About Us
The weightlifting club is home to a diverse group of people united by one common interest: picking heavy things up and putting them down again (sometimes in elaborate ways)
The resistance that you fight physically in the gym and the resistance that you fight in life can only build a strong character." – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Our club has a main focus on Powerlifting and Olympic Weightlifting; however, we welcome all who have an interest in the gym and getting stronger.
Competitions
Lifters in the club routinely travel nationally and internationally for competitions.Each year both our Powerlifting and Weightlifting teams travel to the Scottish University Championships to compete and it is one of the highlights of the year. In 2025, our men's powerlifting captain travelled to Luxembourg and won bronze representing Scotland at Small Nations, and also won gold in his weight class in the British University Championships 2026, we also had 4 members competing at the 2026 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Winnipeg, Canada, also representing team Scotland. Our members often continue showing their dedication to the sport after their time with the club, showcasing just how much we all come to love the community and the sport, with multiple of our alumni breaking and holding local and national records. You will often find members tagging along to competitions simply to support their friends. We also host our own mock meet competitions to give you a taste of the competitive atmosphere and experience.
Recreational
A key point to note is that we do not require any of our members to compete to join the club (however, should you choose to, we will encourage and support you all the way!). Therefore, you can absolutely join without the intention of competing. From training in a safe space during our coached sessions, to hitting the gym with other club members for extra encouragement, GUWC wants to emphasise how great lifting is for mental and physical wellbeing.
Training
We host two types of coached sessions per week: One dedicated to Powerlifting on Saturdays 1-3PM, and one dedicated to Olympic Weightlifting on Saturdays 3-5pm. We also have open sessions on Mondays 8-10PM and Wednesdays 1-3PM which are for any member of the club who wants to lift in an encouraging atmosphere. Training is held in Studio 1 of the Stevenson building. See the Club Sport Training Timetable for training times
Socials
At GUWC, we don't just train together; you'll also find us at the club's weekly socials. These include movie nights, pub-crawls, pub-quizzes and the end-of-year ball. Our socials are a mix of sober and non-sober events, to make sure everyone feels welcome. We also always have a sober committee member at socials, and announce them before the event.
Joining
The shared passion of everyone in the club makes GUWC a large but close-knit community. We want nothing more than to see each other improve, and there is always room for new members, whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced lifter. To join GUWC, first secure gym membership and then join online or contact us for further information.
Insurance
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate insurance cover for any activity you take part in. Upon joining, please check the level of insurance cover we, as a club, provide to you.
GUSA recommends that all students playing high risk sport, go abroad to compete/train, or are playing in governing body leagues, may want to consider/need to take out personal liability insurance, or join the sports governing body to be covered. Some insurance providers also offer specialist sports cover.
