Imagine a world where were stronger. Imagine how much easier your life would be… how many fewer trips you would have spent lugging your camping equipment across the EMF carpark for a start! This talk could help make that world into your reality, and sooner than you think. In this talk I will outline my own journey from the girl picked last in sports to the woman deadlifting her bodyweight - which is way more achievable than you might think! I’ll outline the benefits of strength training at any age, talk through some common misconceptions, and offer practical tips for getting started (no meat smoothies or protein shakes required!). I will focus on strength training from the perspective of a female beginner, but people of all gender identities are welcome and most of the tips will be similar regardless. Interested, but worried that you might injure yourself, or that you can’t get to the gym enough, or that your body will change in ways you don’t like? This talk is for you. I’ll cover all of these topics and more, and hopefully persuade you that you belong in the gym too! Note I am an enthusiastic amateur and definitely not an expert or a professional. Strength training, like any sport, involves risks and any future lifting you decide to do will be at your own risk.