like how I’m built,” Leggs says. “I’m very explosive.”

Adalyn is also proud of what she sees in the mirror. 

“I’ll look at myself and think, ‘Dang, I’m buff!’”

Both girls credit much of their success to Adriano’s guidance at TFP.

“He’ll definitely push you in a supportive way,” Leggs says. 

Following suit, Leggs and Brown are always encouraging their female classmates and friends to give weightlifting a chance.

“Just shoot your shot,” Brown says. “Do it scared—it will be so good for you!”

Photos Courtesy of Emily Bennett

Nothing but Empowerment

For Emily Bennett, the girls weightlifting team at Arnold High School in Panama City Beach was a lifesaver. A troubled teenager with attitude to spare, she thrived under the tutelage and care of coach Donka Flaig, helping her team capture back-to-back state titles. 

Almost a decade later, weightlifting still gives Bennett purpose as she now concentrates on bodybuilding, growing her social media presence as a fitness influencer, and coaching other women who want to build strength. She credits Flaig with teaching her a sport that has given her not only physical strength but also
mental fortitude.

“She worked so hard to make that weightlifting room nothing but empowerment,” says Bennett, who is 24. “She’s the one who dug a little deeper and made me push a little harder.” 

Flaig, who’s now in her thirteenth year of coaching, loves that weightlifting is surging among girls and women, and she isn’t surprised that it’s happening. 

“I think girls are tired of being told to be small—in size, in personality, and in presence,” she says. “Social media helped normalize female strength and show girls that lifting isn’t just for boys—it’s for anyone who wants to feel powerful.”

Flaig believes every woman deserves to feel strong.

“Lifting builds muscles, yes, but it also builds confidence, discipline, and belief,” she says. “I’ve seen girls go from doubting themselves to walking with their heads high. Their mindset shifts from picking themselves apart to appreciating their bodies for what they can do.”

Using what Flaig taught her all those years ago, Bennett, who lives in Panama City Beach, trains hard every week. 

“I’m fortunate that I started with a solid foundation to go into bodybuilding, thanks to my Olympic weightlifting,” she said. “Lifting heavy is what’s going to build that muscle mass. But heavy is relative, and it’s about being able to muster energy [from] within and push through those hard moments.” 

Bennett pushes herself to go farther, especially when she thinks she can’t, and encourages other women to do the same.

“When it gets hard, stay consistent,” she says. “Every day, your 100 percent is going to look a little different, but the fact that you’re showing up and actively doing something to improve yourself, that’s the biggest thing!” 

Photo By Pevee Cobia

Uncomfortable but Not Afraid

When Candace Smith discovered strength training several years ago, she loved it so much that she turned it into a career. 

“I loved the way I looked when I looked in the mirror,” said Smith, who is 44. “A woman who strength trains, even if you don’t have visible muscle, you still just stand tall.”

Today, she and her husband are full-time RVers, making Pensacola their home base, as she works as an in-person and virtual fitness coach to women across the country. Interest in weightlifting is on the rise, and Smith couldn’t be happier. 

“Social media has helped,” she says. “I think fitness culture overall has evolved. Women don’t want to just be skinny—we want to be strong!”

Smith, whose favorite lifts and exercises include conventional deadlifts, pull-ups, and Bulgarian split squats, has seen countless physical benefits from weight training.

“It shapes your body for the look that you want,” she says. “It boosts your metabolism. It strengthens your bones and joints. It’s just making aging easier.”

Because of weightlifting, Smith has the confidence and strength to actively pursue her two favorite recreational sports: skiing and roller skating. But the mental and emotional benefits have been just as significant. 

“I feel like I could do anything, even down to talking in front of people,” says Smith, who regularly has to create and share social media content to market her services. “When you turn your focus toward how strong you can get, it just changes your whole dynamic.”

And Smith’s ideal client? A woman of any age who is new to lifting but eager to gain strength. 

“She may be uncomfortable, but she’s not afraid of it,” she says. “I want to get a barbell in her hand—she won’t ever look back!”  

Photos Courtesy of Emily Bennett

Get Built

The weightlifters and coaches we spoke to offer these 5 tips to women who want to start weight training:

1. Just begin. Everyone starts somewhere.

2. Learn how to lift safely by taking a class or using a one-on-one trainer or fitness coach.

3. Consistency is key, and a short workout is better than no workout. 

4. Everyone is unique and on their own fitness journey. Don’t compare your body or your progress to others.

5. Take it slow and trust the process.