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Welcome to the University of Leeds Barbell Club; the strongest club on campus and BUCS 2022 silver medalists. If you're interested in the gym, strength training, or just general fitness - this is the club for you! Whether you're a complete beginner or an advanced lifter, we cater to everyone. Our primary goal as a club is to host a friendly, supportive, and inclusive community, with a 50/50 gender split, for members to meet like-minded people to train with, chat with and learn from. We run 2 training sessions at Cromer Terrace Gryphon Performance Hub each week, with experienced British Powerlifting and British Weightlifting qualified coaches there to help. Of course, there are also a huge variety of socials every week too, with activities to suit everyone.
 

In 2023 and 2024, we were crowned  winners of the Northern University Championships!! In 2025, we came second, can you help us secure the top of the podium in 2026?

BUCS: please check out the ‘products’ section later in the year, to find out how to enter BUCS. We usually send a team of lifters to the Northern University Championships (to qualify) and to BUCS.

TRAINING

We offer 2 sessions per week - both coached by experienced, British Powerlifting and British Weightlifting coaches! Come along and follow one of the template sessions, or do your own session, either is fine.

Coached group sessions are split into 1 Powerlifting and 1 Weightlifting session. These sessions are aimed at both complete beginners and competitive lifters to learn how to safely and effectively lift in these styles in a safe and supportive environment. Sessions are led by accredited national Powerlifting & Weightlifting coaches and take place in the Gryphon Performance Hub S&C Room, Cromer Terrace. 

Uncoached/open sessions are a less-structured time for everyone to come and train together, no matter what activity you're doing. These sessions are for you to do you own thing, whether its Powerlifting, Weightlifting, Strongman, Para Powerlifting, CrossFit, Bodybuilding, Conditioning or General Fitness. These will be held in local gyms, and are completely unstructured, but do still have coaches present! A fun training social!

Non University of Leeds students must buy a student gryphons pass to be able to access University facilities for club training and games. These are available to purchase from the Edge reception at a cost of £80 per year.  These are not required for GIAG sessions

But what are Powerlifting & Weightlifting?

Powerlifting focuses on the squat, bench press and deadlift, whereas Weightlifting focuses on the snatch and clean & jerk Olympic movements. These are the performance aspects of our club, where we send squads to regional and national competitions. We are the first and only university club to become an official British Powerlifting Approved Club.

Do I need to pay extra to go to training sessions?

No, Cromer Terrace is free to enter at our times. The coached sessions are included in your membership. You will only have to get separate gym memberships if you wish to train outside of our coached sessions, in public gyms. 

How do I sign up to sessions?

Links to sign up to sessions will be included in the weekly email, sent to your student email address every Sunday at 6pm. Slots are limited to 30 members at one time. Slots fill up quickly, so be on it and cancel early if you need to. You can go to as many or as few sessions as you wish! Due to popularity, we operate a 2 strikes and your out policy for missing sessions without cancelling with 24-hours notice.

How strong do you have to be to join?

There are no set levels of strength you have to be at to join, we cater for everyone no matter how much experience they have. Coached sessions are primarily targeted at beginners so these are a great starting point.

Training Schedule

Wednesday 16:00-18:00 Powerlifting @  Cromer Terrace 

Friday15:30-17:00 Weightlifting @ Cromer Terrace 

CLUB KIT

You can purchase your club T-shirt and singlet under the products tab on here!

You can get the rest of your UoL Barbell Club kit here.

MEMBERSHIP

Our full membership is just £75 (which is an absolute steal for what you get) for the whole year and our social membership is £35. The social membership includes access to socials, seminars and our group chat. The full membership also includes access to training. As a member you also get the following perks:

• Heavily discounted custom UOL Barbell A7 competition singlet.
• Discounted group travel & accommodation to local and BUCS competitions as part of the UOL squad.
• Access to entry into the Northern University Championships powerlifting competition.
• Free entry into our in-house unofficial novice Powerlifting & Weightlifting competitions.
• Heavily discounted physiotherapy sessions at The Edge.
• Discounted rates on: SBD (20%), Eleiko (25%) kit, A7 IPF approved items (up to 20%), LIFT apparel (20%)
• Financial support for international (IPF & IWF) athletes.
• Financial support towards level 1 & 2 NGB coaching courses.

How do I upgrade to a full membership?

To get a full membership first purchase a £35 ‘Social membership’ (this is your social membership), then under products purchase a £40 ‘Training membership’.

Remember to follow us at University of Leeds Barbell Club on Facebook and @LeedsBarbell on Instagram! If you have any questions feel free to DM us and check out our FAQ's Instagram highlight!

We look forward to seeing you at training and social events. Stay strong 💪🏼